1966-74 Protests Flashcards
how did civil rights change from 1966
-not al Blacks agreed with methods such as peaceful protest and working with the government
-groups argued for Black Nationalism(living completely separately from other races
-felt violence could be justified to achieve quality
Nation of Islam features
-argued that racial integration would not bring equality as whites would always consider themselves superior
-believed Blacks should be segregated from whites but have the same standard of facilities
-collection of very small groups
-500 members in 1952->40k in 1962
Malcom X features at first
-critical of civil rights movement and MLK, believed in violence
-joined NOI whilst in prison, became a minister when he left
-won supporters because he understood social and financial problem faced by many blacks that civil rights movements failed to address
How did Malcom X’s views change later on
-left NOI after arguing with its leader who was jealous of his reputation and success
-religious views changed to more traditional Islam and went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he saw Muslims of all races treating each other equally
-set up Organisation of Afro-American Unity to promote close links with people in Africa
-said the organisation would work with other civil rights groups, even those with many white members
-assassinated by three NOI members while making a speech in New York
impact of Malcolm X
-ideas of black pride, violence in self-defence and rejection of civil rights movement inspired many other and lead to more radical groups
-highlighted huge economic and social problems facing many Blacks with his speeches,such as the economic exploitation of the civil rights act in 1964 resonated with many blacks, which grew black power
March Against Fear
-Blacks still faced discrimination and violence after civil rights acts
-James Meredith led the march through Mississippi to show violence still faced by Blacks
-was shot on the second day of the march
-Stokely Carmichael and MLK took over the march
-MLK continued to highlight peaceful protest
-Carmichael was more militant and encourages people to demand ‘Black Power’
Stokely Carmichael
-Well known campaigner and leader for SNCC
-frustrated by slow progress brough by non-violent action
-started taking a more radical approach to improve lives of Blacks, rejected white help and encourage people to defend if attacked, influenced by Malcolm X
-white people were not welcome in SNCC anymore
-marked a turning point in civil rights movement
-one of the first people to use ‘Black Power’, and became popular, especially among young Blacks from poor community that wanted a radical approach for change
why did black power grow
-problems with other civil rights groups
-many Blacks were frustrated by slow progress from other approaches, law changes did not help discrimination
-black power expressed anger from Blacks about unemployment and worsening conditions in ghettos
-Change in the SNCC and the rise of Black power groups as well as events at 1968 Olympics gained publicity
-Black power groups encouraged people to be proud of the culture, which people found attractive
1968 olympics
-Blacks called for a boycott of the Olympics by black athletes, but most wanted to perform on a world stage
-Tommie Smith and John Carlos won gold and bronze in the 200 metre sprint
-During US national anthem, they gave the Black power salute of a clenched fist
-they also wore blacks socks without shoes to show poverty of blacks
-shouted at by Americans in the crowd as they left the stadium, criticised by the media and received death threats, banned from future Olympics
-protest inspired many young Blacks to join Black Power groups and brough worldwide attention to the movement
Impact of Black Power
-inspired projects to improve living conditions e.g. black panthers
-increased awareness of problems Blacks faced
-influenced the campaigns and focus of civil rights movements after 1965
black panthers features
-set up by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale is California
-best known and most feared black power groups, nearly 2k members in 25 cities
-willing to work with white people that shared beliefs, had a ten point plan of what they wanted
-followed police officers to prevent Blacks abuse, thought of as more effective police than actual police in the ghettos, called ‘patrolling the pigs’
-frequent shoot-outs and violence, attracting negative publicity
-socialist beliefs, heavily watched by FBO
what did the black panthers improve in the ghettos
-organised medical clinics to give black people free healthcare
-ran breakfast clubs for black children to attend before school
-provided free shoes for poor black families
-ran classes on black history
-co-operated with black gangs to reduce violence
-money gained donations from black businesses or through theft
race riots features
-race riot in NY after civil rights act signing to show there was still unhappiness, laws did not bring equality
-300 major riots in 250 cities
->200 killed, thousands injured, tens of thousands arrested, damage worth billions
Watts district riot
-in LA, Marquette Frye arrested on suspicion of drink-driving by 2 police
-resisted arrest and rumours that police attacked his mother and pregnant girlfriend spread
-lead to violent protests
-14,000 California national Guard troops enforced curfew zone to try restore order
-after 6 days, 34 people died, >1,000 injured, nearly 4,000 arrested and hundreds of properties badly damaged
causes of the race riots
-discrimination despite signing of the civil rights act
-believed that it was the influence of black power, but the Kerner Report was set up to investigate the race riots and said:
-frustration and anger at the poor living conditions in the ghettos caused by segregation and discrimination
-failure of the police and city authorities to respond to reports
-unfair treatment and violence by police during the riots which marred the situation
-Kerner report recommended more social programmes, but Nixon did not do this
impacts of the race riots
-lost sympathy of white civil rights supporters and made whites more afraid of blacks
-money given by Federal government to improve ghetto conditions, spent on weapons and police training to deal with riots better instead of the causes of the problems
-changed focus of some civil rights campaigners to socioeconomic problems Blacks faced
-widened the area of civil rights campaigns, before was only south
-marked the end of non-violent campaigns for white Americans
Operation Breadbasket features
-‘Operation Breadbasket’ aimed to focus on improving housing, education and employment in Chicago
-they held boycotts to pressure businesses into employing more black people, and MLK met with civil rights leaders and city officials to try reach agreements on improving housing conditions
-slow progress and MLK had difficulty in persuading protestors to not retaliate to violence
-race riots broke out
Operation Breadbasket impacts
-MLK reached an agreement with the mayor who wanted to end protests, to build public housing and for Mortgage Bankers Association to agree mortgages regardless of race
-agreements not maintained by authorities
The Poor People’s Campaign features
-campaign by MLK and SCLC in Washington DC
-designed to help poor people of all races
-wanted: more welfare to help unemployed, fair minimum wage and education for poor adults and children to improve self-esteem and job opportunities
-thousands set up temporary shelters near Congress building to protest
-MLK assassination in April, campaign went ahead in June
-Without MLK, different groups disagreed on tactics and many supporters left Washington before a planned march took place
Poor People’s campaign impacts
-set up free food programmes in poorer areas
-poor organisation meant it was seen as a disaster which damaged public image of civil rights movement
Bussing to integrate features
-Civil Rights Act 1964 meant Federal funding could be cut to schools that resisted integration
-Johnson effectively used this so 60% of Southern Schools had desegregated by 1968 (end of presidency)
-Nixon was less committed to civil rights than Johnson, was far less active in reducing funding for schools that resisted integration
-NAACP continued to challenge districts where schools were slow to integrate, taking them to court
-in Swann vs Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, supreme court ruled that bussing was allowed
-Nixon spoke out against bussing on TV, and tried, unsuccessfully, to overturn this ruling
-In Milliken vs Bradley, supreme ruled bussing was allowed only where segregation was deliberate and not allowed across different school districts, meaning schools in white areas that were a strict away from black areas did not have to integrate
-by end of 1974, integration of Southern schools dropped to 40%
affirmative action features
-Johnson encouraged this policy, where schools or businesses allowed Blacks to study or get jobs even if they had lower qualifications than other candidates
-many blacks and whites objected to it, felt they were being unfairly
-Nixon continued this policy e.g. approving Philadelphia plan where building contractors were set targets to employ blacks. Increased black workers from 1 to 12% of the total work force
-this policy declared constitutional by Supreme court in Griggs vs Duke Power Comapny
Where was there few improvements little progress between 1968 and 1974 in civil rights
-MLK death meant civil rights group were divided without an overall leader
-no longer a president pushing for further reform
-Blacks continued to live in great poverty and real equality seemed far away despite great legal progress made
what did Nixon do for civil rights
-pushed for Equal Opportunity Act of 1972 through Congress
-did little generally
-many Republican supporters did not want to see further action on civil rights
-was looking to win support from former Democrat supporters in the South
