8) POST WAR: Civil Rights Campaign Flashcards
When was the Fair Employment Law?
1941.
What was the Brown v Topeka case?
Oliver Brown took the local Board of Education in Topeka to court to allow his daughter Linda to attend her local whites only school. He lost but appealed to the Supreme Court with help from NAACP and in May 1954 the Chief Judge declared that every education board had to end segregation in schools.
What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
After Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat in 1955, MLK led a boycott of all city buses. African Americans had provided 75% of buses income so they struggled financially. Instead they organised car shares between themselves. Almost a year later the Supreme Court ruled that segregated buses were illegal.
What was the Little Rock case?
In 1957, nine African American pupils tried to go to school in Little Rock, Arkansas but were blocked by the National Guard sent by the governor of Arkansas. They took the governor to court and won but a large hostile crowd prevented them from entering. Eisenhower sent in the army to ensure they could attend school which showed the lack of tolerance for poor treatment of African Americans.
When was the Civil Rights Act passed (giving all African Americans the right to vote)?
1957.
What were sit ins?
Students would sit in whites only sections of a café or restaurant and refuse to leave. In 1960 and 1961 around 70000 campaigners had stages sit ins across the south.
What were freedom rides?
African American and white campaigners would sit next to each other in whites only sections of buses where states had refused to desegregate in early 1960s.
What happened in the March on Birmingham, Alabama and when was it?
May 1963. The police attacked protesters with dogs, water cannons, tear gas, electric cattle prods and batons. The arrest of hundreds of protesters including 900 children was shown on TV. Kennedy sent in troops to restore order and he made Birmingham city council end segregation.
What happened in the March on Washington DC and when was it?
250000 protesters including 50000 white protesters marched on Washington and MLK gave his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech. August 1963.
What happed at the Selma March and when was it?
March 1965. When the marchers reached the outskirts of Selma they were brutally attacked by local police- Bloody Sunday.
What was the new Civil Rights Act passed by Kennedy in 1963?
Aimed to give African Americans full equality in housing and education.
Which laws did Johnson pass in relation to Civil Rights?
Voting Rights Act in 1965, legalised interracial marriages in 1967, 1968 Fair Housing Act.
Who was Malcolm X?
Malcolm Little- a member of the Nation of Islam until he became less extreme in his views and left to set up the Organisation of Afro-American Unity in 1964. He was assassinated by the Nation of Islam in 1965.
What did the Nation of Islam believe?
Wanted separatism- keeping the races apart. They said that white society was racist and corrupt. Urged African Americans to follow Islam as they said Christianity was a white man’s religion.
What was the Black Panther party?
An extreme militant group that rejected MLK’s non violent ideas. Argued that African Americans needed to use violence to protect themselves if necessary. Had around 5000 members by 1968.
