a DIVIDED UNION - impact of civil rights protest 1960-74

Question 1

what were the ‘sit in’s”

Answer 1

a new type of protest where people refused to leave until their demands were met

Question 2

what happened during a sit in at Woolworths in feb 1960

Answer 2

at Woolworths restaurant at Greensboro North Carolina four African Americans staged a sit in. after 5 days 300 students involved.

Martin Luther K visited Greensboro and delivered a speech. People were surprised at resilience of students

Question 3

what abuse did the protesters at Greensboro face?

Answer 3

The protesters Jospeh McNeil
frank Mccain
ezell Blair jar and David Richmond had food thrown at them and spat at by white segregationists who also physically attacked. protesters did not react as they were peaceful activists. Thousands were arrested which led to a new tactic called jail not bail which attracted media attention

Question 4

NAME THREE CIVIL RIGHTS ORGS

Answer 4

CORE=congress of racial equality

SCLC= southern christian leadership conference

NAACP=National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Question 5

What was another consequence for the actual Woolworths store during the sit ins?

Answer 5

sales dropped so they decided to desegregate

Question 6

How were the sit ins successful

Answer 6

they spread to other cafes and restaurants across Greensboro and other southern cities

by 1961 70,000 people participated and 810 towns were forced to desegregate

Question 7

What else did the sits ins inspire?

Answer 7

The creation of another civil rights org called Student non violent co-ordinating committee (SNCC) OR SNICK

Question 8

How were the sit ins received in the media

Answer 8

They benefited from publicity on tv and showed non violent protesters in the face of violence

Question 9

How did it change the nature of protest

Answer 9

non violent

blacks and whites protesting together

non violent but still confrontational - inspiring other protests such as FREEDOM RIDES

Question 10

WHAT WERE THE FREEDOM RIDES

Answer 10

in 1961 members of CORE planned freedom rides to expose interstate segregation across America on pub transport

black and white students took to buses

first ones set of f4 may 1961 from Washington

14 may they arrive in Alabama and attacked by KKK

bus firebombed even though police escorted

second bus people were dragged off and beaten

local police chief Eugene Bull Connor did nothing

Question 11

why were the freedom riders arrested

Answer 11

police said they were starting riots when it was the KKK who attacked them

Question 12

by 1961 how many freedom rides had there been?

Answer 12

60

Question 13

how many freedom riders were imprisoned in Jackson Mississippi

Answer 13

300

Question 14

what was the aim of the freedom riders

Answer 14

to highlight segregation

bring media attention to segregation on public transport

Question 15

what did the Brown case and Little Rock 9 case establish

Answer 15

that segregation of schools was unconstitutional

Question 16

Why was the freedom summer a failure

Answer 16

Freedom Summer, or the Mississippi Summer Project, was a 1964 voter registration drive aimed at increasing the number of registered Black voters in Mississippi. Over 700 mostly white volunteers joined African Americans in Mississippi to fight against voter intimidation and discrimination at the polls.

The movement was organized by civil rights organizations like the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and run by the local Council of Federated Organizations (COFO). Freedom Summer volunteers were met with violent resistance from the Ku Klux Klan and members of state and local law enforcement. News coverage of beatings, false arrests and even murder drew international attention to the civil rights movement. The increased awareness it brought to voter discrimination helped lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Question 17

What was the significance of the Meredith case

Answer 17

James Meredith applied for university in may 1961 uni Mississippi

he was rejected

he and NAACP sued uni

Supreme Court ordered uni admit Meredith. They refused. gov Mississippi said ‘no school will be integrated in Mississippi while I am your governor’

29 sept 61 President Kennedy ordered those who obstruct the law DESIST

riots

Kennedy sent 2000 federal troops
300 state troops ordered to protect Meredith whilst he attended uni 1 year

the case showed Kennedy unafraid to intervene- prevents other schools and uni from segregation

Question 18

What were Martin Luther Kings aims

Answer 18

To end racial discrimination

To achieve racial equality

to bring about justice including the poor

Question 19

What were some of the methods used by Martin Luther King

Answer 19

Civil disobedience

Lobbying politicians

No violent direct action

Peaceful protest