America: Southern Campaigns Flashcards

1
Q

Context to the Montgomery Bus boycott

A

Morgan vs Virginia, only applied to interstate buses, and most bus journeys were inside states and remained segregated
Bus drivers were often rude to black passengers
6 months before the boycott, 15 year old Claudette Colwin, a Montgomery student, was arrested and forcibly removed from the bus for refusing to give up her seat for a white man
She was a member of the NAACP youth council, one of the advisors for it was Rosa Parks

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2
Q

Cause of the Montgomery bus boycott

A

1st December 1955
Rosa parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat
She was arrested and found guilty on the 5th and fined 10 dollars
The Local NAACP branch took up her case- they had been waiting for the right person to get arrested
A young preacher from Georgia was chosen to lead the boycott - MLK
NAACP released flyers urging black people to take action.

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3
Q

Who was rosa parks?

A

She was a trained NAACP activists and in 1955 had completed a course in race relations where non-violent civil disobedience was discussed as a tactic

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4
Q

What was the aim of the boycott?

A

Enough ride loss in the city transport system could cause economic distress
Boy otters organised systems of carpools instead if using buses
Black churches nationally raised money for the boycotts and collected footwear for Montgomery citizens

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5
Q

Racist response to the Montgomery bus boycott

A

Pro segregation racists firebombed Kings house and boy otters were physically attacked

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6
Q

Successes/significance of the Montgomery bus boycott

A

It lasted a year and increased pressure nationally
Browder vs Gayle
It stimulated activism and participation- it was a mass protest involving all the black community
Produced MLK as a CR leader, he gained national attention
Federal government was being questioned more on the base of civil rights

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7
Q

Browder vs Gayle

A

1956
In November, the Supreme Court ordered Montgomery to desegregate the transport services
In response the city passed a law authorising black people to sit anywhere

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8
Q

Start of the greensboro Sit in

A

1st February 1960, 4 black students were in a department store in Greensboro North Carolina
They were ignored and refused service at the lunch counter
They came back the next day with 30 more students
They were calm and smartly dressed compared to the white youths shouting at them
The shop shut to prevent protests escalating

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9
Q

What group was involved in the greensboro sit in

A

The SNCC

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10
Q

Consequences of the Greensboro sit in

A

It spread over 100 southern cities and 50’000 people were involved
They succeeded in getting many public areas desegregated
August 1960- Greensboro integrated its lunch counters
By the end of 1961 810 towns and cities had desegregated public areas
But attitudes largely unaffected in the south

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11
Q

Cause of the 1960 freedom rides

A

The SNCC and CORE carried out a repeat of the journey of reconciliation (1947) to test if interstate bus travel and facilities were desegregated
This was in response to Bolton vs Virginia which said bus station facilities couldn’t be segregated for interstate travellers

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12
Q

The role of James Farmer (leader of CORE) in the freedom rides in 1960

A

He knew the freedom riders were likely to encounter hostility and he intended to show the oppopsiotn of the south to the rest of America
Extreme images were the way to get the government to enforce legislation and court decisions

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13
Q

Events of the freedom rides in 1960

A

The first 2 freedom buses were attacked- both white and black passengers were beaten up
At Anniston in Alabama, one bus was firebombed
The media showed the shocking levels of violence
3 freedom riders were killed but they still continued

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14
Q

Consequences of the freedom rides

A

They gained federal support
US attorney general Robert Kennedy sent federal policy t the south and organised complete desegregation of all interstate travel

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15
Q

What was the Albany movement ?

A

Formed on the 17th November 1961
A broad campaign that challenged all forms of discrimination
Focused on stations,libraries,parks,hospitals,jury representation,employment and police brutality

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16
Q

Who was involved in the Albany movement?

A

Georgias coloured ministerial alliance
NAACP
SNCC- when they joined in December 1961 it attracted attention

17
Q

What was the impact of Albany?

A

The goals weren’t met
MLK blamed the failure on the wide scope
But it did help to inform Birmingham

18
Q

Why did Birmingham become a focus of the civil rights movement in 1963?

A

It had already made its mark on the movement;
The police chief, bull Connor believed in segregation and had a temper
Freedom rides
A church was bombed killing 4 AA school girls
Any campaign in the city would gain attention and possibly federal intervention

19
Q

Events in Birmingham Alabama in 1963

A

Bull Connor saw relatively low key protests a threat to his ‘rule’ in Birmingham and he set police dogs on protestors
King was arrested for defying an injunction that denied the right to march
He was kept in solitary confinement and refused the right to see his lawyer
Only intervention from JFK go this release

20
Q

Impact of Birmingham 1963

A

It made race a a national issue
MLK wanted to extend the protest- with the march on Washington

21
Q

When was the march on Washington?

A

28th august 1963

22
Q

Aim of the march on Washington

A

The original name was to draw attention to black employment but the new aim was to put pressure on congress to pass the civil rights bill

23
Q

Who was involved in the march on Washington?

A

King,SCLC, a philip Washington
And o other like the NAACP, CORE, SNCC

24
Q

Events of the March on Washington

A

They all gathered at the Washington monument for performances lfrom singers like Bob Dylan
There were celebrities there too
This was followed by a rally at Lincoln memorial
Tribute to women like rosa parks and then MLKs famous ‘I have a dream’ speech

25
Q

Impact of the March on Washington

A

It was a great success and demonstrated a considerable degree of white support
Kennedy met with over 1500 religious,labour and business leaders to discuss civil rights
He committed his administration to passing the Civil rights bill, which Johnson later did

26
Q

Cause of freedom summer 1964

A

It was an election year
The SNCC decided to push voter registration by sending a large number of volunteers to the south
45, mostly young and white, were sent to Mississippi
It started on the 20th June
3 volunteers were found dead 6 weeks later
Another 3 activists were murdered by the end of the summer
And only 1’600 of the 17’000 black people who registered to vote were accepted