Black Civil Rights Movement P1+3 Flashcards
What was Plessy v Ferguson
1896 - Plessy took a seat in the ‘whites only’ on a train and refused to move. He was arrested and convicted for breaking the segregation law.
Prosecution argued that although segregation existed, it was based on “separate but equal”
Judge ruled against Plessy and was faced with either 20 days or a fine
De jure segregation
Practises that are legally recognised
De facto segregation
Practises that still existed, regardless of whether they were officially recognised
What were the Jim Crow Laws
State and local laws that legalised racial segregation
Meant to marginalise African Americans by denying them the right to vote, hold jobs, get an education etc.
What violence did African Americans face post 1945
- lynchings, a form of public execution
- bombing, black churches became targets or bombing or burning
- murder, people could be shot dead or beaten for violating Jim Crow Laws
- whippings and beatings
What were the political restrictions on African Americans post 1945?
- poll taxes, they had to pay a large sum and pay for all the previous years they could have voted
- literacy and comprehension tests, forced to take difficult tests that measured ability
- citizenship tests, difficult questions on random state laws
- property requirements, required voters to prove they had property worth a set amount
- intimidation, threatened with loss of jobs or violence
When was the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People NAACP founded?
1909 in response to black men being held in prison over alleged crimes against white people
What were the aims of the NAACP
To advocate and litigate for civil rights for Black Americans
To champion equal rights and eliminate racial prejudice
To advance interest of coloured citizens in regards to voting rights, legal justice and educational/employment abilities
What was the Brown v Board of Education 1954
- Oliver brown sided the school board for preventing his daughter from attending a white school
- judge ordered the southern states should set up integrated schools but southern states claimed ‘states rights’
Impact:
- Supreme Court had no date by which desegregation had to be achieved
- NAACP returned and obtained a second law order that integration should be accomplished with speed
- white citizens council was quickly formed to defend segregation
- kkk was revitalised
- 70% of school districts desegregated schools within a year, but in the Deep South, schools remained segregated
What happened to Emmett Till
In 1955, he visited his southern relatives and wolf whistled at a white woman
A few days later his mutilated body was found
For the first time, white men were charged with murdering a black male in Mississippi
all white jury verdict was ‘not guilty’
What was the Little Rock crisis in 1957
Central High School was the first integrated school with 9 black students to be reported there.
- Arkansas Govenor said he would call in National Guard to from entering the school, the students were not allowed to enter and white mobs formed outside
- Eisenhower ordered the 1200 Soldiers
- governor closed the school after 80% of voters chose to not desegregate the schools in 1958
- in 1959, the schools reopened and the African American students were allowed in
What was the significance of the Little Rock nine
- first time desegregation was seen in education, with presidential backing
- but although 9 went into school, only 3 graduated as racism was really common in the school
- full integration in the school happened in 1972
- Supreme Court, cooper v Aaron in 1958 said that any law sought to keep segregation in public schools was unconstitutional
What was the Montgomery bus boycott 1955
December 1955 - parks was taking the bus home and a white man was left standing, when ordered to move, she refused and was arrested and charged.
Local Women’s Political Council produced leaflets for a one day boycott on her trial
5th December, boycott started and black residents walked, cycled, carpooled or used taxis to get around
June - federal districts court ruled in favour and said this segregation is unconstitutional
Who was Rosa Parks and why was she significant?
She joined the NAACP and became branch secretary, this branch started to challenge the bus segregation laws.
How did the NAACP support the Montgomery bus boycott
They didn’t want to be completely involved but provided lawyers and paid the legal costs for it
What was the southern Christian leadership conference SCLC
set up in jan 1957 by MLK
Aims; to exploit power of black churches and create mass demonstrations against racial discriminations
Methods
- provided meeting place, network of communications
- prioritised peaceful confrontations and non direct mass action
What were the two civil rights acts
1957 Civil Rights Act: aimed to ensure all citizens to exercise the right to vote
1960 Civil Rights Act: made it a federal crime to obstruct court ordered school desegregation and black voting
What were sit ins
Demonstrations to enter a business or public place and remain seated until forcibly evicted or answered
By august 1960, 70,000 students joined in with sit ins
The disruption caused by sit ins impacted the economies of those businesses and company profits fell until they had to accept desegregation.
SCLC feared they were being too confrontational and the NAACP was critical and wanted to take legal action
What was the student nonviolent coordinating committee SNCC
originated in 1960 by Ella Baker
Baker had steered students to set up an independent organisation and to find bigger targets to fight for
Highly democratic and no dominant leader
There were accusations that SCLC had kept donations meant for SNCC
What were the freedom rides?
Founders of Congress of Racial Equality (1941) organised the freedom rides
CORE and SNCC planned to ride in two buses from Washington to New Orleans
-bus was set on fire and attacked by white mobs
- Kkk members beat them ho
- bus drivers refused to drive the buses
- riders were arrested
Impact:
Due to pressure from Kennedy’s justice departments, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) had power over buses and terminals and they declared an end to racial segregation = passengers were now permitted to sit wherever and “coloured” signs were removed from terminals
What was the Albany Movement
Non-violent protests
SNCC and NAACP chose Albany in Georgia because they had resisted desegregation
Hundreds were arrested for trying to desegregate transportation facilities, as well as hotels and restaurants
Campaign was first attempt at desegregating a whole city
Police’s Methods:
- avoid violence which avoids media attention
- arrest large numbers of activists
- when King and Abernathy were arrested, release them quickly so it wasn’t a rallying point
- city agreed to negotiate and desegregate but they didn’t t keep up their side and segregation continued
- government didn’t intervene
Significance: Albany remained to be a segregated state and focused on white supremacy, and police stations learnt new opposition tactics
Within a year, the city was largely segregated and registration drives had increased African Americans electorate
What was project Birmingham
Birmingham was chosen as there was high divisions between populations
King thought Birmingham was the worst city for racism and it was likely to produce opposition that won public sympathy
Aim: desegregate businesses and force them to employ black workers and to integrate their facilities for customers. They aimed for a peaceful march to disrupt traffic and boycott of city stores
- king was arrested and kept in solitary confinement
Children Crusade: 1963
- hundreds of school children gathered at a church where they watched the sit ins and the organisers thought school students should take place of the elders
Significance
- inspired many sit ins and demonstrations
- 5o southern cities agreed to desegregate in order to avoid chaos
- crucial in persuading Kennedy to push the 1964 Civil Rights Act
What was the March on Washington
Masterminded by Phillip Randolph
Aim: to encourage passage of civil rights bill and actions to increase black employment]
Groups: all, organisers tried to attract as many Shute people as possible, Protestant ministers, catholic priests, Jewish rabbis
Significance:
- quarter of a million people arrived for the protest = biggest demonstration in US History
- all main civil rights leaders spoke, first time all civil rights leaders collaborated on a task
- Americans saw MLK as a leader of civil rights movement
Who was Medgar Evens
WW2 veteran who was prevented from registering to vote by a white mob
Worked for NAACP investigating violent crimes and campaigning for desegregation and voter registeration
In the late 50s, he organised voter registeration drives]
He was assassinated after JFK spoke on 11 June 1963
Significance; shows that little steps of activism had a large impact on the movement
