Civil Rights (1) Flashcards
1
Q
How were black Americans discriminated against in the 1950s in the north
A
- Blacks had the worst jobs
- Lived in poorest parts of towns and cities called ‘ghettos’
- Only 20% of black people had registered to vote even though it was fully legal, many black americans had tough literacy tests and would face a lot of intimidation
2
Q
How were black Americans discriminated against in the 1950s in the south
A
- State Laws (Jim Crow laws) enforced segregation
- Separate restaurants, cinemas, schools
- Buses were segregated
- Facilities in black schools were much worse as they had less money spent on them
- Only 20% of black people had registered to vote even though it was fully legal, many black americans had tough literacy tests and would face a lot of intimidation
3
Q
Why did the Civil Rights Movement grow in the 1950s
A
- Education
- The cold war
- impact of the second world war
- television
- growth of cities
- more migration
- new ideas
4
Q
What was the NAACP
A
- National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People
- Set up 1909, set up legal defence fund in 1940
- Campaigned for integration, to overthrow Plessy
- Focused on fighting for civil rights in the courts,
Provided evidence that facilities were not equal, and focused on school segregation
5
Q
what was CORE
A
- Congress of Racial Equality
- set up in 1942
- targeted segregation
- Many white members, used non-violent direct action protests such as sit-ins, boycotts etc.
- Trained not to react even in the face of extreme intimidation/attack
6
Q
The key features of the Brown v. Topeka case
A
- In 1954 Oliver Brown took the City of Topeka in Kansas to court for forcing his daughter to attend a school a long way away, instead of being allowed to go to a nearby whites-only school.
- The NAACP supported the case and 4 others.
- In 1954 the Supreme Court declared that all segregated schools were illegal, because separate must mean unequal.
- Key turning point in Civil Rights although there was still much opposition in the south to integrating schools and many states refused to do so.
7
Q
what was The events at Little Rock High School, 1957
A
- Elizabeth Eckford and eight other black students tried to enrol at Little Rock High School in Arkansas. They were stopped by the State Governor, Orval Faubus, who surrounded the school with the state National Guard.
- Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort and protect the students. After a month they were replaced by National Guards men under the orders of the President, they stayed at the school for a year
- Shows how much opposition there was to integration
- Also show that the US government wanted things to change
8
Q
what was the Montgomery bus boycott
A
- In 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give her seat on a bus to a white man. Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Improvement Association organised a boycott of the buses which lasted for a year until the bus company gave in.
- In 1956 the Supreme Court said that segregation on buses was also illegal.
- In 1957 Eisenhower introduced the first Civil Rights Act since 1875. It set up a commission to prosecute anybody who tried to deny American citizens their rights.
9
Q
What opposition was there to the civil rights movement
A
- The KKK organised demonstrations against Civil Rights and were involved in violent attacks
- The murders of George Lee, Lamar Smith and Emmet Till (14 year old boy) got a lot of coverage across the country – exposed the racism, and injustice that existed in southern states and added impetus to the Civil Rights campaigns.
- Southern churches – claimed the bible said that integration was a sin (many KKK members were also members of these churches)
- Dixiecrats – southern democrats that formed a breakaway party after 1948 Civil Rights Bill
- Southern state governors – most state officials favoured segregation so opposed and moves towards Civil Rights
- White Citizens’ Council set up in Mississippi (aimed to preserve segregation and used violence/intimidation)
10
Q
What was the position of black Americans in the early 1950s
A
- In 1896 Homer Plessey challenged segregation on trains saying that it was against the 14th Amendment. The Supreme court ruled against him.
The Plessey v Ferguson case of 1896 upheld Jim Crow Laws. It said that segregation was acceptable if the facilities provided were equal. - Technically, black Americans were allowed to vote. However, by 1956, only 20% of them had registered to do so as they were intimidated and made to sit unreasonable tests to register
11
Q
Evidence of the short-term success of Brown
A
- Plessy was reversed
- Led to many further Legal victories
- Southern border states desegregated schools
12
Q
Evidence that Brown was unsuccessful
A
- Southern Manifesto rejected the Brown decision (see source B p.24)
- Threats & violence to black children that attempted to integrate into schools
- Some southern Governors pledged to keep segregation
- White Citizens’ Council set up in Mississippi (aimed to preserve segregation and used violence/intimidation)
- KKK membership grew
- White parent groups protested outside schools
13
Q
what were the events of the bus boycott
A
1st December 1955 – Rosa Parks arrested
8 December – Bus company refused to change policies
12 December – car pools begin
30 January 1956 – MLK’s house bombed
1 February – NAACP begin Browder v Gayle case
22 February - 89 MIA members arrested
19 March – MIA member put on trial
11 May – Browder v Gayle comes to court
5 June – S Court orders that buses should be desegregated
13 November – bus company appeal rejected
17 December – 2nd appeal rejected
20 December – boycott lifted, integrated buses begin on 21st December
14
Q
how was The significance of the leadership of Martin Luther King useful
A
- Being well-educated allowed him to think through a campaign strategy carefully, establish clear goals, and decide on the best means to achieve them.
- gained sympathy and support due to his nonviolent approach
- gave passionate speeches which shows he cares
- good role model due to him being Christian
15
Q
what reasons were there for the boycott being a success
A
- Buses were desegregated
- A very symbolic victory in legal terms
- Showed power of non-violent, organised protest
- Brought MLK into spotlight
