Civil Rights Flashcards
Why did attitudes begin to change towards immigrants?
-Organised crime gangs were established which led to Americans blaming Italian immigrants for the increase in crime.
-In 1917, Russia was overthrown and became a communist state which scared Americans as they were worried that Russian immigrants would bring revolution.
-Immigrants lived in poor, slum houses. This led landlords to raise rents and Americans resented these immigrants for this.
-Immigrants were willing to work for less money. This angered Americans to blame them for being strike breakers.
-In WW1, the USA fought against Germany and Italy. This meant the Americans disliked German and Italian immigrants.
-Small-town Americans feared that their way of life was under threat. This led to a growth in racism & groups like the KKK were established.
How did the USA close its open door and start to restrict immigration?
1921- The US government announced that only 3% of immigrants would be allowed into the USA.
1924- The US government lowered the percentage to 2%.
1929- Only 150,000 immigrants a year were allowed to enter the USA and 85% of that number were reserved for immigrants from northern and western Europe.
1930- Immigration from southern and eastern Europe and Asia had almost stopped.
1932- Franklin Roosevelt decided to shut the door
What methods did the KKK use?
-Marched through streets carrying banners which threatened violence
-Burned large wooden crosses to frighten people
-Prevented Black Americans from voting
-Held rallies to scare black people
-Carried out lynching
-Committed arson attacks and bombings on churches used by the black community
What were the main reasons for the migration North?
=The KKK terrorized Black Americans in the southern states which led many to move north to live somewhere safer & escape lynchings.
-The Jim Crow laws segregated all aspects of life for Black Americans which meant many Black Americans moved north where these laws didn’t exist.
-Black Americans could not vote due to strict laws which led many to move north for more opportunities to vote and where Black Americans were being elected.
-Black Americans lived in poor housing which led many to move north in search of better housing in the cities.
-Jobs in the south were low paying & seasonal which attracted many to go north in search of jobs in factories due to WW1.
-Schools in the south were segregated and black schools were poor which led many to migrate north in search of better education and integrated school.
Which campaigns were used for civil rights?
Montgomery Bus Boycott - In 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus. This led to a very large Bus Boycott which went on for over a year and forced bus companies to desegregate as they were losing lots of money. This Bus Boycott led to many more civil rights protests and was also led to the rise of MLKJR.
‘Little Rock’ campaign - the supreme court had stated that segregation in schools was wrong. In 1957 the NAACP decided to find out what had changed by sending nine black school children to Little Rock High School. On the first day, only Elizabeth Eckford turned up and she was met by an angry mob. Eventually, US soldiers were used to keep the black children safe at school.
Sit ins- the Sit-ins were a part of an SNCC campaign for civil rights. They were well organised and well prepared having attended protest classes run by a student named Jim Lawson in the University of Nashville.
Project C- Project C was a campaign created by MLKJR that took place in Birmingham, Alabama. He decided to use a very risky strategy, Birmingham’s black schoolchildren. They marched down streets and were aggressively attacked with fire hoses, tear gas, dogs and electric cattle prods. It was effective because most of the public saw how Connor reacted and saw what he did to them, and they were disgusted by it
Reasons why the sit-ins were an important step forward in the civil rights movement.
-High levels of support from white Americans. Contributed to organisation and show of solidarity between black and white people
-Restaurants and cafes across America could not afford the bad publicity and loss of business. This meant that by the Summer of 1980 there were almost no segregated lunch counters left.
-The use of sit-in protests at restaurants led to protests against other forms of racial segregation. For example, Wade-ins at segregated pools and pray-ins at churches.
-The success of the sit-ins proved that black Americans had economic power. This meant it could be used to end segregation in restaurants and in other segregated areas of society.
-The sit-ins led to the formation of the SNCC which provided student volunteers for marches and other protests. For example, SNCC members participated in the Marches on Selma and Birmingham.
-Sit-ins attracted a great amount of media attention and sympathy for the civil rights movement. This led to TV viewers watching peaceful students being mistreated every day.
What was the March from Selma to Montgomery?
Black Americans were being prevented from voting, so protests were being held in Selma, Alabama to highlight this. Civil rights leaders arranged a protest to take place on the 7th of March, 1965. They would march from Selma to Montgomery, 600 people took part in the march. They were stopped on the Edmund Pettus bridge by 200 state troopers & police officers. The protesters were met with extreme violence and were beaten, whipped and had tear gas used on them. The march then became known as ‘Bloody Sunday’. This violence was broadcasted on national television and their campaign gained a great amount of support. Eventually, Martin Luther King Jr and his supporters gained legal permission to march from Selma to Montgomery. On the 21st of March 1965, the march began again, and 25,000 people took part. This time, US troops protected the marchers. At the end of the Selma to Montgomery march on March 25th 1965, Martin Luther King Jr spoke to the 25,000 marchers and once again made it clear what the purpose of the civil rights campaign was. Shortly after, the Voting Rights Act was passed which gave 250,000 black people the right to vote, but this mainly affected the southern states. The focus of the civil rights movement then moved to the northern states.
What were the ‘Freedom Rides’?
After the supreme court banned segregation for bathrooms, restaurants. cafes etc. being used by people on interstate buses, the SNCC decided to travel around states on these buses to make sure these laws were being followed. Although, these freedom rides were dangerous to the protestors as most of the buses ended up being brutally attacked, they were set on fire, petrol bombed and the windows were smashed.
