Civil Rights Flashcards
What are the laws which apply to the whole of America called?
Federal laws
What are changes to the constitution called?
Ammendements
What are the three sections a law has to go through?
President (Executive)
Congress (Legislative)
Supreme Court (Judicial)
What is segregation?
Separating groups of people, usually by race
What are Jim Crow laws?
Laws enforcing segregation, named after a black character played by a white comedian
Where was racism more prevalent? Why?
The south. There were more black people. Moreover, in 1861 there was an American civil war when the south (Confederate) separated from North America just so they could keep slaves.
In 1896 Plessy vs ———— went to court. The idea of “separate but equal” came out and Jim Crow laws were made.
Ferguson
The 15th Amendment to the US constitution stated that all US citizens have the right to vote. Why did so few black Americans?
1) Violence - black voter intimidation
2) Literacy tests ( Black people were normally less educated but these were also unfair questions e.g. how many bubbles are there in a bar of soap)
3) Poll tax - flat tax (same for everyone therefore harder to pay for the poor)
Why did the civil rights movement grow in the 1950s?
Better education for black Americans
Migration
Southern cities grew giving more job opportunities
The Cold War - USA under scrutiny
Television
Second World War
New ideas
What is a boycott?
When you refuse to use a service if you believe it is doing something wrong
What is a picket?
To demonstrate outside a place you believe is doing something wrong
What is a sit in?
Sitting down somewhere and refusing to move
What is direct action?
Peaceful but active protetst
Opposition included..
KKK =
WASPS=
You had to be a wasp to be in the KKK. WASP is not an organisation
KKK= Ku Klux Klan
WASP = White Anglo - Saxon Protetsant
What did the NAACP focus on?
Legal changes through court cases.
Formed in 1909
Black and white members.
They provided evidence that facilities weren’t equal and did psychological studies to show how segregation made children feel inferior.
What did CORE focus on?
Public speaking.
Used non-violent direct protests.
Members were taught not to react.
What did Church Organisations focus on?
Non-violent direct action by also on forgiveness. However, churches became targets.
What did the RNCL focus on?
They campaigned against segregation and held annual civil rights rallies.
Who were the Dixie crats?
They were southern democrats who had strong views on segregation - against it.
Who was Linda Brown?
What did she have to do?
Linda Brown was a third grader in Topeka, Kansas. She had to walk one mile (20 blocks) to get to her black elementary school even though there was a white elementary school only 7 blocks away.
Chief justice warran stated that segregates schools are unconstitutional. However there was a problem, why?
He gave no deadline
Who were the Little Rock nine?
When?
They were 9 black students who tried to enrol at Little Rock high school, Arkensas.
3rd September 1957
Who was Orval Faubus and what did he do about the Little Rock 9?
He was the state governor for Arkansas.
He ordered the Arkansas state national guardsmen to block the students’ entry.
As he claimed they were threats of public disorder if the students were to enrol.
Then he closed all schools for 1 year to avoid desegregation
Which president stepped in to help the students at Little Rock?
Eisenhower this was called federal intervention
What was Cooper vs Aaron?
When the Arkansas state government introduced a law which made it not compulsory to attend an integrated school. This undermined the judgement in Brown vs Topeka. So the Supreme Court ruled that the state governments are bound by the Supreme Court.
What happened on December 1st 1955?
Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to move for a white man.
Why was Rosa Parks important for the Montgomery bus boycott?
Because she was a very well respected lady and she had done nothing wrong.
Following Rosa parks’ arrest a bus boycott began. How long did it last?
381 days
Why was the Montgomery bus boycott such a success?
Because 2/3 of the bus users were black and almost all black people were involved in the boycott.
The car pooling system.
Lots of organisations got involved and Martin Luther king ran it.
What are the 3 Ps in Civil Rights?
Publicity
President
Protest
What does it mean to filibuster?
To speak up in congress to deliberately delay the passing of a bill
What did the white citizens council do?
They opposed the judgement in Brown vs Topeka and wanted segregation.
They held mass rallies
They tried to pressure the car insurance companies to stop ensuring cars involved in the bus boycott
When did the sit-in movement begin?
February 1st 1960
Who began the sit-in movement? And how?
Four black students from Greensboro, North Carolina sat at the lunch counter at Woolworths department store
What is a sit-in?
A form of civil disobedience in which demonstrators occupy a public place, and as a form of protest, refuse to move.
What does SNCC stand for?
Student non-violent co-ordinating committee.
Where was SNCC founded?
Shaw university in Raleigh
When did the freedom rides begin?
May 1961
Where and when were the freedom riders firebombed?
In Alabama on Sunday 14th of May 1961 the freedom riders were firebombed. As they tried to escape the doors were held shut.
When the freedom riders reached Birmingham they had no protection. Why?
The police chief - Eugene ‘bull’ Connor had given the police the day off.
How many freedom riders were imprisoned in Jackson alone?
Over 300
What happened when James Meredith attempted to enter Mississippi uni? 1962
He was originally rejected. But then John F Kennedy intervened and the Supreme Court told the university to admit him.
