Civil Rights - 1950s Flashcards
When was slavery abolished in the USA?
1865 - marking the beginning of a period of reconstruction.
What laws supported segregation?
Jim Crow Laws - enforced the legal segregation of black and white people.
Where was racism worst in America?
South
Give 5 rights in America that black people were denied equal access to.
The right to be protected by law.
The right to vote in elections.
The right to have equal access to amenities.
The right to participate in government.
The right to equal health care and eductaion.
How was the right to be protected by law unequal for black people?
In theory, black people were equal before the law, in practice few black Americans received a fair trial.
How was the right to vote in elections made unequal for black people?
Many Southern states, introduced literacy tests and grandfather clauses which prevented black Americans from voting.
How were black people denied the right to equal access to amenities?
Jim Crow laws in southern states meant it was illegal for black and white people to use the same facilities.
How were black people shown as unequal in government?
There were few black Americans in government.
How were black people denied the right to equal health care and education?
Hospitals and schools for black Americans were segregated and under-funded and inferior to those for whites.
How did Marcus Garvey improve black employment and economic power?
Funded the Universal Negro Improvement Association which funded black businesses and helped the African-American cause.
How was there discrimination among employment and economic power?
Even in the north, many ended up with low paid jobs and were paid 50% less than their white counterparts.
How was there an improvement in justice and fair trials in the south?
By 1954, there were 143 southern towns with black policemen.
How was there discrimination in court and the police force?
Police was full of racist white officials and many police and judges were members of the KKK.
Black people not allowed to sit on jury.
If a black person was murdered, it was dismissed as a ‘negro crime’ and not investigated.
How were the north and the south different?
North - no specific legislations or segregation was prohibited and they were ‘free’ states.
South - Segregated enforced and ‘slave’ states.
What did black Americans face in the North?
Discrimination - worst paid jobs, lived in poor housing in ghettos, facilities in schools and hospitals were very bad.
What did black Americans face in the South?
Jim Crow laws enforced segregation in all aspects of life: schools, transport, churches, cinemas, restaurants and seating in parks.
When was Plessy vs Fergurson?
1896
What was Plessy v Fergurson?
Supreme court ruled segregation was legal and did not violate the constitution, as long as the facilities were “separate but equal”.
How did the proportion of black voters from 1940 to 1945 during WW2?
From 2% to 15%
How many black Americans were registered to vote in 1956?
20%
What prevented black Americans from voting?
- Threat of losing jobs
- Violence - gangs and KKK physically stopped black Americans from voting
- Literacy tests
- Grandfather clauses
How did the Cold War impact the situation for black Americans?
It put pressure on the government to improve the situation for black Americans as the racial inequality was a political embarrassment.
How could the American gov. be seen as hypocritical during WW2?
US troops fought in segregated units. Hypocritical as they are fighting Nazi racism in Europe but allowing racism to go unchallenged at home.
What does NAACP stand for?
National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.
When was NAACP founded?
1909
What was the NAACP’s aims?
- Help wrongly convicted black people appeal against their convictions.
- Help prosecute white people who murdered black people.
- Overcome Plessy v Fergurson.
What does CORE stand for?
Congress of Racial Equality
What were CORE’s aims/methods?
Non-violent campaigns that targeted segregation involving boycotts, sit-ins, pickets
Why was it hard to enforce desegregation in the South?
Even if a case was won and segregation overturned, local officials would block any changes.
What is a boycott?
Refusal to use a service if you believe it is doing something wrong.
What is a picket?
Demonstrating outside a place you believe is doing something wrong.
What is a sit-in?
Sitting down somewhere and refusing to move as a form of protest.
What is integration?
When black and white people share all facilities.
What is the Supreme Court?
The highest court in America - decides if cases are constitutional, it’s rulings have an impact on all states
What is the Fourteenth Amendment?
The Fourteenth Amendment to the US constitution granted newly freed enslaved people equal citizenship to white people.
Who are the Dixiecrats?
Southern democrats in favour of segregation and opposed civil rights legislation.
What was the NAACP?
Civil rights group who targeted America’s legal system to challenge segregation.
What was Linda Brown’s case that became known as Brown vs Board?
In 1951, Linda Brown was not allowed to go to the local all-white summer school because she was black.
What civil rights group supported Brown vs Board?
NAACP
How many more times did Oliver Brown and NAACP try after the first court case failed?
4 more times.
What was argued by the NAACP at Brown vs Board?
That separate was not equal in education and black children felt inferior and therefore the 14th amendment was being broken.
What did the Supreme Court declare in 1954?
That separate but equal was unconstitutional and schools are ordered to desegregate.
Why did the Supreme Courts statement in 1954 (Brown vs Topeka) not change the situation for black children in education?
As no time frame was given when to desegregate so, many states ignored the order.
How many school districts had segregated in the border states by the end of 1957?
723
What was the negative impact of the Brown vs Topeka case?
KKK membership grew.
White Citizen’s council set up.
Black children threatened with violence and humiliated when integrated into white schools.
What was the impact of Brown v Board on the Civil Rights movement?
Did not lead to immediate and widespread desegregation.
Why was the White Citizens Council set up?
After Brown v Board, to oppose desegregation in schools and prevent any progression in the civil rights movement.
Campaigned strongly against the NAACP.
How many White Citizens Council members were there by 1956?
Over 250,000
What did Brown v Topeka show about the Supreme Court?
That they were important in improving the position of black Americans and were sympathetic to civil rights.
