Civil Rights Flashcards
Plessy v. Ferguson 1896 **
Homer Plessy was jailed for sitting in the “white” car of the East Louisiana Railroad. He could easily pass for white, but was considered black to Louisiana. Was required to sit in the “Colored” car. 1/8th black
“separate but equal”
The idea that the separation of black and white people was OK as long as they were learnign/doing the same thing
segregation
the division of whites and blacks
Jim Crow
laws in the South that kept blacks segregated
Justice John Harlan
Supreme Court judge who issues the lone dissenting opinion in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. We love Harlan because he stood up against segregation and thought the ruling was racist.
Brown vs. Board of Education
supreme court case that ruled that separate but equal for schools was unconstitutional
Thurgood Marshall
lawyer who argued on behalf of Brown and got the Supreme Court to pass Brown v. Board in favor of getting rid of segregation unanimously
Little Rock Nine
the 9 black students who tried to enter an all white high school in Little Rock after segregation was deemed illegal by the Supreme Court. this was a conscious decision to test the new ruling. the governor of Arkansas used the state military to stop those black students from entering the school. eventually President Eisenhower had to send in federal troops to override the governor’s decision. another fight between state and federal power
Emmett Till (Bobo)
Young black boy who asked white store clerk out on a date. husband Roy, found out and got big Milam to scare him. The murderers were never found guilty of murder or kidnapping despite the evidence.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil rights activist in the south who believed in peaceful protest and civil disobedience.
Civil Rights Act (1964)
legislation (law) that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
Lyndon B Johnson
took office after JFK was assassinated and helped pass Civil Rights Act
Woolworth sit-in campaign
took place in NC. college student Joseph McNeill sat at a lunch counter and was not served. returned next day with 3 friends, still not served. spread to papers and then country wide. violent protests. JFK said they should have been non-violent instead of violent.
Freedom Rides
1961- busloads of volunteers (mixed races) waged a XC campaign to try to end segregation of bus terminals. They wanted to show that whites in the front/blacks in the back was completely unconstitutional. along the way however, they ran into much violence. Kennedy did nothing except make sure there were no mob violences against riders.
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church murders
KKK bombed a church w/out warning just because 4 teenage black girls were getting ready to lead a service. Since the church had served as a center for life for the blacks of the community, there was much more violence throughout the day, and 2 more teens were killed. shocked nation, galvanized civil rights mvmt.
Malcom X
civil rights activist, opposite of Dr. King’s civil disobedience
John Howard Griffin
White author of Black Like Me who changed his skin tone to be darker to see what it would be like to travel in the south as a black man
Black Like Me
Book written by a white man who colored his skin black and wrote about what it was like to be black. dangerous and controversial writen by John Howard Griffin
Fragmented individualism
when blacks try to assimilate, they face the prospect that they will never be fully accepted by the white community but if they leave behind their own culture or reject it, they are no longer going to be accepted by the black community. this created a fragmented or split identity where you don’t belong in either group
Nation of Islam
sect of Islam that is unique to America that is not the same as Islam from the Middle East but is related. Malcolm X was indoctrinated into this organization while he was in jail and became a minister for the Nation after he got out of jail; he then broke with the organization after he realized it was corrupt
Elijah Muhammad
leader of the Nation of Islam
Ballot or the bullet
Malcolm’s speech about defending yourself and using violence if someone is violent with you or trying to take away your civil rights
Gerrymandering
changing district voting lines to suppress a minority group
Harvey Milk
first openly gay person elected to public office in cali- 1978
assassinated, w/mayor by a fellow politician, Dan White in same year
Obergefell v. Hodges
Supreme Court case in 2015 that made gay marriage legal in the entire country
Statewide employment laws for the LGBT community
still many states where you can be fired simply for being gay or transgender
Feminism
the equality between men and women. women mainly having for freedom and say.
Gender roles
men go to work, while women stay home with the house and kids.
Betty Friedan “Feminine Mystique”
“the feminine mystique has succeeded in burying millions of American women alive.”
quotes about how women were unhappy in 1963
Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In
3 suggestions she made for women who want to continue to stay in their job and try to advance 1)don’t leave before you leave, 2) sit at the table and 3) make your partner a real partner
Rosa Brooks, Recline
(this was incorrect!) Brooks was responding to Sandberg because “leaning in” is all encompassing and can take over your life and be very unhealthy. if women are constantly running around trying to go above and beyond in every aspect of their life, they could burn out. women shouldn’t have to “lean in” any more than men do because ultimately that too, is unfair
Proclamation to the Great White Father
Natives who used sarcasm in explaining to the American government that they’ve been unfairly treated and that Native American reservations are in poor condition; they said they would take back Alcatraz (former prison) to have better living facilities (sarcastically)
Cesar Chavez
activist to get better rights for Chicanos and migrant workers
Chicano
someone of Mexican American descent who chooses to be referred to as Chicano
