Civil Rights (63-72)

Question 1

What were the ‘Ghetto Problems’?

Answer 1

• Housing was poor and white prejudice made it difficult for black Americans to move
• Early 60s - 30% of black students graduated high school, as opposed to the 60% of white people
• Majority of policemen were white ad racist

Question 2

What was the Nation of Islam?

Answer 2

• Black Muslim religion originated in Detroit in 1930
• Led by Elijah Muhammad
• Aimed to provide an alternative faith to the white man’s Christianity
• Believed black people were superior and would one day take over - white people were created by the devil

Question 3

Who was Elijah Muhammad?

Answer 3

• Leader of the NOI
• Teacher and mentor of Malcolm X as well as Muhammad Ali

Question 4

Who was Malcolm X and what was his story?

Answer 4

Childhood
- Family members were killed mostly by white men
- Name was Malcolm Little
- Took up crime and went to prison
Prison
- Shown by a NOI member in prison the definitions for the words ‘white’ and ‘black’, strongly prejudiced
- Studies in prison and accepts teachings of Elijah Muhammad
After
- Joins NOI out of prison and begins preaching
- Marries another member of the NOI
- Does speeches in rallies
- Was shot in 1965

Question 5

What was Malcolm X’s achievements?

Answer 5

• Managed to draw attention to the Northern ghetto problems
• Contributed to the growing pride in being black
• Inspired the Black Power movement as well as Stokely Carmichael

Question 6

What was the term ‘black power’ according to MLK?

Answer 6

• Implied violence
• Phrase is a ‘‘cry of pain’’

Question 7

What caused the development of the Black Panther Party?

Answer 7

• Many in the movement were frustrated with the lack of progress achieved by the non-violent groups like SNCC
• MLK believed America should be a multi-racial nation in which people strived together, however many people were beginning to disagree

Question 8

What was the Black Panther Party?

Answer 8

• Founded in 1966
• Were willing to use violence to achieve their goals
• 4 goals: equality in education, housing, employment and civil rights
• Considered biggest internal threat to America by FBI

Question 9

What did the Black Power movement achieve?

Answer 9

• Organised free health clinics for all races
• Raised black morale
• Encouraged college courses on black history and culture
• Argued that they didn’t achieve too much as they alienated white people and damaged the previously affected CRM

Question 10

Who was Stokely Carmicheal?

Answer 10

• Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
• Leader of black nationalism in the US in 60s
• Supported Black Power movement
• Believed non-violence was foolish
• Urged black Americans to reject interracial protest
• Black Panthers were however the most famous advocates for Black Power

Question 11

What was the Selma March?

Answer 11

• March 1965
• Alabama had only 20 black registered voters, yet a population of over 15k
• MLK organised a campaign against this disfranchisement
• MLK was imprisoned for his demonstrations, leading to the SCLC and SNCC to organise a march from Alabama (Selma) to Montgomery
• State troopers attacked these people, known as ‘Bloody Sunday’ - led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act

Question 12

What was the Voting Rights Act?

Answer 12

• 1965
• Disallowed the literacy and constitutional interpretation tests that Southern White registrars used to stop black voter registration
• Led to number of black Americans elected to office increasing
• Black people were able to run for local, state and federal office now

Question 13

What was MLK’s achievements?

Answer 13

• Played a vital role in the demise of De Jure Segregation in the South
• Ensured the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
• ‘63 March on Washington led to the passing of the ‘64 Civil Rights Act
• Selma campaign, led to Voting Rights Act in ‘65

Question 14

What did MLK’s assassination cause?

Answer 14

• 1968
• Within weeks, Congress was shamed into passing a Fair Housing Act
• This prohibited racial discrimination and required the Department of Housing and Urban Development to further the purposes of fair housing
• White resistance, however, made this difficult to enforce and thus it continued

Question 15

Who was Cesar Chavez?

Answer 15

• Former migrant labourer and veteran CR activist
• Formed the 1st union of farmers since the Depression, to advocate for Mexican American rights
• ‘65 - United Farm Workers joined a strike started by Filipino farmworkers
• Non-violent demonstrations - 300 mile march to the state capital
• 1966 - Organised a national boycott, supported by 17mil Americans

Question 16

What were the Watts Riots?

Answer 16

• Black Americans rioted in some big city ghettos in the summer of ‘64
• First large-scale riot was in Watts, LA
• Riots had a great impact on MLK - told the press this had been a class revolt of underprivileged against privileged, leading to the Chicago Campaign

Question 17

What was the Chicago Campaign?

Answer 17

• 1966
• MLK campaigned, with hope that it would steer the ghetto members to reject racialism and support moderate side of CRM
• Aimed to draw attention to living conditions in the ghettos
• Mayor, after 2 months, made an agreement he would improve the ghetto situation, however didn’t after MLK left

Question 18

Who was Meredith March?

Answer 18

• 1966
• 1st black student to enter Uni of Mississippi
• Was shot by a white man and hospitalised
• SNCC and SCLC took up the march
• Carmichael (SNCC) was arrested for putting up a sleeping tent and urged ‘the burning of every courthouse in Mississippi’
• Was highly significant, it brought national attention to the deep divisions within the CRM