Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s Flashcards
When was the Civil Rights Act signed and by whom?
2nd July 1964 - signed by President Johnson (took over after JFK assassination)
What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do?
Illegal for local government to discriminate in areas of housing, employment, hotels, restaurants etc
After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, what did Martin Luther King and the SCLC encourage African Americans to do?
Register to vote (in 20 months afterwards 430,000 African Americans registered)
Why did Martin Luther King choose Selma to lead a ‘voting rights march’ in 1965?
Deliberately picked areas where discrimination was worse. Selma had a very small number of black voters (335 out of a potential 15,000) and a brutally racist Sheriff, Jim Clark.
What happened at the first march on 7th March 1965 and what did the media call it?
The town banned the march but it went ahead without Martin Luther King, 600 marchers were brutally attacked by the police and authorities.
The media called it ‘Bloody Sunday’ as the horrific images shocked America.
What did Martin Luther King do in response to the first Selma march?
Organised another for 11th March (to prove a point) and turned back after a short distance.
What Act was passed after Selma?
President Johnson passed the Voting Rights Bill (Martin Luther King’s compromise after Selma avoided more violence and may have convinced Johnson to pass the Bill)
What did the Voting Rights Bill 1965 do?
- allowed government agents to inspect voting procedures (ensure being done properly)
- ended literacy tests (these discriminated against poor African Americans)
What evidence is there that the Voting Rights Bill had a positive impact?
- after 1965 5 major cities (including Detroit, Atlanta and Cleveland) all had black mayors
- in Selma, African Americans began to register to vote and Jim Clark (racist sheriff) lost his job in the next election
What did the Civil Rights Act of 1968?
Housing could not sold or rented on the grounds of race, religion, national origin or sex.
What happened on 4th April 1968?
Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee
What did the events of 4th April 1968 mark an end of?
End of the era of the civil rights movement.
Why was Martin Luther King so important to the history of the civil rights movement?
- made it a national movement
- international prestige and coverage of the struggle for civil rights (won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his non-violent tactics)
- saw segregation made illegal
- Civil Rights Act had actually become law
- better voting rights
- African Americans actually had some political power
Why were some African Americans still concerned after the changes to civil rights in the 1960s?
Laws had changed but had attitudes really changed? After all Martin Luther King was assassinated.
