civil rights after 1945 - COMPLETE Flashcards
what caused the civil rights movement to grow after 1945?
the continuation of prejudice and racism
effective black leaders
effective black organisations
ww2 servicemen
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prejudice and racism
what caused many black americans to challenge segregation after ww2?
they felt they had “earned” the right to be treated as full citizens because of their military services/sacrifices
who said “every day in the early 1950s we were looking for ways to challenge jim crow laws”
rosa parks
what were jim crow laws?
laws that meant black and white people and facilities must be kept separate; segregation laws
what was segregated?
eating facilities, hospitals, transport, water fountains, schools
what was brown vs board of education, topeka 1954?
a case taken to the supreme court in which oliver brown argued that his daughter linda should be allowed to attend the white school just 5 blocks from their home, rather than be forced to attend the nearest black school over 20 blocks away
what did the supreme court rule in the brown vs topeka case?
that separate but equal was wrong and education should not be segregated
who said “i don’t believe you can change the hearts of men by laws and decisions”?
president eisenhower
did the supreme court ruling have an impact?
no: by 1957 less than 12% of 6300 school districts in the south had desegregated and by the end of 1965 not one black child regularly attended a white school in the south
what happened in little rock and when?
in 1957, 9 black kids attended the prestigious central high school in little rock. a crowd of students and parents gathered to watch them enter the school on the first day, shouting racist abuse at elizabeth eckford, who had not received the memo to arrive together with the other black kids and instead entered alone.
eisenhower sent 10,000 of the arkansas national guard to protect the kids and they were not withdrawn for a year.
why did eisenhower send the national guard?
because states could not be allowed to ignore federal laws
did little rock have a significant impact on the overall movement?
yes. the image of black children being spat at and harassed by aggressive white adults helped garner support from both white and black people across america and drew national tv crews.
it also showed black people they could not rely on court decisions to change their circumstances.
when was the montgomery bus boycott and what was it?
on dec 1 1955 rosa parks refused to change seats on the bus for a white man and was arrested for it. the NAACP decided to use her case to challenge segregation on transport and organised a one day boycott of buses which ended up lasting for over a year.
what were the demands of the bus boycotters?
that bus companies use a first come first served system
that drivers be polite to black passengers
that black drivers be employed
how many people participated in the boycott?
over 40,000
who coordinated the boycott?
the MIA, whose leader was MLK
what was the outcome of the boycott?
the federal district court decided bus segregation was unconstitutional
when did buses officially desegregate?
in december 1956, but many had begun to do so anyway as they couldn’t afford to lose the business
what % of passengers were black?
60%
what was the consequence for white downtown business owners?
they lost over $1 million in business as black people couldnt reach them
what led to the boycott?
racism
what did the boycott demonstrate?
the power of a whole black community using direct but nonviolent action
the importance and potential of black economic power
the continuing effectiveness of the NAACP strategy of working through the courts
what caused the sit ins?
on feb 1 1960, 4 black students were denied service at the woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro. the men stayed until the store closed.
what happened in the days after the greensboro 4’s sit in?
day 2: more than 20 people joined
day 3: more than 60
day 4: more than 300
the protest spread all over the country
what happened as a consequence of the sit ins?
protestors were intimidated
sales at the boycotted store dropped by a third
segregation policies were abandoned in the individual woolworths
segregation was abandoned in the rest of the chain on july 26 1960
where was segregation banned by the supreme court in 1960?
restrooms and waiting rooms for bus passengers
what were freedom rides and when did they begin?
the idea was to ride from place to place and use white washrooms on the route
the first freedom ride took place on may 4 1961
what was waiting in alabama?
the kkk
what happened to the buses and it’s passengers?
the buses were stopped and burned and people who tried to get off were savagely beaten
who was james peck and what happened to him?
a student participating in the freedom rides. he was beaten so badly he needed 50 stitches in his head.
what happened to the advisor sent by president kennedy?
he was beaten unconscious
what did the government order in late 1961?
the end of segregation in airports, rail stations and bus stations
what caused the march on washington?
civil rights leaders knew they needed to keep the issue of civil rights in the media to gain public support so they organised the march
when did the march take place and who led it?
august 28 1963
martin luther king
how many people took part in the march and where did they go?
250,000 people gathered by the lincoln memorial, one of the largest demonstrations in american history
how many tv networks showed king’s speech?
all 3 national tv networks broadcast it live
what quote is george wallace, governor of alabama, famous for saying?
“segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever”
give a jfk quote on racism
“race has no place in america” 1963
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black leaders
what was the birth name of malcolm x?
malcolm little
what happened to malcolm x’s parents?
his father was killed in a suspected kkk lynching which resulted in his mother being committed to a mental asylum
what effect did the fates of his parents have on malcolm?
he dropped out of school and became involved in crime
when did malcolm x get sent to prison?
1946
what happened to malcom while in prison?
he became a muslim and joined the nation of islam
explain malcolm x’s influence in the nation of islam
over time he became their most important spokesperson
give a malcolm x quote
“you get your freedom by letting your enemy know that you’ll do anything to get your freedom”
“dr king seems to want black people to forgive the people who have beaten, bought, sold and punched our people for four hundred years”
“we don’t go for segregation. we go for separation”
how did the nation of islam (NOI) feel about white people?
they wanted nothing to do with “white devils”
how did the NOI avoid white discrimination and violence?
they started their own shops, business, schools and churches
what else did the nation want?
land given by the USA to form their own separate black nation
how did other black people feel about the Nation?
mostly positively - the nation was very popular
what happened to malcolm x in 1963 and why?
he was suspended from the nation following serious arguments with the movements leader
what did malcolm x do after leaving the nation?
he travelled to mecca and abandoned his black nationalist views while there
what did malcolm x say of his pilgrimage to mecca?
“i now know that some whites are capable of being brotherly towards a black man”
how did the government feel about malcolm x?
they saw him as a threat and had him followed everywhere by the fbi, even to mecca
his conversations were recorded and his phones were bugged
why did the government feel this way about x?
because they feared he was building racial hatred which could erupt into riots and revolution
when was malcolm x killed?
21 feb 1965
how was malcolm x killed?
shot during a speech in new york
talk about mlk’s life (early life, degree, family life, religion..)
he was born in georgia in 1929, where the kkk had their rebirth in 1915
he graduated with a bachelor of divinity in 1951
he married coretta scott in 1953, whom he had 4 children with
he became a pastor in alabama at just 25 years old
what was king’s first big step in the civil rights movement?
he was in charge of the bus boycott
after the bus boycott what did king do?
travelled all over the south making speeches encouraging black americans to stand up (peacefully) for their rights
what happened to king in 1960?
he became president of the SCLC
who inspired king?
gandhi 🤮
what recognition did king receive for his work?
he was the first black man to win time magazine’s man of the year (1964) and the youngest man ever to win the nobel peace prize (aged 35)
when was king killed?
april 4 1968
where was king killed?
memphis tennessee, where he was to lead a march of sanitation workers protesting poor wages and working conditions
who shot king?
james earl ray
who was james earl ray?
a small time thief with no arms training
how did ray shoot king?
from the bathroom of the rooming house across from king’s motel
was ray guilty?
possibly. lots of conflicting evidence such as the bullets from his gun not matching those in king’s body and the witness who placed ray at the rooming house being drunk and unable to match ray and the man he saw.
who else could have killed king?
the united states government, who then framed james earl ray.
briefly, why did king lead to the growth of the movement?
his speaking ability
his effectiveness in creating publicity
his belief in disciplined nonviolent direct action
his courage - his house was firebombed in 1956, he received 30-40 threatening letters a DAY during the bus boycott
give background to stokely carmichael
he was born in trinidad in 1941 and was much younger than other popular leaders
what activism did carmichael take part in?
the freedom rides, for which his participation earned him 49 days in prison
did carmichael spend a lot of time in prison?
yes - he was arrested 27 times for taking part in marches
what happened to carmichael in 1966?
he became chairman of the SNCC
what did carmichael do in 1967?
he wrote Black Power, in which outlined his vision of the role of african americans
briefly, why did carmichael lead to the growth of the movement?
his beliefs in black supremacy - ‘black power’ appealed to many people who were also opposed to integration
his call for black pride was inspiring - “black is beautiful”, the clenched fist, “black power”
his use of extreme language
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treatment of black soldiers in ww2
when did america join the war and why?
in december 1941 after japanese attacks in pearl harbour
give a viewpoint on the importance of the war for civil rights.
historian stephen tuck said the war was “absolutely key” in bringing about change for black people
was there jim crow in the armed forces?
yes, in every branch - the army, the air force and the navy were all segregated
how many black people served in ww2?
over a million - black people also had a higher enlistment rate than whites, likely because of unemployment
what was segregated in the army?
parades, sleeping and eating facilities and transport.
even blood was separated by the red cross.
who was james mcgill and what did he think about army segregation?
the top surgeon in the US army
he thought it was “inadvisable to collect and mix caucasian and n*gro blood”
what was segregated in the air force?
training facilities - black pilots trained in a different facility than whites
what kind of jobs were black people given in the navy?
at first only menial jobs, but the need for sailors meant they began to get promoted
who was the first branch of the armed forces to desegregate and when did they do it
the navy in 1946, as segregation was harder to maintain in this branch
what did philip randolph threaten in 1941?
a protest at the white house
why did president roosevelt not want this march to go forward?
he needed black soldiers to fight
he did not want the embarrassment of the march as it would remind the public of racism
what did roosevelt do to prevent the march?
he issued executive order 8802
what was executive order 8802?
the first piece of government legislation that prohibited employment discrimination, though only in defence/government jobs and ONLY because of the war
was executive order 8802 important?
no - the armed forces effectively ignored it and did not desegregate until after the war had ended
what else did roosevelt do to help fight discrimination?
he set up the fair employment practices committee, who investigated incidents of discrimination
what happened to membership of the NAACP during the war?
it increased from 50,000 to 450,000
what was the double v campaign?
a campaign for double victory - at home against racism and abroad against the axis forces
what caused double v?
ww2 was being fought for democracy, freedom and human rights, so it was difficult to deny these things to black people at home in america
were black people treated more fairly upon returning from service?
no, which led to greater black mobilisation in the fight for civil rights
what discrimination did black people face after the war?
they were fired from their wartime jobs to make room for whites returning from service
furthermore, jim crow laws still remained
what improvements were there for black people after ww2?
there was a 25% increase in black people in the iron and steel industries
there was also a rise from 50,000 to 200,000 black people in government service, however there was no difference in high paid jobs
what organisation was founded in 1942?
CORE
who introduced the civil rights act (1964)?
lyndon b johnson, after jfk was assassinated.
what was the civil rights act?
a watered down version of the original that jfk planned to introduced, which contained
no racial discrimination allowed in public places such as restaurants, hotels and theatres or in employment
no segregation in schools museums libraries hospitals white house accommodation
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black organisations
who founded the black panthers and when?
in 1966, huey newton and bobby seale, along with four others, formed the black panther party for self defence in oakland california
what were some things included in the panthers’ ten point plan?
full employment decent housing decent education completely free healthcare end to police brutality
what did the black panthers do?
initially the panthers followed the police around with guns and made sure they did not use excessive force against black suspects
what social programmes did the panthers offer?
free breakfast, free clinics, drug and alcohol awareness initiatives. this earned them support from the black community, as did their newspaper.
what was the SCLC and who formed it?
the southern christian leadership conference was created by mlk and other clergymen in 1957 to coordinate the civil rights movement
what was the aim of the sclc?
to widen participation in the civil rights movement and improve the situation for black people in the south
what was the sclc’s motto?
“not one hair of one head of one person should be harmed”
what kind of action did the sclc favour?
direct nonviolent action
what was CORE and who formed it?
the congress of racial equality was founded in 1942 by james farmer, a howard educated pacifist
what was the purpose of core?
to seek equality for black people by applying direct challenges to american racism
what kind of action did core favour?
nonviolent action
what was the sncc?
the students nonviolent coordinating committee
what was the purpose of the sncc?
to confront issues concerning equality and discrimination
what kind of action did the sncc favour?
direct nonviolent action
what tactic did the sncc use?
they would create a crisis and establish a tension, out of which action would occur
what were the sncc members known as and why?
the ‘shock troops’ of the movement, as wherever there was activism or the need for activism the sncc were there
in 1966, who was chairman of the sncc?
stokely carmichael
