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eisenhower sent 10,000 of the arkansas national guard to protect the kids and they were not withdrawn for a year.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”