Civil Rights Campaign Flashcards
What was Brown vs. Topeka?
A case designed to end segregation in American schools.
What decision did the Supreme Court make on 19th May 1954?
That “separate but equal” was wrong.
How many black children attended desegregated schools a year after Brown Vs. Topeka?
None
Where was the first school to be desegregated?
Little Rock, Arkansas.
What support did the Federal Government give to the Little Rock Nine?
Sent over 1,000 paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division and the National Guard to protect them from protestors.
What protest did Martin Luther King join in 1955 in Montgomery?
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Why did the Montgomery Bus Boycott take place?
People were fed up of moving to the back of the bus and being segregated on Montgomery buses.
What role did Rosa Parks play in the Civil Rights movement?
She refused to move seat on a bus and kicked off the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
How long did the Montgomery Bus Boycott last for?
381 days
What percentage of bus passengers in Montgomery, Alabama, were black?
70%
What sort of power were civil rights campaigners using in the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
Economic power
The tactics of the bus boycott are best described as …
“non violent civil disobedience”
What sort of law were the Montgomery Bus Boycott protesters challenging?
A Jim Crow Law.
In which year was the first Civil Rights Act of the 20th century passed?
1957
What did the 1957 Civil Rights Act change?
created an agency that would bring to trial any white officials who denied black people their rights.
How many extra black voters had been added within 2 years of the 1957 Civil Rights Act?
None.
The 1957 Civil Rights Act had so little impact, it was just a ___________ to Black Americans.
gesture
On the 1st of February, 1960, the first Sit In took place in
Greensboro, North Carolina
The point of the Sit ins was…
…to draw attention to illegal segregation that still happened in America
The non violent protest of sit ins was met with…
…violence and arrests.
A slogan and tactic from non-violent protestors was to “F _ _ _ the _ _ _ _ s”
Fill the Jails
Which group more commonly took part in sit-ins?
students.
The SNCC is an abbreviation of…
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Sit ins were important because…
they put civil rights into the newspapers and TV bulletins and drew a lot of attention.
CORE is an abbreviation for
Congress On Racial Equality.
In May, 1961, the first Freedom Ride travelled from __________ to _____________
Washington DC to New Orleans
The Ku Klux Klan attacked a Freedom Rider bus in…
Birmingham, Alabama
The point of Freedom Rides was
to show that interstate travel was still segregated, by having black students use “whites only” washrooms that shouldn’t have existed.
The Freedom Rides were successful because
they showed that people could take action against unjust laws and bring about change without violence.
Whose slogan was “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!”
Governor George Wallace of Birmingham Alabama
Why did MLK choose Birmingham, Alabama as a site for a protest?
Birmingham was one of the most racist, segregated cities in the country. MLK knew he would get a violent reaction that would look good on TV.
Who was the chief of police in Birmingham, Alabama?
“Bull” Connor
What was MLK’s big aim with his protest in Birmingham, Alabama?
He wanted to persuade the American people and President Kennedy that Civil Rights were important and necessary.
“Civil rights marchers should thank God for…”
“Bull Connor”
Why was MLK grateful to Bull Connor?
Connor used excessive violence including water cannons, dogs and cattle prods to “police” the march in Birmingham. It horrified Americans and put pressure on JFK.
In August 1963, MLK led a march on which American city?
Washington DC
How many protestors join in the March on Washington?
200,000
MLK gave his “I have a dream” speech next to the
Lincoln Memorial.
What 3 big changes did the Civil Rights Act 1964 make?
No racial discrimination in public, no segregation, no discrimination in employment.
What did the Civil Rights Act 1964 not fix?
police brutality, violence, political representation, housing, wages, poverty,
Why did MLK choose Selma, Alabama as a place to protest?
Selma had the lowest number of black Americans registered to vote.
Why was the vote so important to black people?
It made the government want to solve problems for black Americans.
What impact did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 have?
An additional 250,000 black Americans were registered to vote.
