Civil Rights In The 1950s Flashcards
What were the key features of the Brown vs Topeka case?
Linda Brown wanted to attend her local school but was not allowed to because it was a whites only school. Oliver Brown and the NAACP took the case to the Supreme Court, helped by the black lawyer, Thurgood Marshall. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in schools was illegal and that all schools should be integrated. This was very important in the development of the Civil Rights Movement because it showed that the Supreme Court could be used to help black people gain equal rights. However, for a long time, many of the southern states simply ignored the ruling and schools remained segregated.
What were the key features of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man. Martin Luther King organised a boycott of buses that lasted for 13 months until the bus company gave in. In 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was illegal. The boycott was important because it showed that black Americans were able to organise themselves, gained positive publicity, and inspired others to think that more changes could be made using these methods. It also saw the emergence of Martin Luther King as the most important leader of the Civil Rights Movement.
What were the key features of the events at Little Rock High School?
This was the first real test of the Brown vs Topeka ruling. Nine black students tried to attend their local all white school (including Elizabeth Eckford). Orval Faubus (the State Governor) stopped them by surrounding the school with state troops. Faubus was forced to remove the troops, but they were replaced by a violent mob of about 1000 white people. President Eisenhower sent in federal troops to protect the students. Governor Faubus was so against integration that he closed down all the schools in Little Rock (1958). However, one year later, the Supreme Court ordered him to re-open them and the federal troops stayed with the students to protect them.
Why was Little Rock important to the Civil Rights Movement?
It showed that the President was willing to get involved and support black Americans. There was worldwide publicity for the Civil Rights Campaign and a lot of sympathy for the black community. The Supreme Court got involved again and forced Faubus to re-open schools.
