Civil Rights Movement Flashcards
Who were the Freedom Riders?
The Freedom Riders were a group of blacks and whites, many of them college students, who traveled across the South in 1961 to challenge segregation laws, especially on buses and in bus station waiting rooms. They were testing whether the Federal Government would actually enforce rules and regulations that prohibited discrimination.
This was a demonstration by more than 200,000 people in support of the 1963 Civil Rights Bill. There were numerous speakers throughout the day. At this demonstration, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
The March of Washington for Jobs and Freedom (August 1963)
What significant provisions were in the 1964 Civil Rights Act?
1) This landmark piece of legislation outlawed racial discrimination by employers and unions.
2) It banned discrimination in public accommodations.
3) It created the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) to enforce the law.
This African-American lawyer for the NAACP helped win the Brown v. Board of Education case and went on to become the first African-American justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Thurgood Marshall
What does NAACP stand for?
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
This group brought legal challenges to various local, state and federal laws and regulations in order to help African-Americans achieve equality.
This group still exists today.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the Brown v. Board of Education ruling was _______________.
Earl Warren.
The Warren Court would issue other landmark rulings in addition to Brown v. Board, including rulings that protected the rights of those accused of crimes. The Miranda vs. Arizona ruling helped to establish your Miranda Rights - “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you….”
Who was Emmett Till?
Emmett Till was a Chicago teenager who was spending the summer of 1955 with relatives in Mississippi. After allegedly “sassing” a white woman named Carolyn Bryant, Emmett Till was beaten and murdered by Roy Bryant, the husband of Carolyn.
When Emmett’s mother demanded an open casket funeral so the whole world could see what white men did to her son, the outraged nation had more sympathy for the Civil Rights Movement and the plight of African-Americans.
This event helped the movement gain momentum.
What did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 do?
This law, signed by President Eisenhower, was the first civil rights legislation passed since Reconstruction. It established the United States Civil Rights Commission which was given the power to investigate violations of civil rights. Also, this law gave the US Attorney General more power to protect the voting rights of African-Americans.
Overall, this law lacked teeth, meaning it was not enforced and lacked the power to really be effective.
What started the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955?
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger while riding a Montgomery, Alabama bus on December 1, 1955. She was arrested and fined. This sparked the boycott.
What was the outcome of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
The boycott lasted for more than 1 year. In the end, the buses were integrated and this became a victory for the African-American Civil Rights Movement.
It also turned Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a local Baptist minister, into a nation-wide leader of the Civil Rights Movement.
What methods did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. advocate to help African-Americans make gains in the Civil Rights Movement?
Dr. King advocated NON-VIOLENT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.
What does this mean? Dr. King did NOT want to see any violence. Instead, he thought the best weapon for African-Americans was to stand-up against laws the were not fair (Unjust laws). He said African-Americans should break these laws in a NON-VIOLENT, loving way.
What does SCLC stand for?
SCLC = Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
This was the group established by Dr. Martin Luther King to continue the struggle for Civil Rights. It advocated nonviolent resistance to fight injustice.
Who were the Little Rock Nine?
The Little Rock Nine were a group of African-American high school students who were selected to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.
When the group arrived at school, they were met by an angry white mob who wanted to keep segregated schools and threatened to lynch, or kill, the students.
Eventually, President Eisenhower sent in the 101st airborne troops to escort the students into school and keep the peace.
At the end of the 1957-1958 school year, Ernest Green, one of the nine, became the first black student to graduate from Central High School.
Why did President Eisenhower send in the Federal Troops (101st Airborne) and force integration of Central High?
Eisenhower was NOT a major advocate (or supporter) of civil rights. However, as President, his job was to ENFORCE THE LAW….including the 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board which said the schools must be integrated. He felt that some southerners, including the white mob in Little Rock, were simply in violation of the Court’s ruling. He was acting as the Chief Executive of the United States and as Commander-In-Chief of the military.
What was the Greensboro Sit-in of 1960?
The Greensboro Sit-in was when 4 black college students walked into the Woolworth store in Greensboro, NC and sat at the lunch counter, demanding to be served. The rules of the Jim Crow South required blacks to stand at the end of the counter and get their food “to go.”
These four students were denied service. However, more supporters came in the next day and staged a larger sit-in. Eventually, the sit-in movement spread and many lunch counters and other facilities were integrated (in other words, segregation ended).
