Eisenhower’s Civil Rights Flashcards
What did Eisenhower say in 1948?
Whilst fighting in a desegregated army, he said that he didn’t think the army should be fully desegregated
What popular suspicion did Eisenhower supposedly believe in?
Miscegenation
Mixed race marriage
Didn’t like the idea of an african american man marrying his daughter
What did Eisenhower’s speech writer have to say about his civil rights stance?
He was neither emotionally or intellectually in favour of combating segregation
Where did Eisenhower stand on federalism?
He believed that the constitution placed an importance on states rights, and so opposed too much federal intervention into the issue
What date was the State of the Union address?
2nd Feb 1953
What happened during Eisenhower’s State of the Union Address?
He put an emphasis on the equality of all Americans, no matter their colour, and reaffirmed Truman’s commitment to desegregation within the military.
He mainly spoke of action through persuasion and wanted to bring about a good conscience rather than action enforcing change.
What specific goals did Eisenhower set during the State of the Union?
He wanted to end segregation in the Federal Government and the Armed Forces
When was Executive Order 10489 signed?
August 13th, 1953
What was stated in Executive order 10479?
Aimed to ensure that all qualified candidates seeking employment on government contracts wouldn’t be racially discriminated against.
What was created by Executive Order 10479?
the Government Contract Committee, chaired by VP Richard Nixon, to ensure that contracts were given to equal opportunities employers
What was positive about Executive Order 10479?
Showed leadership by the federal government. So early on in his term, he was endorsing and developing what Truman had started, and continued to put pressure on private firms to reject racist hiring practices
What was negative about Executive Order 10479?
It lacked the teeth to actually ensure that firms working on contracts within the federal government were actually equal. It only had a small budget.
When was Earl Warren appointed as Chief Justice?
October 1st 1953
Why did Eisenhower want Warren as chief justice?
He wanted to appeal to liberals and law-and-order conservatives in his party
What was Warren’s key role on the court?
He led the court and persuaded his fellow members to take a more active approach in standing up for civil liberties.
What was Warren’s tactic whilst on the court?
To get a 9-0 unanimous vote, as he did for BvB. This was key to the moral authority of the court as it created a strong moral basis.
What was the court like before Warren?
Already pretty liberal, as it was made up of democratic justices appointed by FDR and Truman. They had already authored several cases and judged in favour of the NAACP.
When was Brown v Board passed?
May 17th 1954
What was the basis for why Linda Brown’s education was not ‘Separate but equal’?
She had to walk through a switching yard of a local railway to reach the bus to attend her school, whilst being unable to attend another school seven blocks away.
Why did the Supreme Court take on Brown v Board?
18 separate cases had been ruled on by lower courts, stating that the facilities themselves were equal and they were architecturally and academically equal (there was more African American teachers with MAs than white ones). The Court took them all on as one consolidated case.
What was thee argument of Brown’s lawyers?
The fact of desegregation was detrimental to African children so unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. Thurgood Marshall used sociological evidence that 10/16 black children preffered a white doll to a black one.
How was the decision made?
Warren drafted a basic opinion and kept on revising it, talking with justices and encouraging them to talk with each other. Eventually Brown managed to to convince all the judges to agree.
What was Eisehower’s view on the case?
Eisenhower invited Warren to a white house dinner, where the president expressed sympathy for the segregationist’s viewpoint. He thought they weren’t bad people just because they were really racist.
What was the final decision?
The court sided with Brown, finding that education was one of the most important function of state and local government, and that the badge of inferiority put upon minority children hindered their development no matter how equal the facilities.
How was the ruling hindered?
It said nothing about de facto segregation outside the south, nor did it set out how the structures of segregation would be eliminated.
What followed the Brown v Board ruling?
The DoC and some on its border states began to desegregate, and 70% of school districts in DC, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wests Virgina all desegregated within a year.
When did events surrounding Claudette Colvin occur?
March 1955
What did Claudette Colvin do?
Colvin had been studying inspirational black leaders such asHarriet Tubman and Sojjourner Truth, and was inspired by their stories to protest when she was asked to move on the bus home. She said she had paid her fare and it was constitutional right. She was arrested.
What followed Colvin’s arrest?
She became shunned by some parts of her community, faced many difficulties and became pregnant.
When was Brown II passed?
May 31st 1955
Why was Brown II necessary?
Brown v Board didn’t give an end date to segregation as it was feared asking for immediate desegregation would unleash turmoil in the south.
What was decided on in Brown II?
It was said that desegregation of public schools was to proceed “with all deliberate haste” and left the detail of desegregation to lower courts as they would perhaps understand the situation better.
What were the consequences of Brown II?
Some school districts complied immediately, including those in Washington D.C, but some schools in Boston, Charlotte and Louisville were forced in the 70s to implement plans.
Who was E Frederick Morrow?
In 1955 he was made Administrative Officer for Special Projects, making him the first African-American to serve in an executive position at the white house. He was said to have had “correct in conduct, but cold” interactions with Eisenhower’s family and faced many issues with a staff on an at best cautious civil rights policy.
When was the trial for Emmet Till’s killers?
September 1955?
WHy was Emmet Till killed?
He had supposedly been flirtatious with a white woman whilst visiting relatives in Mississippi, and said woman had then sent out her husband to kill. him. August 1955
What happened during the trial?\
The case attracted strong national attention
There was an all white jury
The two murderers were acquitted.
What happened to Till?
He was brought back to Chicago where his mother Mamie Till Bradley insisted that an open coffin was used at his funeral as she wanted the world to see the damage done to him
What happened to the two murderers?
In 1956, protected by the double jeapordy in the 5th amendment, they told New Look magazine that they had killed him.
What was Eisenhower’s reaction to the Emmet Till case?
Non-existent
How long did the Montgomery us boycott last?
381 days
Did the bus companies lose any money?
They lost 80% of their shares
Who was Rosa Parks
Former NAACP secretary who refused to give up her seat in December 1955
How was the boycott managed?
They distributed leaflets to publicise the cause, organised taxis to people who didnt have cars. Private car-pools were organised after authorities said any taxi drivers who charged less than standard fare would be arrested.
When did the boycott end?
21st December 1956, after the Federal District Panel ruled that segregated buses were unconstitutional
What tactics were used to disrupt the boycott?
January 24th-26th, more than one hundred traffic citations ordered to car pool drivers to disrupt it, including MLK. King’s house was bombed Jan 30th 1956. People used a law against boycotts from the 1920s to prosecute the community, and on March 22nd 1956 King and 88 others were arrested under the law.
What was the impact of the bus boycott?
Was a strong demonstration of African American morale - especially with the time it took to organise, the length it lasted and the fact people walked
How did Autherine Lucy end up at the University of Alabama’s?
She took the Uni of Alabama to federal court to gain admission in 1952, and after three years, in the 1955 Lucy v Adam’s case, the court ordered that she should bee admitted.
