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HIST 301: African American History > EXTRA EXTRA > Flashcards

EXTRA EXTRA Flashcards

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1
Q

Why did JFK’s election in give black people a sense of optimism?

A
  • the “Kennedy Effect” = had the look
  • liked Kennedy’s forward thinking + idealistic rhetoric
  • naively assumed young president knew what was needed for civil rights struggle
    (TLN)
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2
Q

Why did black Americans have more substantial reasons for expecting good things from the Kennedy administration?

A
  • Eisenhower declined showing leadership in civil rights struggle + lack of support for Brown decision obvious
  • Kennedy publicly endorsed Brown + accepted strong civil rights plank adopted by Democrats in 1960
  • undertook major efforts to inc. black voter registration + maximize black turnout on Election Day
  • intervened in sit in movement to help secure MLK’s release from jail in Atlanta
    (EKUI)
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3
Q

What was Nixon’s record on civil rights prior to 1960?

A

very good (even better than Kennedy’s)

  • had met King on several occasions
  • didn’t come to aid in Atlanta fearing he would alienate Southern whites in election
    (HD)
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4
Q

How did Kennedy dampen black expectations on civil rights when he first entered office?

A
  • made Cold War his #1 priority

- did not speak passionately about civil rights struggle (more like a technical problem
MD)

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5
Q

What did Kennedy’s refusal to dramatize race problems show?

A

lack of imagination/empathy

  • huge cultural difference between Kennedy + black Southerners
  • knew that racial discrimination was a serious problem + needed constant attention
  • he treated it though like a minor irritant not major priority
  • delegated civil rights responsibilities to Robert
    (HKHD)
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6
Q

What did Kennedy know about the civil rights issue when it came to the Democratic Party?

A

could split the Party in two

  • had divided the party already in 1948
  • ruled out the passage of civil rights legislation
    (HR)
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7
Q

Wy did Kennedy rule out passing civil rights legislation?

A

convinced it was too much of a political threat to his career

  • white Southerners in control of Congress + had power to sidetrack bills + black appointments
  • if he pushed for strong civil rights action he knew the rest of his legislative agenda would be derailed
  • had no inclination to mount strong stance against Jim Crow (modest civil rights program)
    (CWIH)
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8
Q

What did Kennedy’s modest civil rights program rely on?

A
  • executive action to combat discrimination w/in federal gov.
  • strong backing for federal court decisions
  • litigation by Justice Department to advance black voting in South
    (ESL)
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9
Q

What did the Freedom Rides of 1961 show?

A

civil rights movement could reap huge dividends by provoking white violence

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10
Q

What were the Freedom Rides?

A
  • launched by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) May 4, 1961
  • challenged segregation in interstate travel
  • most Southern state still enforced segregation in interstate travel despite Supreme Court ruling
    (LCM)
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11
Q

What was the concept of the Freedom Rides?

A
  • interracial group of 13 volunteers would board 2 buses in DC purchasing tickets to New Orleans
  • blacks/whites would sit together + when bus stopped group would use all facilities regardless of signs
  • included bathroom/waiting room etc.
  • CORE anticipated serious violence once passengers entered Deep South
  • Freedom Riders placing lives at risk to get the attention of Kennedy administration to intervene
    (IBICF)
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12
Q

What was the result of the Freedom Rides?

A

went according to plan

  • passengers assaulted throughout South
  • thugs forced blacks to sit in the back of the bus
  • whites threw firebombs into the stopped bus
  • Fred Shuttlesworth organizes extradition back to safety
  • bus got to Birmingham but KKK was waiting (Bull Connor assured white mob they could attack)
    (PTWFB)
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13
Q

What was Robert Kennedy’s response to the Freedom Rides?

A

angry + thought they were reckless

  • didn’t want them overshadowing John’s foreign policy
  • demanded that they stop
  • civil rights movement decided to continue Freedom Rides
    (DDC)
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14
Q

What was the second Freedom Ride mission?

A

set out from Nashville + arrested outside Birmingham

  • dropped at TN state line but went back to Birmingham to purchase tickets to Montgomery
  • Robert Kennedy personally negotiated w/ Greyhound officials to furnish transportation + provide protection
  • bus took them out of Birmingham but local police in Montgomery had no intention to prevent mob violence
  • three passengers sustained serious injuries
    (DRBT)
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15
Q

What forced the federal government to intervene in the Freedom Rides?

A
  • refusal of AL governor Patterson to curb mob violence exposed impotence of federal gov. in embarrassing way
  • interstate travel fell w/in federal sphere of responsibility so federal gov. couldn’t back down
  • if they failed to act Freedom Riders stood to lose lives in highly public settings
  • AL politicians determined to run Freedom Riders out of town
    (RIIA)
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16
Q

What happened May 21?

A

several thousand whites surrounded black church filled w/ those honoring Freedom Riders

  • Robert Kennedy took action
  • federal marshals kept mob at bay + Robert pressured Governor Patterson to deploy AL National Guard
  • Patterson reluctantly agreed
  • guardsmen escorted frightened blacks out of the church
    (RFPG)
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17
Q

What did the civil rights movement do after the Nashville mission?

A

kept them going

  • went all around the South
  • people from all over began to participate
  • 328 Freedom Riders arrested in Jackson, MS
  • all served their jail time
    (WPTA)
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18
Q

How did Robert Kennedy respond to the political pressure created by the continued Freedom Rides?

A
  • instructed Justice Department to prod the ICC to ban segregation + discrimination at interstate level
  • ICC devised the ban in record time (became effective Nov. 1, 1961)
    (II)
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19
Q

What was the effect of the Freedom Rides?

A
  • forced Kennedy administration to act against their will
  • rescued the CORE from insignificance
  • transformed it into major civil rights organization
  • gave movement confidence they could take action in MS
    (FRTG)
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20
Q

How did the government’s dealing w/ white authorities in MS hint at limits to federal support for civil rights?

A
  • Justice Department did nothing to stop Jackson arrests
  • Robert ensured by MS Governor Freedom Riders wouldn’t be harmed by mob
  • Kennedy agreed to turn blind eye
  • civil rights action in MS (1961-64) showed shallowness of Kennedy civil rights policy + white brutality
    (JRKC)
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21
Q

Why did blacks feel that MS should’ve been the centerpiece of Kennedy’s civil rights policy?

A
  • seen as most oppressive state for blacks
  • had lowest registration of blacks to vote in country
  • also had highest potential for black political power
    (SHA)
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22
Q

Who was Robert Moses?

A
  • young SNCC staff member
  • went in July 1961 to help local NAACP chapter in McComb, MS begin a voter registration project
  • voter registration was new undertaking for SNCC + some opposed it
    (YWV)
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23
Q

Why did some SNCC members oppose voter registration efforts?

A
  • voter registration been regular practice by civil rights groups since beginning
  • feared they would lose uniqueness by doing what everyone else was doing
  • was mostly associated w/ nonviolent direct action
  • feared SNCC would be drawn into the orbit of the Kennedy administration
    (VFWF)
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24
Q

What did Moses tell local MS NAACP leaders who were afraid of direct action?

A

said sit-ins/demonstrations would fail in MS (cause further repression)

  • integrated public accommodations weren’t really relevant to rural blacks (many too poor for restaurants)
  • said blacks in MS needed a share of political power above all
  • white supremacy would fall when blacks win the franchise
    (ISW)
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25
Q

What was the first action Moses took in the voter registration efforts in MS?

A
  • escorted black voter applicants to courthouse in Liberty

- would be arrested + beaten up
EW

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26
Q

What event almost led to blacks abandoning the voter registration project in MS?

A

EH Hurst (MS state representative) shot black farmer dead Sept. 25, 1961

  • coroner ruled the killing was in “self defense”
  • frightened blacks to a point SNCC felt compelled to quit
    (CF)
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27
Q

What was the effect of SNCC first try at voter registration in MS?

A

severity of white resistance served to validate Moses

  • nobody could any longer doubt voter registration directly attacked black powerlessness
  • brought SNCC members face to face w/ death (gave them deeper level of commitment + intense conviction)
  • would lead MS to be main focus of SNCC for next 4 years
    (NBW)
28
Q

Who were the main people targeted in the SNCC’s MS campaigns?

A

ordinary blacks in MS

  • did work w/ middle class NAACP activists but regarded black middle class as unreliable
  • attempted to identify leaders from voiceless sections of black community (especially poor/young)
    (DA)
29
Q

What was a common occurrence about the civil rights movement in the South?

A

more black women supported movement than black men

  • some explain b/c women were more religious + concerned w/ kinship networks
  • women better educated than men
  • civil rights movement still very male dominated
  • SNCC seen as most open civil rights org. to women at the time (recognized women = untapped potential)
    (SWCS)
30
Q

Who was Fannie Lou Hamer?

A
  • had worked as sharecropper her whole life in MS
  • SNCC meeting inspired her to seek to vote
  • traveled to Sunflower County w/ 17 others to take voter registration test
  • Hamer would get evicted from plantation as result
  • attended SCLC citizenship school in Atlanta + arrested on bus ride back
  • joined SNCC staff + helped to organize MS Freedom Democratic Party + devoted life to racial justice
    (HSTHAJ)
31
Q

How was the SNCC MS campaign growing after McComb?

A
  • staged nonviolent protests against Jim Crow in Jackson
  • jail sentences + arrests + lack of older black support ended up killing the protest
  • Jackson protests would revive again in 1962-63 to mount boycotts + sit ins + picketing
    (SJJ)
32
Q

Why did the SNCC focus its efforts on the MS Delta?

A
  • center of state’s cotton production + had starkest inequalities between blacks/whites
  • blacks majority of the pop. but 5% of white farmers owned 75% of the land
  • 2/3 of Delta blacks lived below poverty line but got minimal gov. assistance (mostly food stamps)
  • whites pushed disenfranchisement here aggressively b/c they were so outnumbered
    (CBTW)
33
Q

How did the SNCC Delta campaign begin?

A
  • begun by Sam Block starting voter registration drives in Greenwood/LeFlore County
  • able to bring mass of blacks together for meetings on voting rights
  • eventually took three women + one man to registration office where they took the test
  • SNCC began starting up other projects across Delta
  • met w/ heavy white opposition
    (BAES)
34
Q

How did whites retaliate the SNCC’s efforts in the Delta?

A
  • broke into SNCC office + trashed it
  • county commission cut off surplus commodities programs for blacks (cut off food to poorest families)
  • whites attempted to burn any shipped goods from SNCC to Delta blacks
  • Block arrested + sentenced to jail
  • Jimmy Travis shot
    (BCWBJ)
35
Q

What happened after the Jimmy Travis shooting?

A

SNCC focused all their efforts on Greenwood, MS

  • supported by CORE + SCLC + NAACP
  • formed COFO coalition
  • held weekly mass meetings + distributed food/clothes + launched intense voter registration campaign
    (SFH)
36
Q

What did the SNCC feel about the federal government + their lack of response to MS situation?

A
  • demanded Justice Department put an end to repression

- Kennedy administration had moral obligation to take action since they helped set up Voter Registration Project
DK

37
Q

What was the Voter Registration Project (VEP)?

A
  • created in 1962
  • distributed $$$ from several philanthropic orgs. to civil rights groups to help voter registration for blacks
  • federal gov. enthusiastically backed VEP + made sure it received tax exempt status
  • SNCC supported VEP believing Justice Department would take action in future violence/harassment
    (CDFS)
38
Q

What was the response by the Kennedy administration to the SNCC’s pleas for help?

A

failed to provide assistance

  • Justice Department officials in MS but failed to take much action outside of small law suits
  • head of Civil Rights Division (Burke Marshall) said system of federalism made law enforcement state issue
  • up to the state police to bring offenders to justice
  • only under most extreme circumstances would gov. directly intervene
    (JHUO)
39
Q

Why did the federal government not want to get involved in the civil rights struggle in MS?

A
  • Eisenhower’s federal troop incident in Little Rock did more harm than good
  • did not want to threaten delicate balance between federal vs state powers
  • intervention would be avoided at all costs
  • flashbacks of Reconstruction + federal soldier involvement leading to inc. race relation bitterness
    (EDIF)
40
Q

Why did the civil rights movement not support the reasons why the federal government wouldn’t intervene?

A
  • federalism argument made no sense b/c MS police wouldn’t enforce arrests on offenders
  • police aided/abetted white mob violence
  • disputed claim federal gov. didn’t have constitutional authority (had all the authority under 14/15 amendment)
  • disputed claim military intervention was necessary to provide protection
  • federal gov. had FBI at disposal to provide protection (J Edgar Hoover refused to help blacks)
    (FPDDF)
41
Q

What actions did the federal government take in MS?

A
  • requested federal courts to enjoin violence + harassment in case of SNCC worker John Hardy
  • sought an injunction against Greenwood in 1963 to stop interference w/ voter registration + allow blacks in
  • JD would abandon this injunction only 4 days later after release of 8 SNCC workers
  • lack of federal gov. help led to bitter defeat of Greenwood campaign
  • led to a lot of SNCC resentment towards federal gov. by 1963
    (RSJLL)
42
Q

What was Kennedy’s position on MS situation?

A
  • as long as there wasn’t a complete breakdown the administration wouldn’t intervene
  • MS representatives could severely hurt him w/ national political agenda
    (AM)
43
Q

What did the Kennedy administration do during the James Meredith Ole Miss campaign?

A
  • engaged in long negotiations w/ Governor Barnett to protect Meredith but prolonged situation
  • Robert Kennedy tried shifting responsibility to protect Meredith to Barnett but mob formed during talks
  • by the time president committed troops Ole Miss had turned into a battleground
    (ERB)
44
Q

How did the 1963 civil rights demonstrations affect the Kennedy administration?

A

decided to fundamentally revise approach to civil rights

  • nonviolent revolt brought national attention to the South
  • federal gov. realized segregation was destabilizing the South + embarrassing US
  • worried racial conflict might engulf whole nation
    (NFW)
45
Q

What was a trend in the civil rights movement during 1963?

A

as movement became less middle class difficulties of maintaining nonviolence inc.

  • SCLC almost lost control during Birmingham protests
  • King warned unless a solution is made blacks will find solace in violent black nationalist rhetoric
  • Malcolm X growing in popularity
    (SKM)
46
Q

What did Robert Kennedy know about the race problem following 1963?

A

only thorough commitment could eradicate discrimination

  • enable the gov. to dampen down crisis
  • persuade blacks to stop demonstrating
  • situation demanded strong legislation + moral leadership
    (EPS)
47
Q

What did JFK say in his June 11 televised address to the nation?

A
  • called for Congress to craft comprehensive civil rights bill
  • weeks after was calling several people everyday to get support for the bill
  • did not waver in commitment to civil rights despite plummeting support among white Southerners
    (CWD)
48
Q

What did King + other civil rights leaders decide to do as the federal gov. took steps towards civil rights bill?

A

organize March on Washington

  • fulfillment of A Phillip Randolph dream back in 40s
  • Randolph assisted by old protege Bayard Rustin
  • 250,000 people showed up August 28, 1963
  • peaceful rally not militant protest like the SNCC would’ve preferred
  • King delivered I Have A Dream speech
    (FRTP)
49
Q

What did the 1963 March on Washington accomplish?

A

gave civil rights movement national platform

  • opportunity to present itself as strong united determined responsible front
  • presence of many whites made it visible expression of racial integration
  • I Have A Dream expressed optimism + determination of the movement
    (OPI)
50
Q

What was the state of the Civil Rights Bill by JFK’s assassination?

A

was bogged down in Congress

  • administration appeared ready to weaken it drastically to buy off opposition
  • LBJ made passage of bill one of top priorities when he assumed presidency
  • LBJ urged Congress to pass bill as tribute to JFK’s memory
  • refused to water down the bill + even wanted to strengthen it
    (ALLR)
51
Q

How was LBJ well equipped to handle the passing of the civil rights bill?

A
  • played legislative balancing act between Northern liberals + Southern segregationists while in Senate
  • refused to sign Southern Manifesto in 1956
  • played key role in passing of Civil Rights Bill of 1957
  • cultivated Northern liberals while maintaining friendships w/ Southerners
  • LBJ could draw upon large reservoir of support to get bill through
    (PRPCL)
52
Q

What was the 1964 Civil Rights Act?

A
  • signed July 2, 1964
  • banned discrimination in employment + federally assisted programs + public facilities/accommodations
  • empowered gov. to initiate law suits to desegregate Southern schools
  • set up Equal Employment Opportunities Commission + created Community Relations Service to mediate issues
  • prohibited discrimination not only by color but religion + national origin
  • included discrimination on grounds of sex when it came to employment
    (SBESPI)
53
Q

What was the most immediate/obvious effect of the 1964 Civil Rights Act?

A

integration of public accommodations

  • Jim Crow structure of South fell virtually overnight
  • white Southerners accepted integration w/ little resistance surprisingly
    (JW)
54
Q

What were some remaining issues following passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964?

A
  • white school boards stubborn to integrate even w/ lawsuits
  • whites refused to give up economic benefits of job discrimination
  • voting portion of act was so weak it did little to give blacks franchise
    (WWV)
55
Q

How did the passing of the Civil Rights Act affect blacks in MS?

A

not very much at all

  • few able to enroll children in white schools
  • those who could were harassed
  • very small number of blacks succeeded in voting but not enough to make political difference
  • Act failed to guarantee basic voting rights + failed to protect people from racist violence
    (FTVA)
56
Q

What was the state of the civil rights movement in MS by 1963?

A

was at a stalemate

  • collusion between police/vigilantes still major threat to SNCC workers
  • white violence inc. dramatically w/ rebirth of the KKK
    (CW)
57
Q

What did Robert Moses suggest in 1963 to overcome the violence in MS?

A

suggest massive community organization campaign (MS Freedom Summer)

  • heart of plan was to recruit Northern white students to assist in campaign
  • would import thousands + they would stay for two months
  • thought abundance of students traveling from North would make it clear this wasn’t an issue to be ignored
    (HWT)
58
Q

Why did many SNCC members express opposition to the Freedom Summer Plan by Moses?

A
  • majority black staff feared consequences of so many Northern whites coming South
  • believed students would disrupt relationships w/ the local communities
  • worried local black people would be awed by Northern whites (would upstage them)
  • some members were developing anger towards all whites in general
    (MBWS)
59
Q

How did the issue of white participation in Freedom Summer intertwine w/ a debate over nonviolence + self defense?

A
  • many blacks in MS already armed (didn’t need whites for help)
  • SNCC began to flirt w/ guns
  • few SNCC workers clung to nonviolence ideals by 1964
  • knew nonviolent sacrifice did little to affect racist white Southerners
    (MSFK)
60
Q

What did Moses hope to accomplish w/ the Freedom Summer?

A
  • presence of so many white students would focus national attention on MS
  • pressure the Johnson administration to act
  • federal gov. would not put the children of prominent rich national figures in harms way
    (PPF)
61
Q

What was LBJ’s response to the MS situation?

A

just as reluctant to send federal troops as Eisenhower

  • still commanded FBI to investigate civil rights related murders + hunt down Klansmen
  • added KKK to the COINTELPRO target list
    (SA)
62
Q

How did the fact that the Freedom Summer was taking place during an election year add an additional political impact?

A
  • Freedom Summer mounted statewide campaign of political mobilization
  • led to the establishment of a “shadow” political party
  • organized a freedom registration + arranged election of delegates to district/state conventions
  • set up MS Freedom Democratic Party
    (FLOS)
63
Q

What were characteristics of the MS Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP)?

A
  • overwhelmingly black but open to whites
  • intended to expose racist + undemocratic character of Democrats + challenge right to represent MS Dem. Party
  • thought w/ support from Northern liberals it could gain official recognition from National Democratic Party
    (OIT)
64
Q

How did LBJ react to the MFDP?

A

angry

  • thought they were upstaging his moment at the National Convention
  • thought it could ruin his prospects for winning the election
  • already knew MS + AL lost causes but knew if MS left convention they would lose every Southern state
  • whites in the North already growing more upset about party’s inc. position on civil rights
    (TTAW)
65
Q

How did Johnson work to stymie the MFDP challenge?

A
  • instructed FBI to spy on MFDP delegates
  • to Hubert Humphrey to settle dispute
  • enlisted union workers to apply pressure to civil rights leaders
  • ordered political leaders to undermine support for th MFDP
    (ITEO)
66
Q

What compromise did LBJ give to the MFDP?

A

approved a four point compromise that gave two seats to the MFDP as “delegates at large”

  • would welcome rest of delegates as honored guests
  • required MS regular delegates to sign oath of loyalty
  • revise party’s rules to eliminate racial segregation in the selection of delegates
  • MFDP would reject compromise
    (WRRM)
67
Q

What was the effect of the rejected MFDP proposal on the SNCC?

A

were done w/ Democratic Party

  • felt they couldn’t trust anyone anymore
  • Fannie Lou Hamer especially upset
  • felt sacrifices made during Freedom Summer came to nothing
    (FFF)

HIST 301: African American History (14 decks)

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