Ideological, social, regional and ethnic divisions Flashcards
1
Q
Describe sit ins of early 60s
A
- 1960: some students in Greensboro, North Carolina, used a sit-in to protest against an all-white cafe
- king supported them
- by 1961: sit ins attracted over 70,000 participants and resulted in over 3000 arrests
2
Q
Freedom rides?
A
- Supreme Court decided in Sep 1960 that all bus stations and terminals that served interstate travellers should be integrated
- CORE: tested decision by employing tactic of freedom riders
- civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into Southern states where segregation
- May-summer 1961: over 300 riders imprisoned
- 22 sep: Interstate Commerce Commission issued regulation that ended racial segregation in bus terminals
3
Q
Describe peace march by SNCC?
A
- Student Non-Violent Co-ordinating Committee mobilised students in Albany, Georgia, to protest segregation King lead march and was arrested
- used marches to draw attention to segregation and get himself arrested for the attention worldwide
4
Q
Describe the march in Birmingham
A
- Birmingham, Alabama: May 1963
- King led march knowing racist police chief: Bull O’Connor would act violently
- O’Connor allowed his men to set dogs on protesters and use powerful hoses
- Connor arrested 2000 demonstrators and 1,300 children
- TV witnessed events across world
- President Kennedy became involved and was agreed desegregation would take place within 90 days
5
Q
What was the March on Washington?
A
- Aug 1963
- began as call for jobs and freedom broadened to cover aims of civil rights movement
- people came from all over America: around 250,000 taking part
- King made ‘I have a dream speech’
- march televised across US and did much for movement
- after this went to discuss civil rights with Kennedy: confirmed commitment to cause
6
Q
Describe lead up to and ‘Bloody Sunday’
A
- Civil Rights Bill became law in 1964
- did not guarantee AA vote
- Thus King held another march 1965: from Selma to Birmingham (Alabama) to demand voting rights
- attacked by police and state troopers: “Bloody Sunday”
- encouraged Voting Rights Act 1965
7
Q
What was the SCLC?
A
- The Southern Christian Leadership Conference
- set up 1957
- president MLK
- important role in freedom marches and voting rights campaign
8
Q
When was King assassinated?
A
- 1968, by white racist, James Earl Ray
9
Q
What organisations played a big role in Civil Rights Movement? + key individuals
A
- NAACP, CORE, SCLC, SNCC
- individuals such as Kennedy Johnson and Philip Randolph
10
Q
Who played the key role in the sit ins and freedom rides?
A
- King not directly involved in these in early 60s
- SNCC mobilised sit-ins
- CORE, SNCC and NAACP worked together on freedom rides
- Albany campaign 1961-1962 did little in short term
11
Q
Who were less well known individuals that influenced the civil rights movement?
A
- female campaigners: Gloria Richardson, in 1962, set up the Cambridge Non-Violent Action Committee in Maryland
- Fannie Lou Hamer: instrumental in organising the Mississippi Freedom Summer
12
Q
Limitations of civil rights marches
A
- impacted civil rights legislation but did not lead to desegregation
13
Q
Who were the key figures in the Black Power movement
A
- Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, and Huey Newton
- growing feeling King’s methods too slow and not working
14
Q
Which group never accepted king’s ideas?
A
- The Nation of Islam
- sought separatism
- Rejected slave surnames and called themselves X
- set up in 1930
- early 1960s led by Elijah Muhammad
15
Q
Why was Malcolm X the most famous member of the Nation of Islam?
A
- brilliant skills increased membership of group to ~100,000 in years 1952-1964
- superb organiser, during membership, travelled across USA winning concerts
- helped set up educational and social programmes aimed at black youths in ghettos
- By 1960: 75% of members ages 17-35
16
Q
How did Malcolm criticise King?
A
- Critical of King and other Civil rights leaders
- e.g the 1963 march on washington
- couldn’t understand why black people were impressed by a march organised by whites
- felt violence justified
17
Q
Describe end of Malcolm’s premier in Nation of Islam?
A
- 1964: left after falling out with Elijah Muhammad - jealous of his success
- went to Mecca 1964: changed his views on separatism
- still urged AA to defend themselves if necessary
- 1965 assassinated: probs by the Nation of Islam
18
Q
What were Malcom’s successes?
A
- seen as failure compared to King
- support for violence led to many critics and enemies
- separatism not possible
- Malcolm was realistic role model for ghetto AA who could relate to him more than King
- foundation for more radical Black Power and Black Panthers movements
19
Q
Describe Black riots?
A
- 1964-1966: black city ghettos witnessed around 300 riots
- Many young AA frustrated and felt anger at high rates of unemployment, continued discrimination and poverty
- 1965: this frustration exploded into major riot inv 30,000 people in LA
- 34 died and $40 mill in damage
- 1967: riots in 125 cities
- took 21,000 fed troops and 34,000 NG to restore order in riots of 1965-67 with $145 damage
20
Q
What was the Black Power movement?
A
- 1966: SNCC had moved away from King in support of this
- aimed to increase power of blacks
- one of leading figures: Stokely Carmichael
- wanted AA to take pride in heritage and adopt slogan “Black is beautiful”
- wanted black pride
- gained publicity after 1968 Mexico City Olympics
21
Q
What was the Mexico Olympics?
A
- winners ceremony for the men’s 200m relay
- American black athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos part of the movement’s uniform - clenched-fist salute
- smith salute which right hand - black power
- carlos with left - black unity
22
Q
What was the Black Panthers?
A
- party founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale 1966 (Oakland, California)
- 10 point programme ind end to police brutality, decent housing, education and full employment of AA
23
Q
What did the Panther’s do?
A
- set up community action programmes: won support among ghetto AA
- served breakfast to poor AA children, established healthcare clinics and childcare for working mothers
- helped leave legacy for greater awareness of black culture and history
- wore uniforms and prepared to use weapons, training members in their use
- rally call was “Power to the People”
- rejected dominant white culture and sported “Afro” haircuts
- end of 1968: had 5000 members
24
Q
Describe the decline of Black Panthers
A
- internal divisions of 1969 saw 27 Panthers killed and 700 injured in confrontations with the police, saw support diminish
- constant target of FBI and 1982 party disbanded
25
Summary of reasons for student movement?
- wanted greater say in own education
- for many young Americans their first experience of protest was in civil rights: MLK inspirational to W+B students
- 1960s time of student protest around world
- Vietnam War; 1/2 million young A fighting in war
- explosion of pop music: expression of the emerging youth culture and protest against issues
26
Describe some of the music that encouraged student protest
- Bob Dylan's protest songs such as "Blowin in the Wind" and "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall"
27
Describe the student movement in Civil Right
- heavily involved
- in organisations such as the SNCC and CORE
- by mid-60s ready to use this experience to campaign for greater rights for themselves
- 1964: student societies organised rallies and marches to support campaign
28
Describe the SDS
- first student protest group in US:
- Students for a Democratic Society
- set up in 1959 by Tom Hayden
- to give students greater say in how courses and universities were run
- eventually formed groups in 150 colleges and universities
- 100,000 members by end of 60s
29
Describe what the SDS stood for
- Denounced Cold War and adopted position of "anti-anti Communism"
- demanded controlled disarmament
- wanted to help poor and disadvantage
- support increased after President Johnson announced bombing raids on North Vietnam in 1965
30
When did the SDS first achieve national prominence?
- 1964 organised a sit-in against a ban on political activities at University of California at Berkley
- followed by similar ones in USA + membership increased
- 1966: President Johnson abolished student draft deferments
-> SDS set up 300 new branches
- various activities against VW:
- draft card burning
- harassing campus recruiters for the CIS
- occupying buildings in unis
- destroying draft card records
31
Describe Chicago Seven
- 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, SDS protesters organised by Tom Hayden
- created riot to destroy election chances of pro-war candidate Hubert Humphrey
- 7 arrested
32
Describe how the student movement became more radical/ extreme in its views
- some members called themselves "Weathermen"
- began to support violence to achieve aims
- bombed army recruitment centres and gov buildings
- Tom Hayden disproved
- slowed down when 3 accidentally blew themselves up
- Nixon used FBI and CBI to subvert extreme student orgs
33
Describe the opposition to the Vietnam War
- anti-war protests reached their peak during 1968-70
- first half of 1968: over 100 demonstrations against war, inv 400,000 students
- 1969: 700,000 marched Washington DC against the war
- Burned draft cards, the US flag (criminal offence), led to angry clashes with police
34
Describe the worst incident of the protests against the Vietnam War
- Kent State University, Ohio 1970
- peaceful protest against Nixon's decision to bomb Cambodia
- National Guardsmen used tear gas to move students: when refused shots fired
- 4 people killed, 11 injured
- press, USA and world horrified
- ~400 colleges closed as 2 million students went on strike against action
35
Describe the 'hippie' movement
- other young people protested differently
- decided to 'drop out' of society and become hippies
- distinctive clothes and 'alternative lifestyle'
- slogan 'make love, not war'
- often made flowers and handed to police: called "flower children"
- San Francisco hippy capital
- use of drugs led to clashes with police
36
Describe the achievements of the student movement
- brought about social, political and cultural change
- youth culture itself achievement
- profound changes in lifestyle of young
- helped force a shift in gov policy (with VW)
- greater publicity for racism prevelent in US
37
Two Women particularly inspired the women's movement:
eleanor roosevelt: describe her role
- 1960: set up commission to investigate the status of women at work
- results report in 1963 highlighted women's second class status in employment
- e.g 95% of company managers men, 85% of tech workers
- only 7% of doctors women
- 4% lawyers
- earned 50-60% of wages of men who did same job
38
Two Women particularly inspired the women's movement:
Describe the roll of Betty Freidman
1963: she wrote The Feminine Mystique
- book expressed the thoughts of many women - more to life than being mother or housewife
- called for women to reject this and for progress in female employment ops
- unsatisfied with progress (despite legislation in 63 and 64)
- set up the National Organization for Women (NOW) 1966
39
Describe NOW
- the National Organization for Women (NOW) 1966
- mainly white middle-class woman
- by early 1970s: had 40,000 members and organised demonstrations in a N. of cities
- challenged discrimination in courts
- series of cases between 1966 and 1971: secured $30 mill in back pay owed to women who had not been paid wages equal to men
40
Describe the Women's Liberation Movement
- more radical than NOW
- known as feminists
- some against men entirely
- determined to get publicity
- e.g burned their bras (seen as symbol of male domination)
- 1968: picketed the Miss America Beauty contest in Atlanta City: crowned a sheep miss america
- argued degraded position of women
- activities did more harm then good
- extreme action ridiculed and made difficult to take key issues seriously
41
Describe the campaign to legalise abortion
- feminists challenged this
- wrong to force women to have child they did not want
- Most important case Roe v. Wade lasted 1970-1973
- feminist lawyer defended right of her client to have abortion
- she won the right
- victory led to abortions becoming more readily available
42
What were the legislative achievements of the women's movement?
+ limitations
- 1963 Equal Pay Act required employers to pay women same as men for same job (did not tackle discrimination of women seeking jobs in first place)
- 1972: Educational Amendment Act: outlawed sex discrimination in education
- 1972: Supreme Court ruled that the US constitution give men and women equal rights
- Equal Rights Amendment Act passed by Congress but not ratified by states
43
Describe non-legislative achievements of the women's movement
- An increasing N. of women entered professions that had once been perceived as male preserves (e.g law and medicine)
- two-career family began to replace traditional pattern of male breadwinner
- women's movement did attract many middle-class women; working class women took interest
- became divided over moderate and extreme
