Key topic 2: Protest, progress and radicalism, 1960–75 Flashcards
What was the Greenboro Sit In? (Progress 1960 - 65)?
King began to organise non violent protests all over the south. Black and white people joined the civil rights protest campaign. Their main method was the sit in. The first was at Woolworths in Greensboro North Carolina, where 85 students demanded to be served at a whites-only counter. When they refused they organised a sit in.
Alltogether 70,000 people took part of the sit in across the south and 3600 went to jail. When the white people started to become violent there was a widespread television coverage which gave more support towards civil rights.
EFFECTS
- sit in protests mostly ended with violence causing some damage
- The greensboro sit in also gained many media attention
- It encouraged more non violent protest against racial segregation
- the protest led many desegreation of many woolworth stores and other lunch bars.
Freedom Riders (progress 1960- 65)?
Freedom riders were groups of white and african american civil right activists who participated in freedom rides. They challenged segregation on interstate buses and bus terminals.
- Travelling on buses from Washington, D.C, to Jackson, mississippi, the freedom riders met violent opposition in the deep south, garnering extensive media attention and eventually forcing federal intervention from John F Kennedy administration.
- In 1961 the KKK firebombed a bus in Aniston, and buses were also attacked in Montogomery with little police protection.
Freedom Summer 1964 (progress 1960-65)?
- 1000 volunteers went to mississippi to work with local campaigners. Many white college students involved: freedom schools set up, helped many to pass voter registration tests (increasing the number of registered black voters in mississppi).
- The movement was organized by civil rights organizations like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Commitee (SNCC)
- Freedom summer volenteers were met with violent resistance from the KKK and members of state
Birmingham April 1963 (progress 1960 - 65)?
SNCC, SCLC and ACMHR (Alabama Chrstian Movement For Human Rights) began campaign. They targeted for Birmingham. MLK mostly chose Birmingham specifically as it was the most segregated cities in USA.
- The police cheif, Eugene ‘bull’ connor ordered the arrest of over 900 children between the ages of 6 and 18.
- The next day connor (police chief) ordered water cannons and dogs to be used at the marchers.
- By the third day many police and fire service men refused to attack the protesters as they saw how they were being portrayed in the media.
-By the fourth day the protest of both sides realised that they were a in a bad position. King was worried about the safety of the demonstrators while the businessmen were concerned how they were seen in the media
March On Washington 1963?
Immediantly after the events in Birmingham, 250,000 people (including 40,000 whites) took part in this despite the fears they’ve seen in the media, overall the march was peaceful.
Significance of the March - Size, TV Broadcast around the world, Kings emotive speech, black and famous white people were involved.
Who was Malcom x?
Born in 1925 as Malcom Little. When he was jailed he joined NOI (Nation Of Islam) which inspired him in black inequalities and nationalim which then changed his name to Malcom X. He rejected non violence and criticised MLK. He understood that the increasing fustration of black people
Kings campaign in the north?
MLK and the SCLC went to chicago 1966 to campaign for fairer housing. Mayor Daley of Chicago agreed to talks but did not fufill his promises, MLK then organised Poor Peoples Campaign.
4 April 1968: MLK was assasinated and widespread riotting took place. The poor peoples campaign went ahead without much success.
who was Stokely Carmichael?
Carmichael joined the Student Non-violent Co-ordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960 after it was formed in April of that year and took part in the Freedom Rides in 1961. He was arrested several times and at one point served 49 days in prison in Mississippi.
By 1963, Carmichael began to call for stronger action against the racism and violence experienced by black people in the south.
- He told them that the only way to improve their area was to take part in the political process.
- He increased the number of registered voters in Lowndes from 70 to over 2600.
- He set up an all-black political party, the Lowndes County Freedom Organisation.
what was the march against fear?
Activist James Meredith, the first African American to enroll at the University of Mississippi, began a solitary walk on June 6, 1966, intending to walk from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi to call attention to racism and continued voter discrimination in the South. Shortly after beginning the march he was shot by James Norvell, a white gunman.
After the shooting, several major civil rights activists and organizations including: the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) responded in the form of continuing the walk in honor of Meredith. The Deacons for Defense and Justice served as an armed escort along the way.
By the end of the march on June 22, 1966 the number of marchers had risen to approximately 15,000 in Jackson, Mississippi making it one of the largest marches in history for that area. At a rally towards the end of the march, Stokely Carmichael first publicly said “Black Power” in a speech urging self determination and Black pride.
Selma?
Martin Luther King organised a march from Selma to Birmingham, Alabama, which began on 7 March 1965 with around 600 marchers taking part.
When the marchers reached the outskirts of Selma they were attacked by state troopers and local police.
The day became known as ‘Bloody Sunday’. King and his supporters staged another march along the same route on 21 March.
Once in Mongomery, King gave a speech to a gathered crowd of 25,000. Within hours of this speech, a white 39 year old civil rights campaigner, Viola Liuzzo had been murdered.
how important was Kennedy and Johnson during the civil rights movement?
KENNEDY
- Appointed more black people to high level Jobs, Thurgood Marshall into the supreme court and Patricia Harris as a US embassador (examples of black Americans who got into high skilled jobs)
-pressed for laws - but assasinated before civil rights bills were passed
Who was Stokely Carmichael
He setted up the Lowndes County Freedom Organisation to represent black Americans
civil Rights Act (overview)
EFFECTS
Short - Short term affects were that the March raised awareness that African Americans needed Civil rights. Another short term was that President JFK got on the civil rights side, and began trying to get civil rights. Also it showed that things can be accomplished, in a nonviolent way.
Long - The long term affects are that African American people ended up getting equal rights, and that segregation ended. Also now it has possibly led to America getting its first Black President. siuu
Successful?
Opinions were mixed about how successful the Act was. It at least demonstrated that the Federal Government was willing to make a stand and not simply allow the southern states to do as they wished.
However, some civil rights campaigners were disappointed with the Act. Although support to encourage black Americans to vote was promised, not a single black voter had been added to the register in the south.
CAUSES
Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a step in the right direction it did little to help African Americans register to vote.
Martin Luther King noted this in March 1965, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave black people some part of their rightful dignity, but without the vote it was dignity without strength.
African Americans were given the right to vote in 1870.
However, many found it difficult to exercise this right as many obstacles were placed in their way.
Many black people had to complete long and complicated forms and interviews in order to register, even a small error could be enough to prevent them from voting.
Civil Rights Act Overview
what is it?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex or national origin.
- Its considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. First proposed by President John F. Kennedy, it survived strong opposition from southern members of Congress and was then signed into law by Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson.
- In subsequent years, Congress expanded the act and passed additional civil rights legislation such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
EFFECTS
This act made racial, religious, and sex discrimination by employers illegal and gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation of schools and public places.
