Later Campaigns 63-65 Flashcards
What was the progress of Birmingham like?
The first month was relatively Calm - Bull’s tactics were more peaceful and King was arrested. However the SCLC began recruiting younger people and there tactics changed. They would taunt the police, and on May 3rd police attacked and arrested 1300 black children. This caused a media frenzy and JFK said he was ‘sickened’ by the images. Soviets took advantage of this too, saying it was American Corruption. It forced JFK to act and end desegregation for good.
what was the ‘Birmingham Campaign’ (1963)?
After the failure of the Albany Campaign, MLK knew he had to be careful - he chose Birmingham as he knew Police Chief Eugene ‘Bull’ Connor would react. It was also one of the most segregated southern cities
What criticism did King receive after Birmingham? (1963)
Some black leaders though the SCLC had not worked with them - and they put a lot of children in danger.
What was ‘The March on Washington’ (1963)?
In 1963 representatives from the SCLC , SNCC, CORE, and the NAACP organised a march on Washington designed to put pressure on the president to pass a Civil Rights Bill.
On 28th August 250,000 people marched to the Lincoln Memorial to hear speeches from leading figures. Kennedy did not like the March - he feared it would get violent and jeopardise support for the bill.
What was the significance of ‘The March On Washington?’ (1963)
- Showed them they were a United front
- it was kept peaceful
- lots of media attention
What was the ‘Mississippi Freedom Summer’ (1964)?
Activists from SNCC, CORE and the NAACP targeted Mississippi because it had the lowest black vote registration of any state. 800 volunteers would escort blacks to registration offices and set up ‘Freedom Schools’ across Mississippi to educate blacks. 17,000 tried to sign up but due to police resistance and KKK violence only 1600 could. As a result activists set up the MDF party which had their own primary
What is the ‘Selma Campaign’ (1965)?
The Selma Campaign was a 50-mile march from Selma to Montgomery - Selma was chosen because MLK knew there’d be a violence response. The March took 3 attempts due to police brutality, and white mobs - 8,000 to start, ended in 25,000.
What did these campaigns show us?
They highlighted the voting struggles that blacks had
Lots of media images increased
They led to criticism of King for co-operating with Johnson and ending the second March from Selma.
Growing tensions were there
