Modern History - Brown vs Topeka

Question 1

What were the Jim Crow Laws?

Answer 1

They were laws that enforced segregation between African Americans and white people

Question 2

What were the methods that prevented African Americans voting?

Answer 2

• Very difficult and unfair literacy tests (African Americans had low literacy rates due to poor education)
• Making people pay a poll tax (most African Americans couldn’t afford this)
• Using violence or threatening violence against African Americans who tried to register to vote

Question 3

Why was there little change for African Americans in the government?

Answer 3

Congress and President needed support of (racist) Southern politicians - also didn’t want to lose or annoy voters
Supreme Court was independent - didn’t make much change by choice

Question 4

Why did CRs groups focus on education for African Americans?

Answer 4

State government spending per pupil could be over x4 for white pupils

Question 5

When was Plessy vs Ferguson and what was it?

Answer 5

1896
Separate facilities allowed if equal

Question 6

When was Brown vs Topeka and what was it?

Answer 6

1954
Desegregated schools

Question 7

Who were the lawyers in Brown vs Topeka?

Answer 7

Thurgood Marshall -from NAACP
Earl Warren - Chief Justice of SC

Question 8

Why was Brown v Topeka significant?

Answer 8

• It created a new legal precedent and broke Plessy vs Ferguson –> led to more legal cases and campaigns for segregation (B vs G)
• Increased awareness of African American CRs
• Gave hope, SC was willing to support African Americans and their CRs

Question 9

What was the 2nd ruling a year after Brown vs Topeka?

Answer 9

School desegregation should happen ‘with all deliberate speed’ with states making ‘a prompt and reasonable start’

Question 10

What were the disadvantages of Brown vs Topeka?

Answer 10

• Very limited immediate impact (progress very slow)
• Black pupils found integration hard (faced anger/bad feeling) –> education suffered
• African American teachers lost jobs and good black schools closed
• Segregation became more extreme due to ‘white flight’ from towns and cities
• 1st WCC set up (Mississippi then more in South) - organised protests and petitions to put pressure on state authorities to resist integration
• KKK violence increased - from 1956 used bombs (MLK’s house 30th Jan)

Question 11

When and where was the death of Emmet Till?

Answer 11

In Mississippi in 1955

Question 12

When was Browder vs Gayle?

Answer 12

1956