opposition to change, 1955-1958

Question 1

What was President Eisenhower’s opposition to civil rights?

Answer 1

• he rarely took an initiative on civil rights.
• he believed that a black campaign would do more harm than good because it would create resentment among white amnericans.
• He believed that black people needed to be patient and in time change would come.

Question 2

What was President Kenenedy’s opposition to civil rights?

Answer 2

• Kennedy disagreed with the method of the campaigners.
• Kennedy was horrified by the violence of the freedom rides and ordered it to stop. He told the protestors to focus on voting registration.
• Before 1963 Kennedy tried to keep the federal government out of the civil rights movement. He resisted calls to send federal troops to protect the freedom riders.

Question 3

What was President Johnson’s opposition to civil rights?

Answer 3

• Once civil rights leaders criticised his policies in Vietnam he distanced himself from the campaign.
• He was critical of MLK’s chicago campaign and did not support the poor people’s campaign.
• By the end of the 60’s he took the view that MLK’s campaigns were too provocative and voter registration campaigns were the way forward.

Question 4

What was the opposition to civil rights from Congress?

Answer 4

-The southern democrats and the republicans did lots of things like filibusters to weaken the civil rights acts of 1957, 1960 and 1968.

Question 5

What is a filibuster?

Answer 5

A technique used by members of congress to obstruct a passage of legislation. A member or team in congess will make speeches continuously using up all the time allocated to the bill. As a result congress cannot vote for the bill.

Question 6

What was the opposition to civil rights from the FBI?

Answer 6

• J. Edgar Hoover, the head of the FBI from 1924 to 1972, was a dedicated anti-communist. He susupected that many of the civil rights groups had links to the communist party.
• He created COINTELPRO (Counter Intellegence Program) to investigate radical groups. COINTELPRO infiltrated civil rights groups, broke into their offices, harassed civil rights activists, tried to weaken their groups.

Question 7

What was the opposition to civil rights from Local Politicians?

Answer 7

• Local politicians were generally more opposed to civil rights than national politicians
• Governor Orval Faubus used a combination of violence, propaganda and legal measures to stop the integration of Little Rock High Schoo.
• Local politicians in the North were also opposed to civil rights. Mayor Richard J Dayley used sophisticated tactics to prevent the progress of the Chicago Campaign.

Question 8

What was the opposition to civil rights from Local Police?

Answer 8

• Police forces in southern states were often the main obstacle to racial equality.
• In Birmingham, Eugene ‘Bull’ O’connor used water cannons as a weapon against protestors.
• In Memphis police used tear gas and batons.
• In chicago police closed the fire hydrants.
• In Albany Police Chief Laurie Pritchett used more sophisticated tactics by making sure the police force did not resort to violence.

Question 9

What was the opposition to civil rights from public opinion?

Answer 9

• The majority of Americans supported an end to legal segregation, however a majority of whites did not want black people to live in their neighborhoods.
• Many whites fled major Northern cities between 1960 and 1970 to the suburbs because of racial integration.
• There was obvious violenct opposition to economic equality and fair housing win the chicago campaign.

Question 10

What was the percentage of the decline in the white population of Amerca’s big cities between 1960 and 1970?

Answer 10

9.6%

Question 11

In 1968 what percentage of the white population left America’s biggest northeastern cities for the suburbs?

Answer 11

16.8%