Organisations

Question 1

What was the NAACP?

Answer 1

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization founded in 1909 that fought against segregation, disenfranchisement, and racial injustice.

Question 2

What was the role of the NAACP in the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 2

The NAACP played a leading role in legal challenges against segregation, most notably in the Brown v. Board of Education case, and advocated for voting rights and anti-lynching laws.

Question 3

What was the SCLC?

Answer 3

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was a civil rights organization founded in 1957 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders to coordinate nonviolent protests.

Question 4

How did the SCLC contribute to the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 4

The SCLC organized significant campaigns, including the Birmingham Campaign and the Selma March, and promoted nonviolent resistance.

Question 5

What was the SNCC?

Answer 5

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was a student-led organization formed in 1960 that played a key role in sit-ins, voter registration drives, and the Freedom Rides.

Question 6

What was the significance of SNCC in the CRM?

Answer 6

SNCC focused on grassroots activism, organizing protests, sit-ins, and Freedom Summer, and was pivotal in empowering young people to fight for civil rights.

Question 7

What was CORE?

Answer 7

The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was an interracial organization founded in 1942 that used direct action tactics like sit-ins and Freedom Rides to fight segregation.

Question 8

How did CORE contribute to the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 8

CORE was instrumental in organizing the 1961 Freedom Rides to challenge segregation on interstate buses and bus terminals.

Question 9

What was the Black Panther Party?

Answer 9

The Black Panther Party (BPP) was a revolutionary socialist organization founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale that advocated for Black empowerment, self-defense, and equality.

Question 10

What was the goal of the Black Panther Party during the CRM?

Answer 10

The BPP focused on providing community services like free breakfast programs and medical care, as well as fighting against police brutality and systemic oppression.

Question 11

What was the MFDP?

Answer 11

The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) was formed in 1964 by civil rights activists to challenge the all-white delegation at the Democratic National Convention.

Question 12

What was the purpose of the MFDP?

Answer 12

The MFDP aimed to gain recognition as the legitimate representative of Mississippi’s Black population and fought for a more inclusive Democratic Party.

Question 13

What was the Urban League?

Answer 13

The National Urban League is a civil rights organization founded in 1910 that focuses on economic and social justice, aiming to improve the economic conditions of African Americans.

Question 14

How did the Urban League contribute to the CRM?

Answer 14

The Urban League worked to integrate African Americans into the economy, promote job training, and improve housing and education in Black communities.

Question 15

What was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s relationship with religion?

Answer 15

The SCLC was a religiously grounded organization, emphasizing Christian teachings and nonviolent principles to drive its activism for civil rights.

Question 16

What was The Congress of Racial Equality’s approach to activism?

Answer 16

CORE used nonviolent methods, including sit-ins and boycotts, and played a critical role in the Freedom Rides and other direct action campaigns.

Question 17

What was the role of the National Woman’s Political Caucus (NWPC) in the CRM?

Answer 17

The NWPC, founded in 1971, advocated for women’s rights and gender equality, while also supporting civil rights and the broader feminist movement.

Question 18

What role did the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee play in the Freedom Rides?

Answer 18

SNCC was deeply involved in organizing and leading the 1961 Freedom Rides, challenging segregated bus terminals across the South.

Question 19

What was the National Black Panther Party’s stance on violence?

Answer 19

The Black Panthers believed in armed self-defense against police brutality but were also known for their community programs, such as breakfast for children and medical clinics.

Question 20

What was the role of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) in the CRM?

Answer 20

The NAACP LDF, led by Thurgood Marshall, focused on challenging segregation laws through the court system, winning landmark cases such as Brown v. Board of Education.

Question 21

Who were the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)?

Answer 21

The Ku Klux Klan is a white supremacist hate group founded in 1865 that sought to maintain white dominance through terrorism, violence, and intimidation, particularly targeting African Americans.

Question 22

What role did the KKK play in the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 22

The Klan was a major opponent of the Civil Rights Movement, using bombings, murders, and other forms of violence to intimidate Black activists and suppress civil rights gains in the South.

Question 23

What was the White Citizens’ Council?

Answer 23

The White Citizens’ Council was a group of white segregationists founded in 1954 to resist desegregation and promote white supremacy through economic pressure, intimidation, and political influence.

Question 24

How did the White Citizens’ Council impact the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 24

The Council worked to block integration, using tactics like job discrimination and threats to maintain segregation in schools and public facilities, especially in the Deep South.

Question 25

What was the Dixiecrat Party?

Answer 25

The Dixiecrat Party, formally known as the States’ Rights Democratic Party, was a short-lived segregationist political party formed in 1948 by southern Democrats opposed to racial integration.

Question 26

What was the stance of the Dixiecrats on civil rights?

Answer 26

The Dixiecrats strongly opposed civil rights legislation, advocating for the preservation of segregation and states’ rights to maintain discriminatory practices.

Question 27

Who was George Wallace?

Answer 27

George Wallace was the governor of Alabama known for his staunch segregationist views. He famously declared, ‘Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.’

Question 28

How did George Wallace oppose civil rights?

Answer 28

Wallace famously blocked the doors of the University of Alabama to prevent Black students from enrolling and was a vocal opponent of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Question 29

What was Bull Connor’s role in opposing civil rights?

Answer 29

Bull Connor was the Commissioner of Public Safety in Birmingham, Alabama, and was known for using violent tactics, including fire hoses and police dogs, to suppress peaceful civil rights protests.

Question 30

What was the impact of state and local police forces on the CRM?

Answer 30

State and local police, particularly in the South, were often hostile to civil rights activists, using arrest, violence, and intimidation to disrupt protests, including the use of force in events like the Selma March.

Question 31

What is the Nation of Islam (NOI)?

Answer 31

The Nation of Islam is a Black nationalist religious movement founded in 1930 by Wallace Fard Muhammad, later led by Elijah Muhammad, emphasizing Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam.

Question 32

What was the NOI’s stance on the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 32

The NOI was critical of the nonviolent tactics of the mainstream Civil Rights Movement, advocating instead for self-defense and Black separation from white society.

Question 33

Who was Malcolm X?

Answer 33

Malcolm X was a prominent member of the Nation of Islam, known for his powerful speeches advocating for Black self-determination, racial pride, and the right to self-defense.

Question 34

How did Malcolm X differ from Martin Luther King Jr.?

Answer 34

Malcolm X rejected nonviolence, emphasizing self-defense and sometimes advocating for violence if necessary, while Dr. King promoted peaceful, nonviolent resistance to achieve civil rights.

Question 35

How did the NOI influence the Black Power Movement?

Answer 35

The NOI’s emphasis on Black pride, economic independence, and racial self-sufficiency helped lay the foundation for the later Black Power Movement, which called for greater political and cultural empowerment for African Americans.