presidents Flashcards
how did sit-ins work
example of the first sit-in
significance
in Feb 1960 4 black students staged a sit-in at the whites-only refreshment counter in their local Woolworths store in Greensboro. the state authorities hesitated, which allowed the numbers of protestors to grow rapidly. soon the concept of sit-ins at segregated facilities had spread to neighbouring states such as Tennessee and Virginia. sit-ins were more confrontational than the boycott as it forced a response from the authorities. if police used force to remove the demonstrators and it was roughly done then the press and the increasingly important medium of television would record it. this way public support could be increased. but if the police took no action then desegregation had effectively been achieved.
what are freedom rides
TFR of 1961 re-enforced the success of the sit-ins. taking advantage of increased white support for black civil rights, the idea was for blacks and whites to board interstate buses in the north, where legally they could sit together but remain in their places as they entered the south, where they would be breaking local segregation law.
effect of freedom rides
this tactic was effective because of the publicity it received and the negative response from the police authorities. for example in Alamba, police ignored a white mob that attacked the riders
what were the freedom riders inspired by
the supreme court case of Boynton vs Virginia 1960 which outlawed segregation on all interstate travel facilities.66
what was JFK’s reaction to the sit-ins and freedom rides
Kennedy was worried about losing southern white support, but as republican Eisenhower had shown in 1957 at little rock, failure to keep order would no longer be tolerated. Kennedy brother, Robert enforced the legal orders confirming the desegregation of all interstate travel.
