Progress in Civil Rights 1960-62

Question 1

What was the testing of Supreme Court rulings?

Answer 1

• 1956 - ruled state transport must desegregate, however bus station toilets and waiting rooms remained segregated
• December 1960 - ordered desegregation of bus station facilities
• 1961 - CORE activists organised bus journeys from north to south to check if desegregation was happening

Question 2

What are the events of the Freedom Riders, 1961?

Answer 2

• 4 May - campaign organised by CORE and SCLC to show that desegregation of bus station facilities wasn’t happening
• 15 May - First bus attacked by 100 KKK members, riders of second bus were also attacked and beaten
• 17 May - SNCC organised 10 riders to bus from Nashville to Birmingham, threatening crowd of segregationists confronted them in Birmingham
• 20 May - Police escorted the freedom riders bus to just outside Montgomery where they were left to defend themselves against white mob
• 1 November - federal government threatened to use federal officers to enforce desegregation. Southern states began to desegregate bus facilities and Freedom rides weren’t needed anymore

Question 3

What are the events of James Meredith, 1962?

Answer 3

• Supreme Court ordered university of Mississippi to admit Meredith
• University officials ignored ruling and blocked Meredith to start
• 30 September - federal officers escorted Meredith on campus, 3000 segregationists attacked them
• Kennedy called for peace but rioting broke out and many were inured
• 1 October - Meredith finally enrolled but needed armed guards throughout his university studies