Protest and Progress 1960-75 Flashcards
1
Q
Write a narrative for the Greensboro sit ins 1960 (4)
A
- 1st February 1960 four black students waited to be served at a segregated lunch counter and knew they would be asked to leave the white area
- They refused and the following day 25 more students arrived to join the sit in
- 4th February more than 300 black and white students continued the sit ins and it spread to other towns
- Due to loss of earning in July the Greensboro Woolworth store desegregated however other stores took longer
2
Q
Define sit-in
A
Form of non-violent protest during which protesters refuse to leave a designated place or area
3
Q
Key principles of non-violent direct action (3)
A
- Demonstrate peacefully and visibly
- Do not rise to provocation
- Show your opponent up as a violent oppressor
4
Q
Organising the sit ins (2)
A
- CORE and SCLC sent experienced campaigners to train students
- 15th April 1960 SNCC was set up and trained students to cope with hostility and harassment
5
Q
Significance of Greensboro Sit In (6)
A
- White and black supporters - some white southerners joined CORE and SNCC
- Media Coverage - Positive reports led to demonstrations across the USA
- Visible to public - it was a very visible form of public protest
- Mass Support - 50,000 took part in the sit-ins
- Young people - they believed segregated lunch counters were wrong and humiliating
- Spread Quickly - existing civil rights groups helped to increase the pace of protest
6
Q
Testing out Supreme Court Rulings (3)
A
- 1956 ruled state transport must desegregate
- December 1960 ordered desegregation of bus station facilities
- 1961 CORE organised bus journeys to test whether desegregation was really happening - it would create negative media coverage meaning the federal government would force desegregation
7
Q
Write a narrative of the Freedom Riders 1961 using these dates: 4th May 15th May 17th May 20th May 24th May Summer 1st November
A
4th May - 13 freedom riders started in Washington on 2 buses. Organised by CORE and SCLC. Aim was to show desegregation was not happening
15th May - Bus reaches Anniston and attacked by 100 + KKKs. Firebomb threw onto the bus but passengers escaped
17th May - SNCC had 10 riders on bus to Birmingham, Alabama as no driver agreed to continue the journey where a threatening crowd confronted them
20th May - Police escorted Freedom Riders bus outside of Montgomery then left the riders to defend themselves
24th May - Police escorted Freedom Riders to Mississippi where they were then arrested and the federal government didn’t protect them
Summer - There were 60 Freedom Rides and over 300 were jailed
1st November - If states continued to segregate bus station facilities the federal government said they would act so the southern states decided to desegregate
8
Q
James Meredith 1962 (4)
A
- Applied to University of Mississippi after NAACP brought a successful court case but they ignored the Supreme Court’s ruling and blocked Meredith from starting
- 30th September federal officials escorted him on campus where he was attacked by 3000 segregationists
- Kennedy called for peace, rioting broke out and some were killed
- Federal troops sent in to stop riots and Meredith was admitted on 1st October
9
Q
Events in Birmingham 1963 (3)
A
- Led by MLK and SCLC
- Birmingham chosen as completely segregated, local chief could be provoked into violence
- Included peaceful marches, sit-ins, boycotts
- Local chief responded with use of water cannon and police dogs
10
Q
March on Washington 1963 (4)
A
- Was for Jobs and Freedom
- 250,000 + took part (40,000 were white)
- march was peaceful and televised
- King made his ‘I have a dream’ speech
11
Q
Freedom Summer 1964 (6)
A
- In Mississippi CORE and SNCC set it up
- Used to boost voter registration
- Volunteers were white college students making violence newsworthy
- Ran voter registration classes
- 17000 blacks registered to vote but 1600 were successful
- KKK set fire to crosses and burned peoples homes
12
Q
Mississippi murders (3)
A
- 21st June 1964 3 activists were killed by a klan lynch mob
- CORE and SNCC tried to find the bodies yet a further 8 were also discovered
- Showed levels of hatred klan members used
13
Q
JFK’s contribution to civil rights laws (4)
A
- Selected blacks for high level jobs
- Backed civil rights laws
- Sent federal troops for James Meredith
- Sent US marshals to escort Freedom Riders
14
Q
LBJ’s contribution to civil rights laws (4)
A
- Appointed blacks to high level jobs
- Urged southern politicians to support Civil Rights Bill 1964
- Supported 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act
- Intervened to escort members marching from Selma to Montgomery 1965
15
Q
1964 Civil Rights Act (6)
A
- School Desegregation
- Government could stop funding that promoted inequality
- No discrimination in voter registration tests
- Banned discrimination in public places
- Banned employment discrimination
- Set up Equal Employment Opportunities Commission
16
Q
1965 Voting Rights Act (3)
A
- Voter Registration controlled by federal government
- States could only introduce new rules if the federal government agreed
- Federal officials would take over voter registration in states where less than 50%
17
Q
Write a narrative of the Selma to Montgomery marches 1965 (8)
A
- Early 1965 SCLC and King campaigned for voting rights in Selma
- Violence broke out with police and a protester was killed
- 7th March 600 people marched 54 miles to publicised blacks voting
- State troops used tear gas , clubs and cattle prods and the media covered this
- 9th March was the second attempt of the march but was unsuccessful
- Local white group murdered a white civil rights activist causing public outrage
- LBJ intervened placing Alabama state under federal control
- Third march took place on 21-24th march with 25000 protesters concluding the march on the 25th March
18
Q
Malcolm X (7)
A
- Troubled Upbringing
- Effective public speaker
- Believed non-violent direct action would never work
- June 1964 his speech said blacks should defend themselves ‘by any means necessary’
- Left Islam in 1964
- Set up Organization of Afro-American Unity
- In youth was involved in crime and illegal drug use so went to prison
19
Q
Malcolm X change of attitude (4)
A
- Left Islam in 1964 and was now Malcolm’s enemy
- Went on pilgrimage to Mecca in April 1964
- Worked with other civil rights act
- Met SNCC and CORE to see if they could work together
20
Q
Assassination of Malcolm X (3)
A
- 21st February 01965
- Shot 15 times by members of the Nation of Islam
- 15000 people attended his funeral
21
Q
Why did Black Power emerge? (3)
A
- Rejected non-violence - results were too slow, not enough impact
- Ideas - influenced by Malcolm X, demanded change and believed self-defence was justified
- Campaigning - focused on wider social issues of poverty as well as campaigns such as the anti - Vietnam War movement
22
Q
Significance of the 1968 Mexico Olympics (3)
A
- Tommie Smith and John Carlos won gold and bronze in 200 metres
- In medal ceremony they performed black power salute
- Widely criticised by media and banned from the team
23
Q
Significance of Stokely Carmichael (4)
A
- No political parties focused on black rights
- Stokely Carmichael set up Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO) as a party and the logo was a panther
- May 1966 he was chairman of SNCC
- 220 mile ‘March against fear’ in Mississippi June 1966. James Meredith organised it but was shot on the second day so King and Carmichael led it
24
Q
The Black Panthers (6)
A
- Set up 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale
- Originally ‘Black Panther Party for Self-Defence’
- Radical ‘ten point plan to transform society: end capitalism, free healthcare and end of all wars
- Uniform was black beret, trousers and leather jacket
- Carried guns and tape recorders
- Set up breakfast clubs for poor black children, provided free shoes and medical services
25
Riots of 1964-67 (4)
1. 329 major riots in 257 Northern US cities
2. Riots began in New York when policeman shot young black man
3. Riots were a reaction to violence during Freedom Summer
4. Watts Riots in 1965 were response to police violence and Selma events that year
26
Long-term causes of the riots (3)
1. Blacks lived unequal lives
2. Blacks endured lower standards of education
3. Blacks endured discrimination from the police
27
Short-term causes of the riots
Little things such as shootings amounted to the response of a riot
28
Kerner Report 1968 (4)
1. LBJ set up in 1967
2. Riots were consequence of poor living standards
3. Policing methods should change as black communities didn't trust the police
4. Media had exaggerated the riots
29
MLK moves North (4)
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1. 1966 SCLC moved focus North
Set backs included:
2. Local mayor agreed to discussions but didn't act
3. Riots broke out
4. Negative media coverage
```
30
Assassination of MLK (3)
1. Shot by James Earl Ray on hotel balcony in tennesee
2. 4th April 1968
3. response to the murder included rioting in Washington
31
After MLK's assassination (4)
1. 1968 civil rights act focused on fair housing
2. Civil rights groups lost funding
3. Increased white opposition to black demands
4. Black americans became impatient
32
Progress in US civil rights 1969-74 (4)
1. Increased training for black setting up businesses
2. Job equality promoted
3. More black officials working in the white house
4. Nixon criticised for patronising black americans
33
Progress made in civil rights by 1975
1. Desegregation in schools, transport and restaurants
34
How the federal government led progress in civil rights
1. 1970 Voting Rights Act banned state literacy tests
| 2. 1975 revision to Voting Rights Act explicitly included other racial minorities
