School desegregation: a case study of Little Rock, Arkansas (6) Flashcards
Did schools desegregate after the US Supreme Court had ruled in 1954 that segregation in the public school system was illegal?
Even though the US Supreme Court had ruled in 1954 that segregation in the public school system was illegal, most schools in the southern states remained segregated.
Name a school in the South that desegregated?
One of these was Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, which was regarded as one of the best schools in the south.
Why was Little Rock seen as the scene of one of the early victories of the Civil Rights Movement?
In 1957, when nine black students tried to register at the school, the governor of Arkansas called out state troops (the National Guard) to prevent them from doing so. Angry white crowds gathered outside the school, shouting abuse at the students. The situation was only resolved when President Eisenhower sent 1 000 federal troops to ensure that the children could enter the school safely.
How did troops and state officials try and suppress the notion of letting the nine black students register at the school?
The troops remained there for six weeks until the tensions had died down. The governor continued to support segregation and repeatedly tried to defy the court rulings enforcing integrated schools. He remained popular among white voters and was re-elected for six terms in office.
What did congress pass as a result of the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement?
As a result of the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement, congress passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
What did the Civil Rights Act constitute?
This law barred segregation and discrimination in employment and in all public facilities, including schools , hotels, and restaurants.
What did King and the SCLC encourage African Americans to do after the Civil Rights Act?
After this, King and the SCLC encouraged African Americans to register as voters, and within 18 months nearly half a million black voters had registered to vote.
What did the Voting Rights Act outlaw?
In 1965, the Voting Rights Act outlawed obstacles to voting which some states had used to exclude black voters.
What did this act allow federal agents?
The act allowed federal agents to inspect the procedures used by individual states to register voters.
What were the results of the Voting Rights Act? (2)
- It also put an end to the literacy tests which had been used to disqualify poor black voters.
- As a result of the passing of the Voting Rights Act, many more black voters were registered, and black mayors were elected in cities such as Atlanta and Detroit. Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Rights Movement focused mainly on ending discrimination in the southern states.
What did African Americans living in the northern states believe that the movement should focus on?
However, many African Americans living in the northern states felt that the movement should focus on the poor living conditions and police brutality that many of them faced.
What were the long term gains of the Civil Rights Movement? (2)
- In the long term, the Civil Rights Movement showed that a mass-based peaceful protest movement could bring about meaningful change. (For example, in the United States the tactics of passive resistance were repeated in campaigns against the Vietnam War.)
- The Civil Rights Movement was also an inspiration in other parts of the world where racial discrimination existed. (For example, marches, sit- ins and refusal to obey unjust segregation laws were powerful tactics of the Mass Democratic Movement in South Africa in the late 1980s.)
What were the short term and long term gains of the civil rights movement? (3)
- MLK had mobilized thousands of black and white Americans to participate in campaigns of civil disobedience between 1955 and 1965
- Signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1965 Voting Rights Act
- Ended racial segregation in the South but not in the North
