Section 3: Flashcards
Urban Problems:
Toward the end of the Civil Rights Movement, urban areas faced problems including economic disparities, de facto segregation in housing and schools, urban renewal projects displacing communities, and racial tensions leading to unrest.
- Racial Tensions and Urban Unrest:
The disparities between Black city residents and those in affluent suburbs fueled anger and resentment, leading to urban uprisings and riots.
From 1964 to 1972, hundreds of urban rebellions erupted, resulting in deaths, injuries, and arrests.
These uprisings were often targeted at symbols of white authority and economic oppression, such as department stores and downtown storefronts.
The Watts riots in Los Angeles, sparked by a police altercation, became a symbol of the racial tensions simmering beneath the surface.
Police brutality and lack of trust
Tensions between the African American community and the mostly white police force ran high.
In isolated incidents, some Detroit police officers brought personal weapons into the melee.
Residents reported that officers shot at black people before even determining if the suspects were armed or dangerous.
Watts Riot:
The Watts riots, a six-day period of civil unrest in Los Angeles from August 11 to 16, 1965, erupted after a police confrontation with a young Black man, sparking widespread anger over police brutality, racial inequality, and economic hardship.
Black Power:
The Black Power movement, emerging in the mid-1960s, advocated for racial pride, self-determination, and Black political and economic empowerment, shifting away from the civil rights movement’s focus on integration and nonviolent protest.
Stokely Carmichael:
Stokely Carmichael, later known as Kwame Ture, was a Trinidadian-born American civil rights activist, known for popularizing the term “Black Power” and advocating for Black self-determination and pan-Africanism. He played a key role in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and later moved to Guinea, where he lived for the rest of his life.
Malcolm X:
Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, was a prominent African American revolutionary, Muslim minister, and human rights activist, known for his fiery advocacy of Black empowerment and his role in the Nation of Islam before his assassination in 1965.
Black Panthers:
The Black Panther Party, founded in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, was a revolutionary organization rooted in Black nationalism and socialism, advocating for self-defense against police brutality and promoting community programs in African American neighborhoods.
MLK’s Assassination:
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, by James Earl Ray, who was later apprehended and convicted, though the circumstances and Ray’s role have remained a subject of controversy and conspiracy theories.
