the Campaign for Civil Rights Flashcards
Discrimination faced by Catholics
- Housing
- Gerrymandering
- Business owners – extra votes
- Special Powers act
- B- Specials
- Measures O’Neill introduced favoured Protestants
- Discrimination in government jobs
Discrimination in housing
- Unionist councils allocated houses to Protestants, nationalist councils to Catholics
- Allocated by councillors not based on need
Gerrymandering
- Fixing of election, boundaries took place in many council areas, controlled by unionists
Business owners – extra votes
- Majority of these were Protestants
Special Powers act
- Allowed Unionist government to arrest, interrogate, detain people without trial - internment
Discrimination in government jobs
Majority went to Protestants
Measures O’Neill introduced favoured Protestants
E.g. location of new University in Coleraine rather than Derry
B-Specials
- Part-time policemen
- helped RUC
- reputation for unfair treatment of Catholics
Six aims of NICRA
-
One man, one vote
- allow a vote to all people over the age of 18
- remove the right business owners to cast multiple votes -
fairer allocation of council houses
- had to be ratepayer (house owner) to vote
- allocated by local councillors not on basis of need
- fewer Catholic home-owners = less Catholics able to vote
- major grievances- discrimination and overcrowding - End to gerrymandering
- End to discrimination in the allocation of government jobs
- Removal of special powers act and disbanding of the B-Specials
- An independent ombudsman
NICRA
Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
Formation of NICRA
1967
University educated Catholics
influences
- MLK
- JFK
- France-1968
- TV - educated them about things going on around the world
- free education 1948
- supported by new generation of Catholics and moderate Protestants
Nationalist/Catholic attitudes towards NICRA
New generation of Catholics who had been able to attend secondary school free of charge as a result of the introduction of the 11+ exam in 1947, supported NICRA
Liberal Protestants attitudes toward NICRA
- believed that N.I.’s Catholics were being unfairly treated
- believed that if NICRA’s aims were achieved, there will be no reason for Catholics to want to be part of a united Ireland
Unionist attitudes towards NICRA
- Largest opposition
- feared IRA in disguise 🥸
- believed it was not interested in equality for everyone in NI only catholics
- could weaken Protestant control of NI —> united Ireland 🇮🇪
Causes of 24th of August 1968, Coalisland to Dungannon NICRA March
- chosen as location of first march to protest Dungannon councils decision to allocate one of its council houses in a small village of Caledon to 19-year-old Protestant woman, rather than a large Catholic family
- Caledon homes had been intended for mixed community, but 14 out of 15 houses given to Protestants
Event of 24 August 1968 Coalisland to Dungannon, NICRA March
- 24 August 1968, NICRAs first March, held in County Tyrone
- March began Coalisland and ended in Dungannon
Consequences, 24 August 1968 to Dungannon, NICRA March
- publicity surrounding March acted as encouragement to other protest in groups to form branches of NICRA
- march past peacefully no major consequences
causes 5th October 1968, Derry NICRA march
- Organise to draw attention to discrimination in housing policy of the Londonderry corporation (local council of Derry)