The quest for Civil Rights Flashcards
When was slavery abolished?
31st January 1865 in the 13th amendment
What does the 14th amendment state?
Made all people born or naturalised in the US citizens (including slaves)
What does the 15th amendment state?
All US citizens have equal voting rights ( expect women ofc :/ )
What were jim crow laws?
Laws that segregated every aspect of life which helped ease white southerners fears after loosing control after abolishing slavery
What are examples of Jim Crow laws?
where to sit on the bus & tram, where to live, which school you could attend
Who was Emmet Till and when was he lynched?
1955 Emmet Till, 14, was lynched for asking a white girl on a date, he was from chicago but visiting relations in the south
how many people were lynched between 1915 and 1930?
65 white men were lyched and 579 black men, mostly in the deep south
what was plessy vs ferguson?
ruling that racial segregation laws did not violate the US constitution as long as facilities were equal > “separate but equal”
how much of the black population lived in North chicago?
By 1920, 40%
What was EO 8802 and who passed it?
Roosevelt passed E08802 which banned racial discrimination in defense industries
What did the New Deal do for black people?
agencies were set up to provide work projects, black farm workers were moved off projects for white people and thousands of black people were sacked
how did black people protest about the New Deal?
- In Harlem Father Divine set up of the Peace Mission Church group set up restaurants and sold food
- Housewives leagues set up boycotts “ Don’t buy from where you can’t work”
By 1944 how many defence workers were black
8% of defence workers were black
what was EO 9981, what did it do and who proposed it?
Truman proposed EO 9981 desegregated the military
how much did NAACP membership increase between 1917-1946?
went from 9000 to 600,000 in 1946
what was brown vs board of education of topeka
Ruled that US state laws establishing that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional
what was the separatist movement?
> separatists said black people would never be equal to whites, they should stop fighting for it
black children would grow up without being made to feel inferiro all the time
what was the silent protest parade?
a march in NY on the 28th june 1917 where over 10,000 black people joined to fight against lynching and anti-black riots
what did the congress of racial equality do?
they held series of sit-ins in northern cities of chicago to desegregate public facilities
what was the fellowship for reconciliation?
a group that went on the journey of reconilation riding inter-state buses to desegregate them
when was the NAACP set up?
1910
what happened in birmingham in 1963?
nicknamed “bombingham” for the regularity in which black homes, churches and businesses were firebombed
what did the SCLC do in response of “bombingham”?
they protested, chief bull connor ordered his men to use high pressure hoses and dogs, they got arrested and filled the jails by the end of the month. After this birmingham was desegregated.
what was the freedom summer of 1964?
the SNCC decided on a push for voter registration, sending 45 volunteers to the south, 3 volunteers disappeared; two white one black, they were found dead six weeks later
how many shooting incidents were there by the end of the summer?
35
how many black people tried to vote in 1964?
about 17,000 but only 1600 were accepted
what year were the freedom rides and who organised them?
The SNCC and James Farmer of CORE carried out freedom rides in 1961 in the south
what were the freedom rides for?
to test whether buses had been desegregated; the deeper south they got the more likely they were to remain segregated
what were the consequences of the freedom rides?
At Anniston a bus was firebombed after being chased by 50 cars. Freedom riders were imprisoned in Birmingham and beaten up in Montgomery; 3 were killed
when was the SNCC set up?
15th april 1960
what was the SNCC?
a racially intergrated organisation of young people who believed in non-violent direct action
What happened at Little Rock High school, Arkansas?
In 1957, 9 black children were selected to attend the previously all white school. On September the national guard was sent to stop these children for their safety, one child made her own way their and was surrounded by a mob screaming “lynch her” and federal troops had to be sent in.
how many reporters were at Little Rock?
over 250 reporters and photographers
how did Kennedy support civil rights?
- he supported his brother Robert Kennedy, an attorney general who worked on desegregating transport
- he sent troops to Mississippi to support James Madison
- In 1963, he supported a wide ranging Civil Rights bill
who set up the civil rights act and what year?
Johnson in 1964
what did the civil rights act do?
- set up an equal employment commission
- ensured desegregation of schools
- outlaws segregation in public facilities
- strengthened black american voting rights
Give another example of an implementation by Johnson on civil rights
In 1965 a Voting Act eliminated restrictive pratices designed to keep black people from voting
what was MLK’s importance?
He was recognised as the leader of civil rights movements and was protrayed well on TV > as demonstrated in his ‘i have a dream’ speech
How many people attended MLK’s ‘i have a dream’ speech and in what year?
250,000 in 1963
give an example of a northern riot
In 1965, Watts district, Los Angeles, there were 6 days of rioting. 34 people were killed and 900 injured
why did the northern riots arise?
Due to black poverty in the north where there was segregation in housing and schools.
Who was Malcolm X?
He became the nation’s most famous preacher
What was Malcolm X accused for?
‘black racism’ and aiming for ‘black supremacy’
What was the aftermath of MLK’s assissination?
grief and anger led to riots in more than 100 US cities, 46 people died, 2000 injured, 21,000 arrested and property valued at $67 million was damaged
what was the montgomery bus boycott?
a campaign were black people who refused to give up their seats for white people, Rosa parks sat at the front of the bus and like others was arrested
what happened at stonewall’s inn?
they lined up patrons, checked their identification and had female officers check men that were dressed up as women in the bathrooms, if the sex didn’t match they way they were dressed they’d be arrested which led to 4 days of rioting against police brutality
what were the consequences of the incident at stonewall’s inn?
christopher street liberation day on June 28th 1970 to mark the anniversary
what was the mattachine society?
In 1950 gay men found the Mattachine society in LA, they created a network of discussion groups where men and women shared their experiences, their membership was in the thousands.
what were the aims of gay rights movements?
- decriminalise homosexual acts
- equal treatment under the law
- encourage gay people to come out
what successes did the gay rights movement achieve?
- The American Pyschiatric Association removed homosexuality from their disease list
- gay people established the right to publish gay/lesbian magazines
- gay people won several employment discrimination cases
what were the limitations of the gay right movement?
- The christian coalition launched crusades against gay rights
- The federal Defence of Marriage Act (1996) defined marriage as only a union between one man and one women
what were some of the problems native americans faced?
- many lived on reserves
- unemployment was 10 times the national average
- life expectancy was 30 years lower than the national average
- the suicide rate was a hundred times higher than the rate for whites
- alcoholism
what was the American Indian Movement (AIM) ?
was founded in 1968 promising the advantage of Red Power
what happened in 1961 on Alcatraz Island?
14 demonstrators occupied Alcatraz Island offering to sell $24, 10,000 inidians visited the island during the protest. It lasted 19 months
what happened at wounded knee in 1973?
members of AIM staged an armed confrontation with federal officials
what were the successes for Native Americans?
- congress and federal courts returned millions of acres of land to tribes
- In 1975 Congress passed the self determination act and the education assistance act
what was the Indian Self Determination Act 1975?
allowed for economic development on reservations
what were the limitations for the Native americans?
- they continued to have higher rate of alcoholism, TB and suicide
- 9/10 native americans lived in substandard housing
- unemployment rates were almost 40%
what problems did hispanic americans face?
Most were poor and isolated from mainstream american life due to the language barrier
what problems did mexican americans face?
poor housing, educational segregation, discriminatory treatment from police and difficulty securing employment
What was the UFW and what did they do?
United Farm Workers was set up by Cesar Chavez. They launch a series of strikes for an increase in wages and benefits of migrant workers
Were the UFW successful?
By 1970 the UFW had won recognition from grape growers through well-publicised boycotts of grape and lettuce. It won its fight for better wages and working conditions
what did hispanic americans achieve?
- By 1980 presidential candidates were courting the hispanic vote, promising support for urban renewals
- School desegragtion, development of bilingual and bi-cultural courses and increase in hispanic teachers
what limitations did hispanics continue to face?
Their civil rights movement weren’t as influential as the black civil rights movement and they still face discrimination in many areas.
what were the successes of the Civil Rights movements from the late 60s onwards?
-segregation and overt discrimination ended
-white supremacists/racist were removed from office
-black people increased their political power
-affirmative action programmes to help black people go to uni and get jobs
-by 1980 more than a third of black americans were middle class
what were some of the reasonings to this success?
- US presidents
- Televison
- worldwide ideology
- grassroot movements
