The Race issue 1955-2000

Question 1

At which all white school did nine African Americans try and enroll in September 1957?

Answer 1

Little Rock High School , Arkansas

Question 2

Which soldiers did the State Governor deploy to stop the children entering the school?

Answer 2

The National Guard

Question 3

What’s did President Eisenhower do to make sure the children were allowed in?

Answer 3

Eisenhower sent 1000 US paratroopers to protect he children for 12 months

Question 4

Name three groups fighting for Civil Rights

Answer 4

CORE. Congress of racial equality
SNCC Student Non-Violent coordinating committee
NAACP
SCLC Southern Christian Leadership Council

Question 5

What were the Freedom Rides in the 1960s

Answer 5

White and black students rode the buses , which had been desegregated , to get the waiting rooms desegregated too . They were met with a lot of violence.

Question 6

Name a famous store which was met with student sit-ins to desegregate the lunch counters

Answer 6

Woolworths

Question 7

Name one of the Freedom Marches

Answer 7

Birmingham , Alabama
Selma , Alabama
The march on Washington

Question 8

How did the Birmingham police commissioner, Eugene ‘bull’ O’Connor react to the March on Birmingham?

Answer 8

Set police dogs and water hoses on the demonstrators and arrested 500 of them including Dr King

Question 9

What is the name of the famous speech at the March on Washington ?

Answer 9

I have a dream

Question 10

Where and when did Dr King make his famous I have a dream speech in Washington

Answer 10

At the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963

Question 11

Which Civil Rights acts did president Johnson pass ?

Answer 11

Civil Rights Act 1964
voting Rights Act 1965
Civil Rights Act 1968 to prevent discrimination in jobs and housing

Question 12

Which Indian political leader was the inspiration for Dr King’s commitment to non-violent direct action?

Answer 12

Gandhi

Question 13

What Civil Rights organisation was Dr King a leader of

Answer 13

SCLC - southern leadership Christian Conference

Question 14

What was the importance of the non-violent campaign in winning civil rights for black Americans. How did it work ?

Answer 14

It won support from moderate whites and support from countries abroad. It aimed to shame white Americans.

Question 15

Who was the leader of the Nation of Islam ?

Answer 15

Elijah Mohammed

Question 16

Who was the leading spokesperson of the Nation of Islam

Answer 16

Malcolm X

Question 17

What other name were members of the Nation of Islam called?

Answer 17

Black Muslims

Question 18

Why did many members of the Nation of Islam adopt X as their surname

Answer 18

To reject the name give to their ancestors by their white slave owner

Question 19

Malcolm X believed in black nationalism. What does that mean?

Answer 19

That black people should control the politics , education policing and the economy of their own community

Question 20

In the mid to late 1960s many black Americans adopted the slogans black power and black is beautiful. Which California based group is best known for its support of black power?

Answer 20

The black panther party

Question 21

Malcolm X believed that black people should defend themselves against aggression and violence from white people. He did not advocate violence itself. He believed in peace . What phrase is famously associated with his belief in the need to defend oneself ?

Answer 21

‘By any means necessary’

Question 22

How did Malcolm X lose his life and when ?

Answer 22

He was assassinated whilst on stage giving a speech in 1965

Question 23

Who were the leaders of the Black Panther Party?

Answer 23

Huey Newton, Bobby Seale and later Stokely Charmichael

Question 24

Where did the race riots of the mid to late 60s take place

Answer 24

New York
Chicago
Detroit
Los Angeles (Watts)

Question 25

Was the civil rights movement a success?

Answer 25

Yes and no. USA has had a black president and many famous and successful politicians, sports stars and actors etc. Segregation has ended. Black Americans can and do vote
BUT
BLACK WAGES ON AVERAGE ARE HALF THOSE OF WHITES. BLACK PEOPLE STILL COMPLAIN OF POLICE BRUTALITY , MANY CASES OF UNARMED BLACK PEOPLE BEING SHOT BY POLICE. BLACK EOPLE MAKE UP 13% of the population but 38% of the prison poulation.

Question 26

What was affirmative action in the late 70s and 80s?

Answer 26

A policy of reserving a certain percentage of jobs for black Americans/ ethnic minorities to stop their under-representation in certain professions e.g teaching, the police etc.