The role of federal government

Question 1

Supreme Court - Political Rights (3 E, 1 M)

Answer 1

Early
- 1873 Slaughterhouse Case - voting state control
- 1883 United States v. Harris - CRA 1872 declared unconstitutional
- 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson - ‘separate but equal’
Middle
- 1944 Smith v. Allwright - no vote exclusion

Question 2

Supreme Court - Social Situation (2 E, 1 M, 1 L)

Answer 2

Early
- 1896 Plessy v Ferguson - ‘separate but equal’
- 1883 United States v. Harris - CRA unconstitutional
Middle
- 1954 Brown v. Topeka Board of Ed. - segregation unconst.
Late
1971 - Griggs v. Duke Power Company - no implicit discrimination

Question 3

Supreme Court - Economic Situation (1 E, 1 L)

Answer 3

Early
- 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson - ‘seperate but equal’
Late
- 1971 Swann v. Charlotte Mecklenberg Board of Education - deseg. by busing

Question 4

Presidents - Political Rights (2 E, 1 M, 1 L)

Answer 4

Early
- 13th (1865), 14th (1868), 15th (1870) Amendments - FREE, CITIZENS, VOTE
- 1877 Hayes-Tilden Compromise - South had right to control their own affairs
Middle
- 1957 - CRA became law for AA’s to vote –> ineffective by 1960 as only 28% r registered to vote.
Late
- 1965 Civil Rights Act - for voting rights

Question 5

Presidents - Social Situation (1 E, 2 M, 2 L)

Answer 5

Early
- Andrew Johnson attempts to pass ‘Black Codes’ 1865
Middle
- Little Rock 1957 - Eisenhower sent National Guard, but Presidential Caution continued
- Roosevelt Executive Order 8587 Nov. 1940 - x discrimination
Late
- Civil Rights Bill 1963
- Civil Rights Act 1964

Question 6

Presidents - Economic Situation (1 E, 1 M, 2 L)

Answer 6

Early
- ‘Sharecropping’ - de facto legalised slavery, Andrew Johnson
Mid
- Agriculture Adjustment Act 1933 - paid farmers for planting less cotton, pushed 100,000 AA tenants off land
Late
- 1972 Equal Opportunity Act
- Nixon agreed to busing- but bifurcation still occurred.

Question 7

Congress - Political Rights (2 E, 1 M, 2 L)

Answer 7

Early
- President Johnson undermined by Republicans Thaddeus Stevens + Charles Sumner
- More African American’s in politics - South Carolina- 8 black congressmen between 1867-77
Mid
- Oscar De Preist was single representative for 11 mill African Americans
Late
- Southern bloc still had influence in congress
- Federal Gov. began to effectively enforce legislation

Question 8

Congress - Social Situation (2 E, 1 M, 1 L)

Answer 8

Early
- Freedman’s Bureau - made by Stevens and Sumner
- Military sent into South (until 1877) to enforce 14th + 15th Amendments.
Middle
- Congress was not onside- dominated by Republicans and Conservative Democrats
Late
- Congress began supporting more Civil Rights Legislation in the 1960s

Question 9

Congress - Economic Situation (1 L)

Answer 9

Did not do much single-handedly to improve African American’s economic situation
- Later on they assisted other areas of the federal gov. to help with tackling poverty

Question 10

Supreme Court - Overall Significance? 3

Answer 10

• Had no real political significance, could not implement laws themselves
• Even after 1954 Brown v. Topeka Board of Education:
• 1961 no black children in white schools in the states of Alabama, Mississippi or Carolina.
• In south 2,600 black children in integrated schools / total 2 million black school children in 1960.

Question 11

Congress - Overall significance 2

Answer 11

• On its own, Congress cannot do much unless the other areas of Fed. Gov. are in agreement
• Was dominated by Republicans and Conservative Democrats for most of 20th Century - resisted change.

Question 12

Presidents - Overall significance 2

Answer 12

• Most important area of Fed. Gov. for improving Civil Rights
• Have the ability to establish and set forth the change, then other areas of the Gov. follow.

Question 13

Example Questions

Answer 13

• ‘Assess the importance of the presidency in the growth of civil rights for AA’s in the period 1865-1992’
• ‘Assess the role of the FG in bringing about greater civil rights for AA’s in the period 1865-1992’