Theme 2: Civil Rights

Question 1

Northern Migration facts

Answer 1

1920 - 40% black people living in north lived in Chicago, clear that they could keep a mayor in power meaning needs listened to by politicians and a black business elite came to provinence.
Oscar Stanton De Priest elected to congress 1929

Question 2

New Deal for black people facts

Answer 2

• Roosevelt appointed black cabinet to advise him on social and economic issues. Impossible to determine how much impact they had on policy.
• Black Americans in federal employment: 50,000 in 1923 to 200,000 in 1945
• Anti-lynching bill passed through House of Representatives despite opposition from all but one Souther member. South camed to be deserted and carried put a 6 week long fiibuster which caused bill to be withdrawn in Feb 1938.

Question 3

Legal challenege facts

Answer 3

• NAACP membership: 9000 in 1917 to 600,000 in 1949.
• 1931 - NAACP turned down case of 9 black boys raping 2 white girls on train in Alabama. Communist lawyers took on case and discovered conspiracy.
• 1964 Civil Rights Act: no discrimination in hiring/firing + pay, segregation of public facilities banned, desegregation of schools sped up.

Question 4

Direct Action (peaceful) Facts

Answer 4

• 1955 montgomery bus boycott: Rosa Parks, led to MLK president of Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), led to Browder V Gayle which made segreagation unconsitutional (by 1960s segregation on buses continued), first campaign solely by black Americans - gave belief could achieve change.

Question 5

Direct Action (violent) facts

Answer 5

• Led by Black Power + Malcolm X, argued violence only option, summers between 1965-68 wave of violence in over 100 cities in North and West: LA + Chicago (1965), San Fran + NYC (1966), Newark + Detroit (1967), Baltimore + Washington (1968) . In these riots alone 118 people died. Riots did no good as encouraged white backlash. It engaged new people as argued black culture as significant as white and created template for societal change. Despite this, it spilntered ovement as not mainstream making it weaker and led to no concrete legal change.

Question 6

Campaigns in South facts

Answer 6

• Selma March: 7th March 1965: First attempt police attacked marchers, second attempt called off by MLK, third was great success. Used to publicise difficulty of registering to vote. Led to Voting Rights Bill 1965 (can’t prevent blacks from voting) + Civil Rights Act of 1968 banning discrimination in housing and making it a federal offence to injure civil rights workers. Blacks still worked worst jobs and 50% of black men 16-25 had criminal records.
• Little Rock, Arkansas - Septemmber 1957: 9 black students attempted to enter Central High School -> Governer of Arkansas, Orval Fabubus prevented entry by use of National Guard (state troops) -> forced to withdraw troops by federal order but crowd gathered to taunt children -> Eisenhower used National Guard to escort children and patrolled school for rest of year. Faubus closed schools 1958-9 to avoid desegregation. Reinforced to Notherners that Southners behaved unacceptablly as it was televised. However, Eisenhower failed to follow up case and take executive action

Question 7

World War 2 Facts

Answer 7

1 million black soldiers joined armed forces. In 1941 army segregated but was gradually integrated by the end of the war. In 1946 Navy introduced complete integration.

Question 8

Native Americans

Answer 8

• 1944: National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) became first pan-Indian organisation and by 1960s adopted NAACP’s litigation policy to entact change. Wanted seperation not integration.
• Sued state and govt over discrimination in employment + education and for breaking long standing treaties (Passamaquoddy V Morton 1972 where tribe gained compensation)

Question 9

Gay Rights

Answer 9

• 1969 Stonewall riots: three day riots when gay, lesbian and transgender patrons resisted arrest at New York bar. Made movement collective and reversed American Psychiatric Soceity’s Classification of gay as a disease in 1973

Question 10

Cesar Chavez and UFW

Answer 10

• Mexican Agricultural workers’s labour unio (United Farm Workers). Campaigned for better pay and conditions. Led grape + lettuce boycotts between 1965-72 as well as a campaign for educational reform and desegregation. Were still under-represented in sate and city legistatures.

Question 11

Black Panther

Answer 11

• Promted self-help programmes for people in ghettos (free breakfast for children).
• Gave firearm training and patrolled black neighbourhoods.
• Ganied publicity from confrontations with police.
• By late 1960s 27 members dead, 700+ in prison. Limited influence and max membership was 2000
• Mid 1970s completely disbanded