Topic 2 - Civil Rights

Question 1

why did AA initially support the Republican party

Answer 1

• the Democrats initially opposed the abolition of slavery whereas the Republican party was determined to stop the spread of it
• Lincoln was Republican

Question 2

what was the significance of the 14th amendment

Answer 2

• it was citizenship guaranteed for all races
• in theory because of this CR should have been gained here
• it should have meant there was no need for the CRM as it stated that irrespective of colour, race, background if you’re born in US all equal

Question 3

what was American like in 1860s

Answer 3

• 1865 - 35mil white people in USA to 5mil blacks
• 9/10ths of blacks lived in South
• 4mil + as slaves
• period of white superiority, domination and exploitation

Question 4

what were the Black Codes

Answer 4

• 1865 Lincoln abolished slavery then was killed
• his constitutional successor Johnson restored self-government to the Southern States
• slavery did not end though as Southern States adopted their own racial laws known as the ‘black codes’
• these conferred some privileges upon so called freedmen but continued to draw a marked distinction between their rights and white rights
• allowed some plantations to continue as normal

Question 5

what were the Jim Crow Laws

Answer 5

• state and local laws that segregated every aspect of life to a high extent being referred to as the ‘final settlement’
• indicated there was no sign of the South changing their oppressive attitude to AA
• in place till 1965
• started in 1890 with ‘separate but equal’ lie
• manifestation of what white people though black people were like (character) - uneducated and unable to think for themselves

Question 6

at the time of the black codes and the jim crow laws what was life like for people in the south

Answer 6

• hard
• huge discrimination and segregation
• facilities with them where no where near the same standard as for white people

Question 7

what is the racial stereotype of Sambo

Answer 7

• depicted as a perpetual child
• AA like pets - used as justification for slavery and segregation- they need looking after
• Sambo was not capable of living as an independent adult
• portrayed as a loyal and contended servant

Question 8

what is the racial stereotype of the Coon Caricature

Answer 8

• one of the most insulting of all anti-black caricatures
• an abbreviation of a racoon - dehumanising
• lazy, easily frightened, chronically idle, inarticulate, buffoon
• the coon different from Sambo in that he acted childish but was an adult although a -good-for-little adult

Question 9

what is the racial stereotype of Mammy

Answer 9

• most well known and enduring
• house servant/look after children
• AA women had a better relationship with white people - women seen as less likely to rebel or be violent
• in the house not fields
• respected with children

Question 10

why did the KKK surge in popularity between 1910-20

Answer 10

• after a period of decline, white Protestant groups revived the KKK burning crosses and staging rallies, parades and marches denouncing immigrants, Catholics, Jews, blacks and organised labour
• 1915 KKK revitalised its membership adopting a white uniform depicted in the film Birth of a Nation

Question 11

what was the impact of the KKK revitalisation in 1915

Answer 11

• 1915-1930 the KKK lynched 579 black men and 65 white supporters of CR
• new uniform made them look more united and intimidating than ever
• made voting even harder, they would wait outside polling stations and attack AA that tried to vote under the 15th amendment
• their warnings against voting included whipping, kidnapping, lynching and cross burning

Question 12

who were the KKK

Answer 12

• white supremacist organisation
• organised as the ‘invisible empire of the south’
• extended into almost every Southern state by 1870

Question 13

what racist film came out in 1915

Answer 13

Birth of a Nation

• probably the most racist film ever made
• about the KKK
• Woodrow Wilson supported it calling it a masterpiece and history written with lightning
• showed the fear that after the Civil War AA would take over government - scaremongering about what would happen if black people weren’t supressed
• black man was depicted attempting to rape a white woman resulting in her suicide

Question 14

what was the Plessy vs. Ferguson Case (1896)

Answer 14

• 1896 Homer Plessy decided to test the Jim Crow laws
• Plessy was 7/8ths white and looked white decided to sit in the white only railcar in Louisiana
• when he told the conductor he was an AA he was asked to move to black only car
• he refused, was arrested and found guilty of breaking segregation laws
• tried and convicted by Judge Ferguson, appealed to the Supreme Court but lost the case

Question 15

what was the impact of the Plessy vs. Ferguson case

Answer 15

• in the process the Supreme Court made segregation legal so long as facilities were kept separate but equal which helped to sustain the Jim Crow laws
• makes the laws worse and extended
• showed how intense the Jim Crow laws and segregation in the South was, it didn’t allow even 1/8th of AA in presence of white people
• it wasn’t an issue till he revealed his background
• the Supreme Court should have upheld the constitution and amendments but justify with separate but equal

Question 16

how did the African American Dream differ to the traditional American dream at the start of the 20th century

Answer 16

traditional - car, house, nuclear family, white picket fence in the suburbs
AA - be equal, end systematic racism in the South

Question 17

federal intervention in CR up to Harding

Answer 17

• 13th/14th amendments good
• Johnson impeached 1868 for unconstitutional racism
• 15th amendment 1870 good
• federal intervention practiced racial segregation in armed forces, discriminated against blacks in civil service and endorsed the ‘Black Codes’
• Wilson racist
• Harding spoke out about lynching/had a committee but was laissez faire as were his Republican successors

Question 18

what was the NAACP

Answer 18

• National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People
• founded 1909
• mission to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights to all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and discrimination
• primary aim to fight for the legal rights of AA

Question 19

what is interesting about the founding of the NAACP

Answer 19

• founded by white people
• they were lawyers - taking the CRM to the courts
• without the NAACP King would be pointless as his activism wouldn’t get anywhere
• push for betterment using the amendments

Question 20

when did the Great Migration take place

Answer 20

1917-1932

Question 21

why were many AA enticed into moving North between 1917-32

Answer 21

driven by two national circumstances:

• extreme discrimination in South
• 1917 US enter war - demand for labour and industry workers in the Northern factories
• better educational opportunities
• farm work volatile - left many AA struggling
• after heavy rains and the boll weevil ruined crops in 1915/16 so many AA unemployed
• no Jim Crow laws and less acceptance of segregation
• no KKK presence

Question 22

how many AA moved during the Great Migration

Answer 22

up to 6 million between 1916-1970

Question 23

what was the North like for AA when they got there

Answer 23

• ended up in Ghettoes - overpopulation - poverty
• businessmen exploited their desperate need for work - cheap labour
• landlords exploited their poverty by hiking up rent - led to Ghettos - couldn’t afford to live in the city
• white people in North became more racist due to AA crime increase
• Churches became rally points for CRM

Question 24

what was the impact of the great migration

Answer 24

• rise in the black vote - no Jim Crow laws and no KKK presence in the North so black people could vote for the first time
• presidents now needed to start appealing to the black vote - shift from Republican to Democrat for AA and it was the Republicans that weren’t appealing to the Black Vote and putting them in Ghetto
• Harding said he’d look into the race issue but didn’t really
• more political freedom in north but still voting for a white pres

Question 25

what shifted the AA from voting Republican to Democrat

Answer 25

• the appeal of FDR’s New Deal in 1933

- the black vote

Question 26

why did AA vote for FDR and the New Deal

Answer 26

• it promised the welfare they had been deprived off since the migration to the North
• FDR appointed some black advisors during his campaign
• the promise that the New Deal was colour-blind was false as he wanted to fix the economy which was ran by middle-class white so naturally it favoured whites
• a lot of black people refused jobs over black people - people believed white people would reinvest the money back into the economy

Question 27

what and when was FDR’s executive order

Answer 27

• June 1941
• Executive order 8802
• Phillip Randolph was an early CR protestor - led a successful protest by railway workers to improve the treatment of AA in the industry
• threatened march on Washington unless FDR banned all discrimination in the defence and army industry
• FDR responded with 8802
• also known as the Fair Employment Act

Question 28

what was the impact of FDR’s Executive Order 8802

Answer 28

• although it banned discrimination in the defence industry
• didn’t end segregation - dif departments if not dif floors
• didn’t stop racism
• many whites felt uncomfortable working in the defence industry with AA and this racism was not lessened until the SWW were the AA gained respect

Question 29

impact of the SWW on CRM

Answer 29

• by start of SWW in Europe 1939 things shit for AA in USA - large majority in poverty
• things so bad around 2mil signed a petition asking FDR for federal aid to send them back to Africa 1939
• AA did not benefit from war induced boom
• influx of black workers resented
• 1943 strikes and racial violence took place as white factory workers didn’t want AA with them
• race relations committees created in workplaces
• did ease some tension

Question 30

what happened under FDR in terms of electing people

Answer 30

• under FDR 2 AA were elected to Congress during the SWW
• William Dawson
• Adam Clayton Powell

Question 31

how many black people fought in SWW

Answer 31

• 1.2 mil
• though courage of them changed many attitudes of the white soldiers, they stills struggled to obtain jobs when they got back home
• AA women did also contribute towards the war
• the army was very segregated
• this many fighting for country should get equal rights

Question 32

Truman and the CRM

Answer 32

• he had been a paid member of the KKK at 35
• but his stance changed when he became pres - he was supporter of CRM
• wanted to fight lynching, segregation and introduce fair employment laws in 1945
• but due to racism in Congress he could not push this through
• he didn’t do load during his eight years except EO 9981 but no King yet and still early so have to play it careful

Question 33

what executive order did Truman do

Answer 33

• desegregated all government industries but worth noting this was in election year of 1948 so could have been a move to try and win the black vote
• 9981

Question 34

what did Truman create

Answer 34

• president committee on CR
• primary aim to make a report on the experience of AA in USA
• found it was the job of the federal government to advance the rights of AA in America
• but due to racist congress nothing was done suggesting that Democrats were still inherently racist

Question 35

why was CR not a priority in 1947/8 under Truman

Answer 35

• SWW economy boost

- no rationing anymore so about spending and having fun not equality

Question 36

what were the Red Tails of the SWW

Answer 36

• Tuskyee bombers

- AA units in shittiest planes but became reputable part of war effort and most feared

Question 37

what was the separatist movement and their beliefs

Answer 37

• headed by Marcus Garvey
• fight that ran alongside CRM
• said black americans will never achieve true equality so should embrace segregation instead
• believed they should be fighting for equal conditions within the segregation like the same quality of education between black and white schools
• believed raising black children separately would mean they could grow up without feeling inferior all the time

Question 38

what did Marcus Garvey famously said

Answer 38

• maybe the answer was to do what white racists were telling them to and move back to Africa

Question 39

why was the separatist movement a difficult idea

Answer 39

• it became quite powerful

- but it would end up been a black vs white war and they would both want the same areas and companies etc.

Question 40

what was CORE

Answer 40

Congress of Racial Equality

• founded by James Farmer one of ‘big six’
• 1942
• inspired by Gandhi’s peaceful protests
• organised boycotts, sit-ins, pickets (protest)
• most notably the sit ins at segregated Chicago restaurants (Not the same as Greensborough sit-ins)
• and freedom rides
• achievements limited but the methods paved the way for future CR activism

Question 41

achievements of the NAACP

Answer 41

• worked with trade unionists, churches and white liberals to forge a coalition to persuade house of representatives to promote anti-lynching bills
• mobilise Southern AA to campaign for the abolition of poll tax what they had to pay to vote
• Smith vs Allwright - 1944 - case they won making it easier for black Americans to vote in the South
• 1950 fought the Supreme Court to ensure a black
  student could attend a better but white school
• 1950 helped create the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing
• Brown vs the Board of Education 1954
• Supreme Court ruled schools should be desegregated
• Rosa Parks NAACP advocate

Question 42

what was the NAACP initially like

Answer 42

• up to 1930s had a reputation for being an elitist body dominated by white wealthy businessmen and professionals with little black support

Question 43

what cases did the NAACP win

Answer 43

• won a few in 1930s and 1940s
• won every case it fought in 1950s
• the Supreme Court failed to enforce many of its rulings and were purposefully vague in the wording of its judgements

Question 44

expansion of the NAACP

Answer 44

• 50,000 members in 1940

- 500,000 in 1946

Question 45

what was the Brown vs Board of Education

Answer 45

under Truman/ike

• 1951
• NAACP took several cases to court to desegregate schools this been one of most prominent
• Brown wanted the right to send his young girl to a white school which was better
• NAACP took it to Supreme Court
• 1954 Judge Earl Warren judged segregation of schools was not equal and the separate but equal ruling had no place in education
• Supreme Court ordered that schools were to be desegregated
• no time scale given
• but this overruled what was said in the Plessy vs Ferguson case of 1896

Question 46

what was the Crisis of Little Rock

Answer 46

Under Ike

• 1957
• Central High in Little Rock Arkansas preparing to comply with Brown vs Board outcome of the integration of students
• state governor intervened that he thought admission of black students into white schools would threaten peace and safety
• saw temporary state court injunction to stop black students attending
• though the little rock nine continued to try to attend
• state governor called national guard to try and escort them out
• this was a direct challenge to federal authority
• Ike ordered the army to little rock to combat the national guard and enforce the law that allowed the students to integrate

Question 47

what was the aftermath of little rock

Answer 47

• despite success governor refused to back down
• was re elected showing his popularity
• he created a private school system to avoid integration as he could choose who was admitted
• this forced Central High to close
• Little Rock High School was closed all because one bigoted politician refused to allow nine AA students their fair and equal right to education - closed 1957

Question 48

what was the tragedy of Emmett Till and its significance

Answer 48

Under ike

• August 1955
• 14 year old Till was lynched in Mississippi after reportedly flirting with a white woman
• beaten, mutilated, shot, dumped in river
• body not discovered for 3 days
• despite the tragedy his mum wanted to use the story for good and insisted on open casket
• images attracted international news
• directed first major attention to the CRM in the USA

Question 49

what was the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Answer 49

• under Ike
• Dec 1955
• Rosa Parks refused to give up seat on Montgom bus
• though NAACP defended her case in court she was arrested and fined
• lead to first large scale demonstration against segregation in USA
• 4 days after Parks arrest
• AA in Montgomery refused to ride to buses
• boycott was peaceful protest lasting 381 days till 20th Dec 1956
• spread to rest of Montgom transport system
• AA chose to car pool or walk
• as protest went on they were joined by lots of white sympathisers giving lifts and walked with them
• Montgom transport system began to lose money quickly and Supreme Court forced to desegregate the transport system
• one of main leaders MLK
• invited international news attention

Question 50

who was Claudette Colvin

Answer 50

• march 2nd 1955
• 15 years old - refused to move to back of bus to give seat to white
• driver ordered her to get up
• refused - paid her fare - constitutional right
• later that night she was arrested
• first to really challenge segregation before Parks
• though her case got no real media attention

Question 51

what was the Greensboro Sit-in

Answer 51

• February 1960 (still Ike)
• four AA students refused service at Woolworths white only lunch counter
• manager requested they leave
• refused stayed on till store’s closing time
• went back next day with 20 more peers
• on 3rd day 60 students
• on 4th day 63
• continued on and on
• many whites abused them
• caused ripple effect and sit-ins took place in over 30 other cities
• covered widely by the media

Question 52

the freedom rides

Answer 52

• 1961 (JFK)
• carried out by CORE and SNCC
• freedom rides in south
• idea to test whether the rest rooms in the bus stations across south had been desegregated like they had been order to by Supreme Court ruling in 1961
• organed by Farmer CORE leader and other big six
• buses regularly attacked
• black and white riders beaten
• Alabama - bus fire bombed
• another one chased by cars some police cars
• media coverage - media liberalism
• showed violence - provided CRM with sympathy as they never retaliated

Question 53

protests in Birmingham in Alabama

Answer 53

• Spring 1963 (JFK)
• MLK organised CR march in heartland city of Alabama that was openly segregationist
• Theophilus ‘Bull’ Connor - commissioner of public safety there - saw this as a direct challenge to his authority in the city
• ordered fire hoses and police attack dogs against CR activists
• among people attacked where children and unarmed demonstrators protesting non-aggressively
• once again these images were shown around the world and CRM gained support
• so much so that JFK claimed that Bull Connor had done more the CRM than anyone else as his violence gained the CRM much sympathy

Question 54

what was the impact of the Birmingham protests

Answer 54

• they served as a catalyst for major social and legal change in the South of the USA and contributed to Congress passing the CR act of 1964
• following the riots 42% of Americans in 1963 said they thought race was most major issue in US
• only 4% had said that in 1962

Question 55

what was the CR act of 1964

Answer 55

• signed by Johnson on July 2nd 1964
• banned discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex or national origin.
• ended unequal application of voting restrictions and requirements, racial segregation in schools, the workplace and public facilities
• passed in JFKs name
• Johnson had to make massive deals with senators to get this passed through

WOMEN also benefit from this

• amazing law but difficult to uphold - it didn’t magically change a lot of perceptions
• (+) but issues

Question 56

what was the Voting Rights Act

Answer 56

• 1965 August 6th
• 26th amendment
• landmark piece of federal legislation that prohibited racial discrimination in voting
• signed by LBJ
• designed to enforce the voting rights that had been guaranteed by 14th/15th amendments but hadn’t been enforced
• according to dep of justice this is considered to be most important piece of CR legislation ever :)

Question 57

MLK early life

Answer 57

• middle-class Christian family
• regularly whipped by dad telling him to make some thing of himself - motivation
• witnessed his father’s regular brave and defiant behaviour against racial discrimination/segregation
• suffered depression in childhood
• befriended white boy during his childhood but due to segregation they lost touch - this upset him
• quickly gained rep in high school for orator ability

Question 58

education of MLK

Answer 58

• excelled at school
• won an oratorical contest during junior year but forced to stand for entire bus journey back to Atlanta due to segregation
• made him angriest he’d ever been in his whole life
• degree in sociology
• but urge to surge humanity - went to church
• during studies for church became romantically involved with white girl - wanted to marry her - but advised that marriage would cause racial backlash
• said he never recovered

Question 59

marriage of MLK

Answer 59

• married a black wife and had 4 children but blocked her from joining CRM as thought her priorities should be mother/housewife
• became Alabama pastor
• leader of local AA community

Question 60

MLK and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Answer 60

• one of leaders
• careful to ensure it stayed peaceful despite the violent reaction from the whites
• make them look like victims gain sympathy
• during boycott many homes of NAACP members were firebombed including MLKs
• many of the members of the boycott lost their jobs but still persisted in the cause
• great credit to AA
• city gov penalised taxi drivers heavily for taking taxi drivers home but MLK encouraged them to keep going
• despite desegregation of buses been great victory it actually widened divide
• in the next local election candidates that encouraged segregation were voted in with majority
• 3 days after desegregated buses MLK home fire bombed and for next few years - snipers shooting at black passengers on white buses
• years for no violence

Question 61

MLK and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Answer 61

A* point

• 1957 he founded it
• based around Gandhi’s beliefs as felt peace best
• steadfast in non-violence been best for media to gain sympathy
• careful to never give media image of violent black
• clear who oppressed are
• fave tactic was public arrest
• show himself going peacefully
• accepted white people on his protests though some black people criticise that and it caused friction
• controversial for some people as white people were the oppressor
• too soon to forgive and forget but it gave them the moral high ground

Question 62

MLK and the media after the bus boycott

Answer 62

• after boycott on bus became face of CRM
• some saw this as unfair as there were so many other good CR activists but the media seemed to favour MLK and he seemed to exploit the power
• king had to point out other events he wasn’t involved in as the media followed him

Question 63

MLKs tactics and beliefs

Answer 63

• adopted Gandhi’s non-violent tactics and civil disobedience
• believed this was the only way
• if you went in too aggressively believed you would shut off the white people to negotiation causing further fiction
• used media to cover police brutality to gain moral high ground and sympathy
• exploited public opinion to invite pressure and end segregation
• unlike other activists wanted to work in law
• highlight abuse, gain sympathy under democracy and constitution
• encouraged whites to help
• sometimes deliberately provoke reaction like going to Birmingham

Question 64

Kings involvement in other campaigns

Answer 64

• couldn’t be everywhere at once
• gained meeting with pres Ike regarding the little rock crisis - played large role in persuading him to intervene
• played active role in formation of SNCC and other groups
• active in campaigns in NY, Selma and Florida and vocal in opposition to V war

Question 65

MLK’s arrest in Birmingham

Answer 65

• 1963 MLK and SCLC decided to take the push for deseg to new level
• wanted entire town deseg
• big step up from buses and lunch tables
• king new this would provoke huge violent backlash but wanted this for sympathy
• plan to respond peacefully
• get arrested and fill the jails
• he knew they would be forced to let people go
• tactic worked perfectly
• CRM gained immensely from this - pres support (JFK)
• MLK arrested
• despite this still relatively unsuccessful and Birmingham Alabama, was nicknamed Bomingham due to how often black businesses and homes were bombed

Question 66

march on Washington august 1963

Answer 66

• MLK led march on basis of jobs and freedom
• some 250,000 attended
• massive from max expected (10,000)
• highlighted extend of CRM
• famous white signers attended like Bob Dylan and members of big six including Randolph
• this was march of i have a dream speech

Question 67

MLK and pres

Answer 67

• due to his fame able to meet with pres and campaign directly to federal gov for CR cause
• naturally presidents he met were reluctant to much due to the risk of losing popularity and other issues like V war
• meetings cannot be understated tho as put the CRM directly in view of presidents
• Kennedy most liberal the MLK met and stated during their meetings that he was determined to push through acts to congress, end segregation and provide federal protection over the black vote
• however in Nov 1963 he was deaded which jeopardised the momentum of the CRM again

Question 68

MLK and his noble peace prize

Answer 68

• 1964 awarded noble peace prize for his non-violent resistance to racism
• visited harlem ny to collect where he was almost killed 6 years earlier after been stabbed
• the area he visited had been subject to numerous race riots but his visits had helped to stem violence
• however he was stoned by the NOI during this visit further highlighting the divide between him and MX
• same year as CRA

Question 69

MLK switch of attention from 1964- 1968

Answer 69

• 1964 onwards shifted focus to north despite been largely involved during Selma marches in South in 65
• after end of Selma which secured VR for AA
• King turned to northern crusade
• focused on Chicago

Question 70

problems in the North

Answer 70

• previously viewed as better for blacks during great migration but reality
• overcrowding
• unemployment
• large scale Ghettoization
  called de-facto discrimination
• cycle of poverty meant blacks in Ghettos
• change to situation would require massive gov funding as detailed in the Kerner report

Question 71

what did the Kerner report find 1968

Answer 71

• 1968
• require high tax and gov funding to stop ghettos
• unsupported by white people and rejected by the gov due to V war spending
• identified change required whites to change attitudes
• could not be achieved with stroke of a pen or changes to legislation
• issue for king and his pervious tactics were not good in this sense and so crusade in the north petered out

Question 72

discuss white resistance to black voting even after the CRA of 1964 which forbade discrimination

Answer 72

• efforts by SCLC and SNCC to register black voters met with resistance in Southern states like Alabama
• issues in accessing their new rights
• early 1965 MLK chose to make Selma in Alabama the focus of black voter registration camps
• Alabama governor George Wallace was notorious opponent of desegregation and the local county sheriff had led a steadfast opposition to black voter registration drives
• thus only 2% of Selma’s eligible black voters 300/15,000 managed to register to vote
• March 1965 nearly 8000 people began the 5 day march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights

Question 73

why was MLK’s choice of Selma, Alabama for voter registration drives clever

Answer 73

• it was so inherently racist so if you can win in Alabama you can win anywhere
• he also specifically target the Pettus bridge on his march

Question 74

march on selma and federal intervention

Answer 74

• MLK organised march through Selma protesting opposition to black voter registration
• purposefully led the protest across the Edmund Pettus bridge in protest of its representation
• Pettus was a profound member of the KK
• could have avoided it but knew it would get attention
• walked it across it on the Sunday and George Wallace the Governor of Alabama attacked
• beat them with canes, used tear and nausea gas
• Johnson directly intervened and prevented Wallace from any further attacks
• king and group them bravely walk over it again this time successfully

Question 75

discuss MLK’s impact in the North in the late 60s

Answer 75

• found it tough to make a lasting impression
• even began to lose his sparkle with the media
• suggested media no longer interested in the non-violent and focused instead on militant movement
• blow to Kings momentum as he relied heavily on the media influence
• his final campaigns focused on poverty and he planned another march on washington
• supported strike in Memphis over sanitation and conditions during which he was assassinated (1968)
• Carmichael
• black panthers rising

Question 76

discuss the reaction to MLK’s death

Answer 76

• when LBJ told he cancelled his diplomatic trip to Hawaii in order to focus on the nation - assigned his Attorney General to investigate the assassination and made a personal call to King’s wife - shows MLK’s significance and that LBJ understood it
• meant the end to non-violence - carmicheal called for action - riots and death ensued
• SCLC said they’d carry on his poverty campaign - postumate success
• April 7th declared national day of mourning by LBJ
• his birthday is now national holiday in US

Question 77

what should you do when discussing black power

Answer 77

• use the word radical not violent

Question 78

discuss background of Malcolm Little

Answer 78

• father was a baptist minster
• KKK harassed his family and burned down his home
• father was found dead rumoured to be murder by KKK
• Malcom’s mum became mentally ill
• Malcom put in care and he claimed he was the angriest of all children
• told by his english teacher he couldn’t become a lawyer as unsuitable for a black man
• left school and became involved in crime
• imprisoned in 1846 for ten years

Question 79

what happened to Malcom X in prison

Answer 79

• converted to radical group NOI who believed blacks superior to whites
• learnt to read and write
• left in 1852 and opened up a temple in Boston

Question 80

what happened to Malcom X after leaving prison

Answer 80

• preached to black americans to use whatever force necessary to get message across
• removed slave name of little changed surname to X

Question 81

discuss the change of Malcom X away from the NOI

Answer 81

• became disillusioned with them
• 1964 visited muslim countries
• he decided violence against the white man not always the answer and all men are equal
• NOI angry at him
• received death threats and his house was firebombed
• 1965 made speech in NY and was shot 16 times by NOI and died

Question 82

discuss Malcom X and the media

Answer 82

• genius for attracting media attention even tho he achieved nothing
• inflated his significance beyond its natural limits
• didn’t influence federal intervention

Question 83

what was the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)

Answer 83

• created 1960
• racially integrated organisation inspired by Greensboro sit ins and MLK and CORE
• direct non-violent action
• members took training courses on how to cope with abuse
• one primary aim to increase black voters in South
• took non-violent protest to violent areas - step up from MLK who mainly in reasonable territories
• initially founded by Ella Barker but later led by more radical Stokely Carmichael who turns it into a radical group

Question 84

discuss early SNCC involvement in CR

Answer 84

• 1961 committee pushed heavily for VR under leadership of Bob Moses
• targeted the vote in Mississippi, Georgia, Albany and Alabama - met with savage violence/opposition
• projects endured police brutality/arrests/KKK violence in form of shootings/bombings and economic threats against blacks who tried to vote
• 30 killed
• placed emphasis on educating young blacks
• established freedom schools to teach children to stand up for their rights
• needs to be generational to be effective
• played huge role in 1963 Washington march with then leader John Lewis giving rousing speech second to MLK’s I have a dream

Question 85

discuss the shift in SNCC ideology

Answer 85

• despite united front/strong collabs with other CR groups it became disillusioned with the non-violent approach of other movements
• SNCC had endured shocking levels of violence during 1961 freedom rides and freedom summer of 1964
• despite pushing for black VR by the end of the summer 17,000 blacks registered to vote but only 1,600 were accepted
• 1961-63 there were 20 killed
• summer 1964 6 SNCC members killed
• 35 shootings and countless beatings
• further to this the only people who could take part in the movement was those who could afford to pay their bail - expensive to give up studies and job to be full time activist
• high profile members been killed in such a tight knit group also made people question whether it was worth it
• started to fracture movement

Question 86

what happened to the SNCC in 1965

Answer 86

• many in SNCC became sceptical about non-violent tactics and integration
• party thus split into 2 groups
• one non-violent
• other moving to black power/marxism
• Carmichael still head of side called SNCC
• equality and freedom to black power

Question 87

what did Carmichael do as one of his first involvements with the SNCC after its split

Answer 87

• set up the Lowndes County Freedom Organisation
• placed emphasis on black people voting for black candidates
• saw no sense in why black people should fight for the vote only to vote for white presidents
• big ambitions

Question 88

discuss the birth of black power under Carmichael

Answer 88

• events in 1966 pushed him towards a more radical approach
• C appealed for the CRM to remove its association with white campaigners and become a purely black movement
• stupid- white people want to help - Kent State - MLK - liberalism
• replaced CR slogan of freedom with black power
• symbol of raised fist - famously performed by some black athletes at 1968 Olympics
• marked huge turning point in CRM and placed huge stake of division between non-violent and more radical groups like MLK v MX
• MLK lost some influence as the media became concerned with C

Question 89

what were the key principles of black power

Answer 89

• rejection of non-violence
• MLK was the tool of the white man say he is damaging and disrespectful even tho he got CRA/VRA
• do not want white people in CRM
• black supremacy
• fair implementation of the law
• equal employment rights
• radical social change, especially in housing and education

Question 90

what was the significance of Black power and the birth of the Panthers

Answer 90

• after 1965 there were no CRM marches in which all of the organisations worked together - got the overall acts but now different areas needed different things
• nor did the notion of black power embody all the groups who worked under it - some more radical than others
• most famous black power group were the black panthers who acquired notoriety for a number of reasons - led by Newton and Seale

Question 91

discuss the two sides of the Black Panthers in terms of their legacy

Answer 91

• the BPP did a lot of good community work such as working with schools to provide free breakfasts and lunch for children and helped maintain order in black communities
• essentially vigilante justice
• but mostly remembered for their more militant background - they wore uniforms and carried firearms which is what gained them the most government attention
• the government tried to villainise them

Question 92

discuss the attention gained by the black panthers

Answer 92

• from its origins in Cali in Oct 1966, BPP chapters sprang up in dozens of cities across the USA largely because of media attention
• gained powerful supporters in Mao Zedong and Castro further enhancing the anti-establishment image
• FBI director J. Edgar Hoover branded them as the greatest internal threat to the security of the USA
• Newton was convicted for the murder of an Oakland police officer in 1967 and when MLK assassinated in 1968 the Panthers caused a shoot-out with police in Oakland in which 2 officer shot and Bobby Hutton killed
• didn’t do themselves any favours
• good overshadowed by the bad

Question 93

what did President Nixon think about the Black Panthers

Answer 93

• Nixon approved the FBIs COINTELPRO intentions to destroy the Panthers
• over 30 were killed by FBI and Police
• bit dramatic and OTT gov orders was scary

Question 94

what was the Black Panthers 10 point programme

Answer 94

REASONABLE

• want freedom and power to determine the destiny of our black community
• full employment for our people
• an end to robbery by Capitalists of black community
• decent housing
• education that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society - education that teaches our true history/role in present day society
• immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people
• want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace

UNREASONABLE

• all black men to be exempt from military service
• freedom from all Black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails
• we want all black people when brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people from their Black Communities as defined by constitution
• 2 or 3 stupid demands derails the party

Question 95

why did Black power have to happen

Answer 95

• things like the Vietnam war took the media light the CRM needed to be noticed again
• wider circumstances
• but pressure on gov

Question 96

discuss the legacy and achievements of black power

Answer 96

• emergence of it changed the CRM
• push for an end to job discrimination and lower pay as well as an emphasis on black uni staff and courses in black history became prominent
• radicalised to some extent the thinking of other CRM like the NAACP
• even if the NAACP wouldn’t adopt more militant methods, they did start to advocate the we want action now approach
• overall success of BP more local affair but it posed a different question and challenge to the people opposed to CR

Question 97

discuss the impact of Black Power on the Civil Rights Cause

Answer 97

• work done by NAACP/SCLC may have taken a longer route but due to non-violent nature of their protests they gained signif white support and sympathies over time that were threatened by rise of BP
• 1964 - riots broke out in NY, Chicago, Philli - impact of violence turned out to be super signif as government intervention to calm the violence was now acceptable and the days of over zealous police brutality were coming to an end
• the media also changed its angle - gone were days of publishing white brutality on innocent non-violent blacks - replaced with black militants holding petrol bombs and fighting back
• though this media portrayal acc helped the black movement in a federal sense, it also brought a considerable level of white backlash

Question 98

discuss the first civil rights act of 1957

Answer 98

• passed by Ike
• set up a CR Commission and gives the federal justice department more rights to supervise voter registration
• in May 1960 the CRA made it a crime to obstruct federal orders such as school desegregation by threat or force and authorises federal referees for voting