Topic 2: The Quest for Civil Rights Flashcards
Why did African-American families initially support the Republican Party?
The Republican Party was originally against slavery and was determined to abolish slavery in America, with Republican Executive Abraham Lincoln advocating for the passing of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to be passed. On the other hand, the Democrats were opposed to abolition and were very popular with southern voters that profitted from slavery in the cotton and tobacco industries.
What was the significance of the 14th Amendment?
The 14th Amendment guaranteed citizenship for all races as long as they were born in America and changed the position of black people fromm property to people in their own right with designated rights and freedoms. However, there was little police enforcement of this ruling, meaning people were still able to do as they pleased and little change occurred socially as a result.
Explain the importance of the Plessey v Ferguson Case
Homer Plessey, a man who was seven-eighths white, decided to test the Jim Crow Laws that had been implemented in the South by sitting in a ‘white only’ rail car in Louisiana. Upon telling the conductor he was an African-American, he was asked to move to a ‘black only’ car and was arrested when he refused and was later found guilty of breaking segregation laws by Judge Ferguson. Plessey appealed to the Supreme Court, who made segregation legal on the basis that the ‘separate but equal’ status quo was met. This reaffirmed the culture in America at the time that black people were prevented from advancing and succeeding in life due to imposed sanctions and barriers in the form of Jim Crow Laws.
How did the African-American Dream differ to the traditional American Dream at the start of the twentieth century?
Whilst the traditional American Dream promised equality of opportunity, this is a privilege that is denied to many minority groups in America such as African-Americans. At this time, very little was being done to ensure African-Americans were perceived as equals to white Americans under the eyes of the law, with the Democrat Party strongly opposing the abolition of slavery and having associations with the KKK until the 1930s. Therefore, the African-American Dream is comprised of struggle for enfranchisement and equality whilst the traditional American Dream involves the erasure of that equality in order to succeed and prosper.
Explain the impact of the Jim Crow Laws and what life was like in the South for many African-Americans
Jim Crow Laws were local and state rulings which enforced racial segregation in the southern states of America as a result of former slave owner President Andrew Johnson giving the South self-government. These laws were introduced following the Reconstruction Era in which the country was rebuilding following the American Civil War and resulted in racial segregation in all public facilities such as transport, education and even restaurants, in the former confederate states of America. Jim Crow Laws officially began in 1890 with African-Americans being given ‘separate but equal’ status, which essentially sanctioned and encouraged the already prolific racial hatred in Southern USA. African-Americans became second-class citizens and were prevented from gaining influence in society, therefore diminishing their agenda and limiting their social power. Not only did white supremacy flourish in the South during this time, but the presence of the Jim Crow Laws also perpetuated insulting stereotypes such as ‘Sambo’ and ‘the coon’, who were childish caricatures incapable of being independent due to their personalities, thus in the eyes of the public and the authorities justifying segregation and restrictions to voting as people grew to see these dehumanising prejudices as true and created carriers to prevent African-Americans from bettering their situations.
Why did the KKK surge in popularity in the period 1910-1920, and what impact did this have on African-Americans?
Whilst the white supremacist organisation was founded in the immediate aftermath of the American Civil War, the group experienced a decline in the late nineteenth century, possibly as a result of being deemed unconstitutional in 1882. However, following a surge of immigration in the early 1900s, the Klan underwent a resurgence and began to make their presence known once again. They achieved this by staging rallies, parades and marches which condemned immigrants, Catholics, Jews, African-Americans and unions, as well as burning crosses to strike fear into individuals, amking them instantly recogniseable and implying that God was on their side. This was inspired by one of the hgihest grossing films in American history called ‘The Birth of a Nation’, which portrayed black men as being sexually violence, particularly towards white women and painted the KKK as valiant heroes. Whilst this was by far a disgusting and insulting piece that black people rightfull called to be banned, this contributed to the KKK’s revival and incited terror for many African-Americans across the country who feared being at risk of violence at the hands of white supremacist groups like the KKK.
Why did many African-Americans migrate to the northern states in the period 1917-1955?
Up to six million African-Americans migrated from the South in a movement known as the Great Migration, mainly for two reason: the extreme discrimination intergrained in the South and the demand for labour in the North that stemmed from America entering the First World War. Following poor crop conditions in the South, there were very little employment opportunities for black people, and the promise of work as well as education were both benefits for African-Americans migrating to the north of the country.
To what extent was life better for African-Americans in the North, and what impact did this have on those who remained in the southern states?
It is debateable as to whether life was better for African-Americans in the North due to the increased racial tensions post-war that rose as a result of the increased population of black people. Ghettoisation also occurred in which black communities were formed in the poorer parts of cities, as well as landloards and employers exploiting African-Americans for their money and labour. However, balck people, particularly in Chicago, attained some influence due to the prominence of the ‘Black vote’, and politicians in the North came to realise its significance in inner-city regions. Whilst this, as well as the ‘Harlem Renaissance’, a cultural movement that propelled Black music and more into mainstream society, increased the prosperity of African-Americans, those who stayed in the southern states were not faring much better with the influence of Jim Crow Laws still inhibiting progress.
Why was very little done to improve civil rights up to the 1930s?
Though the 13th and 14th Amendments made significant improvements in regards to racial equality at the time, Lincoln’s successor Andrew Johnson was a former slave owner and held very raciall skewed views which he implemented in legislation, such as restoring self-governance in the South and compensating former slave owners for their ‘inconvenience’. This resulted in Johnson’s attempt to appear less racist by passing the 15th Amendment; however, this did not occur until his impeachment in 1868. Presidents in the early twentieth century also did very little to improve civil rights, with Wilson seeing no problems with segregation and Harding sticking to his ‘laissez-faire’ attitudes.
What was the Harlem Renaissance?
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that began in Harlem, New York and resulted in the flourishing of Black music, writing and art. Jazz and blues clubs became very popular during this time, with the likes of Louis Armstrong being catapulted into fame. An example of African-American literature produced during this period is Alan Locke’s ‘The New Negro’, an anthology of literary works by black people which later came to symbolise the movement as creativity that had been supressed for centuries and refused the praise it deserved was being displayed.
What was the significance of the Sweet Trial?
In June 1929, a black doctor was tried after shooting a man who was part of a mob that attacked his home Despite American citizens having a right to bear arms should their home be threatened, Doctor Sweet was taken to court and thankfully equitted of charges of murder. Essentially a reversal of the Plessey v Ferguson Case, the Sweet Trial demonstrated the gradual changes to the law as they were challenged.
Why did the NAACP have limited success during this period?
The NAACP’s aims were “to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights” of African-Americans by legal means, such as amending or pushing the creation of new laws. Whilst their philosophy was that legal change would pave the way for changing social attitudes, this was a fairly idealistic view given what happened following the passing of the 13th and 14th Amendment. Due to the law not been sufficently enforced using military because of the Civil War, people still got away with not letting their slaves go, which routinely occurred when the NAACP won cases that promises legal change. Therefore, legal changes did very little to immediately sway social change.
Why did FDR appeal to black voters?
In the 1932 election, FDR won 23% of the ‘black vote’ compared to theb71% that he secured in the next election. Roosevelt was viewed as more progressive than the Republican candidate, and whilst he was not as progressive as black voters would have preferred, it was the better option. FDR promised greater welfare support, which was vital following the Great Depression at a time were African-Americans needed work.
To what extent did the New Deal assist African-Americans?
Whilst FDR’s ‘New Deal’ promised the policies were ‘colour blind’, many black people were refused jobs that were then given to white people, proving they had limited impact in providing a platform for equality. This was to ensure that FDR kept the support of those against the Civil Rights Movement and maintained power. However, FDR did make some positive changes such as appointing some African-American advisors during his campaigning and passing Executive Order 8802.
What was Executive Order 8802?
Also known as the Fair Employment Act passed in June 1941, Executive Order 8802 banned racial discrimination in the defence industry. Whilst this did not end segregation and was designed to get as many people employed and contributing to thr ear effort as possible, the hope was that other industries would follow suit and be desegregated.
How far did the Second World War improve civil rights for African-Americans?
Whilst the Second World War reaffirmed African-Americans’ stance on gaining equality with the ‘Double V’ campaign, little progress was made. By 1939, around two million people signed a petition asking for federal aid to relocate to Africa due to the number of black people living in poverty and the lack of improvements from the post-war boom. The influx of African-Americans into the workplace in 1943 were resented by white workers, with strikes taking place as well as racial violence. Race Relations Committees had to be established in order to relieve tensions following desegregations in different industries.
Discuss the NAACP’s key members, aims and strategies in its quest to improve African-American civil rights
Founded in February 1909 by Moorfield Storey, Mary White Ovington and W.E.B. Du Bois, the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People championed the causes of African-Americans. Their mission was to push for racial equality, eliminate racial hatred and end racial discrimination through legal change in the hope that social attitudes would follow. Despite some progress being made in the lead-up to the 1930s such as the Grandfather Clause being deemed unconstitutional in 1915 and the spike in membership post-war, the NAACP had a reputation for being an elitist organisation that had little engagement with black people. However, as the number of cases they won grew in the 1930s and 1940s, membership soared from 50,000 in 1940 to half a million six years later, mostly due to the success of the ‘Double V’ campaign following the Second World War. In the 1950s, the NAACP won every case they fought, the most famous being Brown v the Board of Education from 1951 to 1954, which secured the desegregation of schools.
Discuss CORE’s key members, aims and strategies in its quest to improve African-American civil rights
The Congress Of Racial Equality was founded by ‘Big Six’ activist James Farmer in 1942. Despite being formed in Chicago, the organisation wanted to target the oppressive Jim Crow Laws in the South and challenge legislation already in place that hindered the African-American agenda by spreading awareness. They also wanted to make voting safer for African-Americans by increasing the number of registered black voters in order to bring more attention to their movement. CORE was inspired by Gandhi’s tactics of peaceful protesting rather than using violence, arranging marches, boycotts and sit ins to make change. This was also particularly effective in the South due to heightened tensions and violence attacks being more common; therefore, those against CORE’s protests that responded with violence were demonised wit the help of the media as they were harming protestors that did not instigate aggressive behaviour. One of their more well-known protests was the Freedom Rides in collaboration with the SNCC in order to place pressure on the government to desegregate public transport.
Explain the Separatist Movement
The Separatist Movement ran alongside the Civil Rights Movement and argued that African-Americans would not achieve true equality; therefore, they should embrace segregation and fight for true ‘separate but equal’ status within the USA. They also argued that this wpuld prevent black children from feeling inferior as they have experienced previously.
Why did the post-war boom have limited impact on African-Americans?
Both the boom that occurred due to the Second World War and following the war had little impact on African-Americans due to the growing resentment for black workers following their entry into the workplace. A damangng narrative was built claiming they were ‘taking jobs’, and once soldiers returned home, black people were removed from employment in order to allow men who had been away fighting to attempt to return to normality by being given their jobs back.
Discuss Truman’s problems in tackling African-American civil rghts
Unlike Roosevelt who had a strong relationship with Congress, Truman sturggled to get fair employment laws passed through Congress in 1945, thereby having a limited impact on progress in civil rights. Despite passing Executive Order 9981, which desegregated the military and government, Truman was consideredto be ahead of his time and therefore achieved very little due to social attitudes remaining relatively tranditional and conservative regarding civil rights.
What was Executive Order 9981?
Executive Order 9981 was passed on 26 July 1948 and was the first acknowledgement of the black war effort from the government. This introduced desegregation policies in the military and all government industry, thereby leading by example in the hope other industries would desegregate without federal intervention. Despite this being the election year, Truman had made other proposals regarding civil rights, proving that he was a supporter and advocate for the Civil Rights Movement.
To what extent was federal intervention into the Civil Rights cause minimal in the years 1917-1955?
Federal intervention into the Civil Rights cause was minimal to a large extent due to the majority of Executives durig this time being Republicans. Presidents such as Harding, Coolidge and Hoover believed in doung very little rthat would support the American and therefore implemented practically no welfare policies due to their rugged individualist stance which, despite only being labelled as such by Hoover, was a similar tactic used by all three Presidents during their time in office. Despite the contributions of FDR and Truman, both of whom were Democrats, the laissez-faire approach from ther Republican Presidents meant that during this period, federal intervention into civil rights was minimal as a result of their conservative attitudes.
Why did the NAACP challenge the ‘separate but equal’ law in education?
The NAACP saw that education did not support the ‘separate but equal’ law due to the blatant differences in schools for black children in comparison to white schools when lawyers took several cases to court in the hope of desegregating schools. Black schools lacked funding, educational opportunities, resources and were in locations that were the polar opposite to white schools that were fruitful in resources, funding and opportunities to succeed. NAACP lawyers believed this was unequal and went against the 14th Amendment, which guaranteed citizenship and the rights of an American citizens for all races; therefore, the ‘separate but equal’ ruling was not applicable to these cases due to the vast differences in the way black children were being educated compared to white children.
Explain what was decided by the Supreme Court and why
After being overruled in the state court under the guise of ‘separate but equal’, the NAACP took their cases to the Supreme Court, arguing that the principle was simply an excuse to maintain oppressive laws that existed prior to the Amendments. In 1954, Judge Eal Warren ruled that the ‘separate but equal’ ruling had no place in education and the Supreme Court ordered that schools be desegregated. This was a unanimous decision from the 9 Justices ad was the first landmark case of the post-war Civil Rights Movement, indicating a change in attitudes following the Second World War. However, the Supreme Court gave no time scale for these changes to be made, and the NAACP consequently took on the case again in 1955 after seeing little change in Brown v Board Mark II.
Discuss the importance of what occurred at Little Rock in 1957
As a test of the changes made by Brown v Board, Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas was preparing to desegregate by admittig nine black students; however, the State Governor Orval E. Faubus, claimed that this would threaten the peace and safety of the town. Faubus not only sought a temporary state court injunction, but also called in the National Guard in an attempt to keep ‘order’. Following Eisenhower’s intervention by sending in the US Army to alloe the students in , Faubus was re-elected as State Governor and created a private school in an attempt to avoid integration, proving there was little acceptance in the region relating to civil rights.
Why did President Eisenhower intervene, and what does this say about his attitude towards civil rights?
Due to Faubus challenging the authority of federal law, Eisenhower ordered troops to enforce the ruling of Brown v Board and allow the ‘Little Rock Nine’ to enter Central High School. However, this does not necessarily mean he wanted to ensure the students were safe, rather that the law was being upheld. Eisenhowever wanted to appear a strong and capable leader in the eyes of the public, but due to his political sway, had to appeal to Republican voters that still had racially skewed views by not being perceieved as a supporter of the movement.
Discuss the importance of the tragedy of Emmett Till
The signifiance of Emmett Till’s murder cannot be understated due to the tragedy of the event. As a fourteen-year-old boy, Till was brought up in the North but went to Mississippi to visit family, where he was warned by his mother of the harsh, oppressive nature of the Jim Crow Laws. After apparentyl wolf-whistling at a white woman, Till was lnched, his body mutilated and dumped into a river that was found three days after the vicious attack. When making funeral arrangements, Till’s mother insisted that her son have an open-casket funeral, reportedly saying “I want them to see what they did to my son”. Pictures of his body then made international news and highlighted how African-Americans were being treated and how they were subjected to violence in the South of America.
Discuss the significance of Rosa Parks’ actions in December 1955
Forty two-year-old Rosa Parks refuse to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus for a white man, speaking later that she thought of Emmett Till when she refused to stand. Despite the NAACP defending her in court, she was fined and arrested, sparking the firt large-scale movement at the time in America against segregation laws. Martin Luther King Jr. later became the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, with Rosa Parks saying she was “mentally tired” of the discrimination she and other African-Americans faced due to segregation laws. This is particularly relevant as Montgomery is located in Alabama, a state in the Deep South where racial tensions were at their highest across America geographically.
What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and why is it important?
The Boycott was a strike against the Montgomery city buse which began four days after Rose Parks’ arrest, lasting for 381 days until 20 December 1956. The boycott was originally meant to be one day long, but after seeing the impact it had, organisors decided to keep the momentum in order to make change. Carpool systems were created and Montgomery Bus Lines lost $3,000 a day, which made a greater impact as they were profit-making busiess who could not afford to sustain such losses. Eventually, the Supreme Court ordered th city authorities to desegregate the bus system, resulting in Rose Parks’ arrest being avenged and another victory for the Civil Rights Movement.
What did the Montgomery Bus Boycott achieve?
Not only were Montgomery city authorities ordered to desegregate the buses, but the Civil Rights Movement saw the emergence of a new Leader, Martin Luther King. As the face of the boycott and a local pastor, King’s oracular skills and obvious leadership qualities made him an ideal candidate to head the movement. The boycott also solidified the successes of peaceful protests, initially inspired by Gandhi’s tactics of ahimsa, meaning non-violence, and its usefulness in the Civil Rights Movement as the emphasises the oppressive nature of those opposing racial equality. Not only did it draw attention to the campaign, but it also portrayed protestors in a positive light in the media as they were not the aggressors.
