Topic 3: Civil Rights 1939-1962 Flashcards
How many times more did South Carolina spend on white schools than black schools?
3x
Who represented Linda Brown in the Brown v Topeka case?
Thurgood Marshall from the NAACP
What did Marshall argue during the Brown v Topeka case?
Educational achievement was restricted and self esteem damaged by the separate but equal ‘Jim Crow laws’
When was segregation ruled unconstitutional?
1954
How many black children were still educated in Jim Crow schools in 1957?
2.4 million
When were the events of the Little Rock 9?
1957
What did the state governor do to stop the entry of Elizabeth Eckford and 8 other students?
Faubus ordered guardsmen to block the entry
What was the result of the media coverage of the vicious white crowd?
Embarrassed a nation that championed freedom and equality
How many federal troops did Eisenhower send to Little Rock?
1000
What was the result of Eisenhower sending federal troops to Little Rock?
Faubus closed all Arkansas schools to prevent integration until 1959
How many federal marshals did JFK send to escort James Meredith into the University of Mississippi?
320
How many troops did JFK send after riots at the University of Mississippi?
2000
What units did Black Americans have to serve in?
Segregated units
How many black Americans were there in the US army by 1945?
- 750,000
- Hundreds of officers
What was medical care like for black soldiers?
- Black nurses could only treat black soldiers
- Only blood from black soldiers could be used to treat injured black soldiers
What tasks were black soldiers made to do during WWII?
- Menial tasks
- Or the most dangerous jobs
When did integration start and how?
- US Supreme Commander, Eisenhower supported integrated units
- By 1944, there were hundreds of black officers in the army and marines
How many black pilots were there by 1945?
600
How many black sailors had risen to the rank of officer in 1945?
58
What was the Double V Campaign?
Started at home to gain improved civil rights as well as victory in war
What happened to black Americans in government jobs?
- Roosevelt issued an executive order to stop discrimination
- The amount of Americans in gov jobs trebled to 200,000 by the end of WWII
What were racial tensions like after WWII?
- Still existed
- Led to race riots in 47 cities
What happened at the Detroit race riot in 1943?
- 25 black and 9 white killed
- 700+ injuries
What did Eisenhower do to encourage integration?
Very little until he was forced to
When was Rosa Parks arrested and why?
- 1955
- Refused to give up her seat on a bus
What happened as a result of Rosa Parks being arrested?
- Jo Ann Robinson held a one day boycott
- They printed thousands of leaflets to encourage people to boycott city buses
Who got involved with the boycott?
- MLK
- Ralph Albernathy
- Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) formed
What did MLK declare following Rosa Parks’ arrest?
African-Americans were tired of being humiliated and oppressed in their own country, but they would use peaceful means to persuade people to follow their cause
Why did the MIA decide to continue the boycott?
Rosa Parks was fined for her offence
What were the immediate consequences of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
- King’s home firebombed
- King and Parks arrested for organising an illegal boycott
Who intimidated the boycotters?
The Montgomery White Citizens Council
When did the Supreme Court rule that segregation was unconstitutional?
December 1956
What happened during the Sit-in protests?
- Students endured violence and assaults
- Didn’t retaliate
What was the effect of the Sit-ins?
Put pressure on the local economy and was successful
Who were the Freedom Riders?
- Led by the group CORE
- Tested whether integration was really happening
What were some violent consequences of the Freedom Rides?
- Anniston, Alabama a bus was attacked and burnt
- In Montgomery, riders were beaten up
- In Jackson, around 100 riders were jailed
Why was MLK popular?
- Enthusiastic
- Energetic
- Able to inspire those who worked with him
What were examples of some of MLK’s achievements?
- Led the MIA
- Led the SCLC
- Voted TIME’s Man of the Year
- Won the Nobel Peace Prize
Which areas did MLK target and why?
- Birmingham and Alabama
- It had a large black American population
- It had a notoriously racist chief of police (Bull Connor)
What did MLK do when he was arrested?
- Wrote his ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ highlighting how slow progress was in the USA towards Civil Rights
Why did students and children join the demonstrations and what was the result?
- To test the police reaction
- Dogs and powerful hoses were used
- 2000 demonstrators and 1300 children arrested
- The violence from the police gained massive publicity
What was JFK’s response to the demonstrations in Alabama and Birmingham?
Got involved and agreed that desegregation would take place within 90 days
What happened during the March on Washington in August 1963?
- 250,000 demonstrators came from all over the USA
- King delivered his ‘I have a dream’ speech
- It was televised across the USA and put pressure on JFK to pass his Civil Rights Bill
What two major setbacks did the campaign suffer in 1963?
- Four black girls were killed in a bomb attack attending Sunday school
- JFK was assassinated
Who passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964?
Johnson
Why did MLK target Selma?
To highlight barriers to black voter registration
