Unit 4-1942-1965 Flashcards
1
Q
What was the votings right act?
A
- In 1965
- Signed by Lyndon B Johnson
- It outlawed literacy tests and other discriminatory practices that were commonly used to disenfranchise Black voters and other minorities.
2
Q
What were the effects of WWII?
A
- Black immigration to the north increased more drastically than before
- Racial discrimination was still extremely common in the workplace in both the north and south
- ## The presence of black people in the US army increased tensions and reinforced segregation as the blacks and whites were forced to be separate.
3
Q
What effect did the cold war having on AA rights?
A
- The propaganda war between the US and USSR, influenced many in the US that action needed to be taken on the equality of AA.
- U.S. government recognized that domestic racial policies could affect its relationships with these nations, leading to greater federal support for civil rights reforms
- Us Presidents such as Truman, JFK, Johnson and Eisenhower supported improving civil rights in order to improve the US’s image, for example Truman issuing the desegregation of the military in 1948
- Civil rights leaders such as MLK and Du Bois highlighted the racial issues with global liberation movements and this helped in gaining sympathy from other nations
- Cold War fears of communism led to heightened close observations of African American activists and organizations. Leaders like Du Bois, Paul Robeson, and others were accused of being communists or Soviet sympathizers due to their critiques of U.S. policies and calls for systemic change.
- Overall the Cold War accelerated the gaining of civil rights for AA however did play a part in suppressing some activists
4
Q
What were some progresses made in civil rights from 45-55?
A
- Employment, by 1953, 20 states and 30 cities had adopted Roosevelts fair employment regulations
- Black registered voters rose in 1940 from 2% to 12% in 1947
- NAACP attempted to challenge the separate but equal doctrine of Plessy V Ferguson in education, the NAACP sued on behalf of the black children
- Thurgood Marshall ( Black Lawyer who took cases to supreme court on behalf of the NAACP) argued why the legal system should tackle the lack of equality in the education system
5
Q
What is the Brown V Topeka case?
A
- in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that a black girl, Linda Brown should be allowed to attend her nearest school (all white) and to ban her from it was unconstitutional.
-It overturned the separate but equal doctrine - Chief Justice accepted all the arguments of Thurgood Marshall
- The ruling was based on the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment
6
Q
What is the Brown V Topeka Case impact on civil rights and why was it significant ?
A
- It provided major change in the south
- Some towns and cities were slow to integrate schools together, therefore having a limited immediate impact
- Significant because it made southern black people to have a belief in the US political system
- Shows success of the NAACP
- set a legal precedent for challenging segregation in all areas of public life, including transportation, housing, and employment ( IMPROVEMENT IN SOCIAL RIGHTS)
- this led to greater access to resources and improved schools, which enhanced future economic prospects for African American students.( ECONOMIC)
- However was delayed due to its resistance in the south
7
Q
What challenges did Southern blacks face ?
A
- In the deep south, segregation was maintained effectively
- Sharecroppers and black industrial workers employed by white people could easily be evicted and have their jobs lost if they were brave enough to attempt to vote
- Murder of Emmett Till in 1955
8
Q
What was the effect of Brown verdict in the south?
A
- In the south there were strategies developed to resist the expected pressure to integrate schools, one of these was the development of the White Citizens councils which aimed to maintain segregation as much as possible
- The south needed the President to enforce the verdict among them but Eisenhower showed little interest in doing so, this was not because he was racist but it was because he did not want to stir up opposition and disorder in the south.
9
Q
What is the background of the little rock nine case?
A
- There was evidence of the resistance of integration of schools in Little rock, Arkansas.
- In 1957, Governor Orval, used national troops to stop nine black children from entering Central High school.
- Eisenhower, annoyed and what he saw announced that federal troops would be put under federal control to protect and escort the children to school
- This was the only occasion Eisenhower used his federal authority to intervene and enforce the brown ruling and highlighted the federal government’s role in enforcing civil rights
10
Q
What was the Montgomery bus boycott and its significance?
A
- In the south, there was separation on public transport, blacks were frequently expected to stand and were given the poorer seats and thrown off buses
- NAACP activist Rosa Parks, was thrown off the bus for refusing to give up her seat for a white person
- this incident gave birth to a new and important phase in the civil rights movement
- was a pivotal event in the American civil rights movement, marking a major step toward dismantling segregation and advancing African American rights
- it led to a landmark Supreme Court decision in Browder v. Gayle (1956), which ruled that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional
- it showed that they could organise a protest and cooperate with each other with minimal white participation, where they walked to work for almost a year
- Boycotters faced harassment, arrests, and violence, including bombings of homes and churches
11
Q
How was the upcoming of MLK a significant moment?
A
- MLK became a strong black leader
- Was an effective organiser and a brilliant speaker
- Would organise frequence nighttime rallies with other local churches
- he articulated the feelings and frustrations of the black community in a very clear and intelligent way.
- he had a belief in non violence and believed true progress could only be made when the cycle of violence and hate was broken
- Set up the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957
12
Q
What type of new movements developed?
A
- Bought new confidence amongst younger AA
- Sit ins and Freedom rides
13
Q
What is an example of a sit in?
A
- in 1960, 4 black students staged a sit-in in a white only lunch counter in Greensboro, the state authorities hesitated to intervene, this allowed the number of protesters to grow rapidly, these Sit-ins exposed the daily indignities of segregation and challenged the status quo by confronting discriminatory policies directly and sit-ins created economic disruption, forcing many establishments to desegregate rather than lose revenue
- Ella Baker, who ran a black voters registration campaign, called for MLK to come and address the students and suggested that she should make her own organisation called the SNCC ( Student Non violent Coordinating Centre) which helped organise movements
- Sit ins led to 810 towns in the south to desegregate facilities
- putting pressure on lawmakers to support desegregation and anti-discrimination policies.
- led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned segregation in public places and outlawed employment discrimination.
14
Q
What was Freedom Rides?
A
- took advantage from the growing support from White Americans in the north
- the idea was for blacks and whites to board inter state buses in the north, where they could legally sit together but remain in their places as the bus entered the south where they would be breaking segregation laws
- provoked action from JFK and his brother who enforced legal orders confirming desegregation of inter state buses
- Federal assistance was given to James Meredith who was the first black student as Mississippi University
15
Q
What was the Birmingham Protest ?
A
- in 1963
- bold move from MLK, as Birmingham was a largely segregated city
- But MLK believed if they could succeed here they could succeed anywhere
- It was limited impact at first as MLK was imprisoned but her later arranged a protest march which included children from local schools, the police chief as a result over reacted and ordered police dogs and water cannons on them, this was broadcasted and publicised
