Unit 6 Lesson 4: Civil Rights

Question 1

What is segregation?

Answer 1

In the South, laws enforced strict segregation, or separation, of the races in schools, theaters, restaurants, and other public places. Facilities for blacks were inferior to those for whites.

Question 2

what challenges did Mexican Americans face in Ameirca?

Answer 2

Discrimination also limited Mexican Americans and other Latinos. They were not subject to strict segregation laws. However, other laws—as well as traditions—worked against them. In the Southwest, all-white schools closed their doors to Mexican American children. Custom kept Mexican Americans from living in certain neighborhoods or using certain hotels or restaurants. Often, better-paying jobs were not open to them.

Question 3

How much did NAACP membership go up druing WWII?

Answer 3

During World War II, NAACP membership rocketed from 50,000 to 500,000.

Question 4

What role did the NAACP play in the fight against discrimination?

Answer 4

For African Americans, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) led the drive against discrimination. Under Thurgood Marshall, its Legal Defense Fund mounted several court battles against segregation. It also helped blacks register to vote and fought for equal opportunity in housing and employment.

Question 5

There were two significant events in the 1940s in the fight against segregation. One of them was Jackie Robinson who was he?

Answer 5

Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was even named rookie of the year.
Not since Moses Fleetwood Walker had a black player joined the major leagues. Walker was the first African American player to join a major league team in 1884.

Question 6

What did Truman do in 1948?

Answer 6

Under pressure from civil rights groups, President Truman ordered integration, or the mixing of different racial groups, in the armed forces in 1948. During the Korean War, black and white soldiers fought side by side.

Question 7

What was the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 7

During the 1950s, African Americans and Mexican Americans stepped up the struggle for equality. They took their cases to court but also protested in the streets. Their efforts became known as the Civil Rights Movement.

Question 8

The U.S. Supreme Court had decided in 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson that “separate but equal” facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional.​ How did the NAACP respond?

Answer 8

During the 1940s, the NAACP did not attack this idea head on. Instead, its lawyers argued that schools for African American students were not equal to white schools. Such a legal strategy might improve black schools and other segregated facilities case by case, but those cases did little to end segregation.

Question 9

How did the case of Brown v. Board of education of Topeka start?

Answer 9

Oliver Brown of Topeka, Kansas, decided to challenge the Kansas school segregation law. He asked the local school board to let his daughter, Linda, attend a nearby white school rather than the distant black school to which she had been assigned. When board members refused, Brown filed a suit against the school board with the help of the NAACP. The case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka reached the Supreme Court.

Question 10

How did the Brown v. Board of education of Topeka go?

Answer 10

Brown hired lawyer Thurgood Marshall, who specialized in civil rights cases. Marshall had served as legal director of the NAACP for more than ten years. He decided to challenge the whole idea of “separate but equal.” Segregated schools, he argued, could never provide equal education. By their very nature, said Marshall, segregated schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment, which gave “equal protection” to all citizens.

The Supreme Court ruled in Brown’s favor in 1954. Chief Justice Earl Warren noted that segregation affected the “hearts and minds” of black students “in a way unlikely ever to be undone.”

Question 11

A year later, the Court ordered the schools to be desegregated “with all deliberate speed.” How did white policticans respond to this?

Answer 11

In a few places, schools were integrated without much trouble. In many others, officials resisted. White politicians in these places decided that the phrase “with all deliberate speed” could mean they could take years to integrate their schools. Or, perhaps they would never obey the decision.

Question 12

What did the Arkansas Governor do to keep African Americnas from entering school?

Answer 12

Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus called out the National Guard in 1957 in order to keep African American students from attending the all-white Central High School in Little Rock. President Eisenhower finally sent in federal troops because the Arkansas governor was defying a federal court order. Under their protection, black students entered Central High.

Question 13

Eisenhower was the first President since Reconstruction to use..

Answer 13

armed troops in support of African American rights. The action showed that the federal government could play a key role in protecting civil rights.

Question 14

What was the American GI Forum of the United States (AGIF)?

Answer 14

Mexican American veterans founded the American GI Forum of the United States (AGIF) in 1948 in order to campaign for equal rights. Similar to the NAACP, the AGIF supported legal challenges to discrimination.

Question 15

What was the premise of the Hernadez v. Texas case?

Answer 15

Pete Hernández, a Mexican American, had been convicted of murder by an all-white jury in Texas. Among the lawyers who appealed his conviction was Gus Garcia, one of the leaders of the AGIF. Attorney James DeAnda, another Mexican American, also helped. He had previously worked to desegregate areas of Corpus Christi, Texas, where Mexican Americans were not allowed to buy houses.

Question 16

How did the Hernadez v. Texas case end?

Answer 16

Hernández’s lawyers argued that Mexican Americans in Texas were denied equality under the law because they were excluded from juries. The Supreme Court agreed. It overturned the conviction and ended the exclusion of Mexican Americans from Texas juries.

Question 17

How did the Hernández v. Texas help other minoty groups in the future?

Answer 17

In the future, other minority groups would use this decision to help win their civil rights.

Question 18

What is the stroy of Rosa parks?

Answer 18

Rosa Parks discovered in December 1955. She was riding home from work on a crowded bus in Montgomery, Alabama. The driver ordered her to move to the back of the bus so that a white man could have her seat, as Alabama’s segregation laws required. Parks, a well-known activist and a former secretary of the local chapter of the NAACP, refused to leave her seat. She was arrested and put in jail.

Question 18

Rosa Parks action lead to what?

Answer 18

Rosa Parks’s arrest angered African Americans in Montgomery. That night, several women from the NAACP composed a letter asking all African Americans to boycott, or refuse to use, the buses. The boycott, they hoped, would hurt the city financially and force an end to segregation on the buses. The women distributed thousands of copies of the letter to the African Americans in Montgomery.

Question 19

To support the protest, Montgomery’s black leaders formed a new organization, what was it called and who was the leader?

Answer 19

the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). They chose Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, as its head.

Question 20

What obsetclaes did African Americans face during there boycott?

Answer 20

Angry whites fought back. Employers threatened to fire African Americans if they did not abandon the boycott. Police handed out traffic tickets to harass boycotters, and they frequently stopped African American drivers and demanded to see their licenses.

Question 21

What obsetcales the King face?

Answer 21

They arrested King for speeding and kept him in jail for several days. King’s house was bombed. Still, the boycott continued.

Question 22

What is civil disobedienace?

Answer 22

King insisted that his followers limit their actions to civil disobedience, or nonviolent protests against unjust laws. He said, “We must use the weapon of love. We must have compassion and understanding for those who hate us.”

Question 23

What role did chruches play during the bus boyycot?

Answer 23

Throughout the bus boycott, African American churches were vital to its success. Churches played a central role in the lives of African Americans across the country. In Montgomery, mass meetings were held in black churches. There, boycotters sang together, prayed together, and listened to stories of sacrifice. The churches kept morale high, provided leadership, and helped boycotters give each other courage and inspiration.

Question 24

How did the bus boycott end?

Answer 24

Finally, the MIA filed a federal lawsuit to end bus segregation in Montgomery. In 1956, almost a year after Rosa Parks had refused to move to the back of the bus, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on Alabama buses was unconstitutional. The Montgomery bus company agreed to integrate the buses and to hire African American bus drivers.

Question 25

The effects of the bus boycott reached far beyond Montgomery. How is this
?

Answer 25

. The boycott brought national attention to the Civil Rights Movement. It launched nonviolent protest as a key tactic in the struggle for equality. Finally, the boycott introduced the nation to a new generation of African American leaders. Many were ministers from African American churches.

Question 26

What is the story of Anne Moody?

Answer 26

In 1963, Anne Moody was a senior in college when she and two friends sat down at a “whites-only” lunch counter in Jackson, Mississippi. The waitress told them to move to the black section. Anne and her friends, all African Americans, stayed put. “We would like to be served,” Anne said politely. A crowd of whites pulled Anne and her friends from their seats. They beat one of Anne’s friends, who was promptly arrested. When Anne and her other friend returned to their seats, they were joined by a white woman from her school. “Now there were three of us,” Anne recalled, “and we were integrated.” The crowd smeared them with ketchup and mustard and dragged them from the lunch counter.

Question 27

What are sit ins protests?

Answer 27

sit-ins, in which people sit and refuse to leave.

Question 28

What are freedom rides?

Answer 28

“Freedom Rides.” Busloads of young Freedom Riders—black and white—rode from town to town to integrate bus terminals in the South.

Question 29

What sruggles did blakc leaders face?

Answer 29

Houses and churches of black leaders were bombed. Civil rights workers—black and white—were sometimes injured or killed. By remaining nonviolent, protesters gained a moral advantage and the sympathy of many Americans.

Question 30

Civil Rights act

Answer 30

Johnson succeeded in pushing through the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protected the right of all citizens to vote. It also outlawed discrimination in hiring and ended segregation in public places.

Question 31

Voting Rights act:

Answer 31

In 1965, the Voting Rights Act allowed federal officials to register voters in states practicing discrimination. It also ended literacy tests used to block African Americans from voting. As a result, tens of thousands of African Americans voted for the first time.

Question 32

How did Black Muslims feel about african ameiricnas fight for freedom?

Answer 32

Black Muslims, such as Malcolm X, argued that African Americans could succeed only if they separated from white society. Before being assassinated in 1965, Malcolm X began to change his views. He called for “a society in which there could exist honest white-black brotherhood.”

Question 33

Results of the civli rights movement

Answer 33

The Civil Rights Movement began to show some results in the 1970s. African Americans won public offices in small towns and large cities. Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, New Orleans, and Los Angeles had all elected black mayors by 1979.
African Americans also made gains in the federal government. In 1967, Edward Brooke of Massachusetts became the first black senator since Reconstruction. A year later, President Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court.

Question 34

What were affrimative programs?

Answer 34

Many businesses and universities adopted affirmative action programs. These programs sought to hire and promote minorities, women, and others who had faced discrimination. By the 1970s, more African Americans were entering such professions as medicine and law. Yet, for all their efforts, African Americans still had to contend with bias in hiring, promotions, and pay.

Question 35

Who was Cesar Chavez and what did he do?

Answer 35

César Chávez formed a union of migrant workers, the United Farm Workers. When farm owners refused to talk to the union, Chávez called for a nationwide boycott of farm products. In the end, the owners recognized the union, and workers won higher wages.

Question 36

Voting act of 1975

Answer 36

One result of these efforts was the Voting Rights Act of 1975. It required areas with many non-English-speaking citizens to hold bilingual elections. Bilingual means in two languages. In a bilingual election, information is provided in more than one language. With a ballot that was written in Spanish, it was easier for Latinos to vote.

The Bilingual Education Acts of 1968 and 1973 promoted bilingual programs in public schools with Spanish-speaking and Asian students.

Question 37

What was the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA)

Answer 37

Students of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and other Asian descent joined to promote the rights and culture of Asian Americans. As a result, between 1968 and 1973, universities across the nation created programs in Asian American studies.

Question 38

Who was Betty Friedan and what was the National Organization of Women (NOW)

Answer 38

in 1966, writer Betty Friedan helped to set up the National Organization for Women (NOW), which worked for equal rights for women in jobs, pay, and education. It also helped women bring discrimination cases to court and campaigned for maternity leave and child-care centers. Urging women to be more politically active, NOW organized the Strike for Equality Parade down New York’s Fifth Avenue in 1970. Some 50,000 women marched.

Question 39

What did the Equal Pay Act of 1963 do?

Answer 39

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 required equal pay for equal work.

Question 40

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do?

Answer 40

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination in hiring based on gender and on race.

Question 41

In the 1970s, the women’s movement suffered a major defeat. In 1972, Congress passed a proposal for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution. The amendment would ban discrimination based on gender. What did Physlafiy say about this amdament?

Answer 41

However, Phyllis Schlafly and other conservative women led a successful campaign against ratification of the amendment. They said the ERA would lead to women being drafted into the military and would harm the traditional family. Despite this defeat, the women’s movement brought women more power and equality.

Answer 42

Chuck Rowland and Harry Hay formed the Mattachine Society in Los Angeles. This was a gay rights group of mostly male members. In 1955, the Daughters of Bilitis, a lesbian group, was formed in San Francisco by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. Both groups started chapters around the nation. They also began to publish magazines promoting rights for gays and lesbians. In the 1960s, activists protested against employment discrimination in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. At this time, homosexuality was against the law in most of the United States.