USA Civil Rights Flashcards
What laws were enforced against black people in the early 1950s?
Jim crow laws
What case set the segregational laws?
Plessy vs furguson 1896 upheld Jim crow laws
Who were the NAACP and when were they formed?
1909
National association for the advancement of coloured people
Who were CORE and when were they set up?
Congress of Racial Equality
1942
How many black people were registered to vote in 1956? And why?
Around 20 percent of black Americans
Faced intimidation when trying to vote
When was brown vs topeka?
1954
What was the brown vs topeka case?
Oliver Brown took the City of Topeka in Kansas to court for forcing his daughter to attend a black school a long way away.
What was the result of the Brown vs topeka case?
Supreme court declared segregated schools illegal
What was the significance of the brown vs topeka case?
Majour turning point in civil rights but still much oposition in the south
When was little rock?
1955
What happened at little rock?
9 black students tried to enrol at Little Rock High School in Arkansas. They were stopped by the State Governor, Orval Faubus, who surrounded the school with the state National Guard.
What was the result of little rock and what was the significance of this?
Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort and protect the students – showed that US government was willing to support desegregation of schools.
When was the montgomery bus boycott?
1955
What was the montgomery bus boycott?
Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Improvement Association organised a boycott of the buses which lasted for a year until the bus company gave in.
What caused the montgomery bus boycott?
Rosa parks refused to move for a white man and was arrested.
What was the significance of the montgomery bus boycott?
In 1956 the Supreme Court said that segregation on buses was also illegal.
When was thefirst civil rights act?
1957
What was the 1957 civil rights act?
Eisenhower introduced the first Civil Rights Act It set up a commission to prosecute anybody who tried to deny American citizens their rights.
What 5 things were in opposition to the civil rights movement?
The KKK
Dixiecrats
Southern churches
Southern state govenors
White citizens council
What did the KKK do in initial opposition to the civil rights act?
The KKK and were involved in violent attacks.
The murders of George Lee, Lamar Smith and Emmet Till (14 year old boy) - got lots of coverage.
Who were dixiecrats?
Southern democrats that formed a breakaway party after 1948 Civil Rights Bill
How were the southern churches opposed to the civil rights movement?
Claimed the bible said that integration was a sin (many KKK members were also members of these churches)
How were southern state governors in opposition to the civil rights movement?
most state officials favoured segregation so opposed and moves towards Civil Rights
How was the white citizens council in opposition to the civil rights movement?
White Citizens’ Council set up in Mississippi to oppose desegregation
What were three major progress points for the civil rights movent from 1960 - 1962
Greensboro sit-in
The freedom riders
The James Meredith case
Was was the greensboro sit-in
Students in orth Carolina demanded to be served at a whites-only counter. When they were refused they organised a sit-in.
What was the outcome of the greensboro sit-in?
Altogether 70,000 took part in sit-ins across the south and 3,600 went to jail. When whites turned violent there was widespread television coverage and support
for Civil Rights.
What was the James Meredith case?
James Meredith, a black student, was rejected from Mississippi university and the NAACP challenged his rejection.
What was the result of the James Meredith case?
Supreme Court ordered the university to admit him but officials still stopped him. Kennedy sent soldiers into Mississippi to make sure that he could take his place at a university. Rioting followed, 23,000 troops were needed to keep order
Who were the freedom riders?
CORE campaigners who rode buses to highlight that desegregation had not happened
What was the result of the freedom riders?
In 1961 the KKK firebombed a bus in Aniston, and buses were also attacked in Montgomery with little police protection, some riders arrested - government said that they would send federal troops if states did not desegregate bus facilities
What were 3 major peaceful protest from 1963 - 1965
Birmigham march 1963
Washington march 1963
Freedom summer 1964
What was the birmingham peace march?
SNCC, SCLC & ACMHR targeted Birmingham.
Notoriously racist Eugene ‘Bull’ Connor was the chief of police. Believed that he could be easily provoked into using violence against peaceful protesters.
What was the result of the birmingham peace march?
Arrests, water cannon, dogs and baton charges were used to disperse the marchers. Arrests reached 500 a day, but it was all shown on television and many were sickened by the violence
When was the march on washington?
1963
What was the march on washington?
Immediately after events in Birmingham, 250,000 people (including 40,000 whites) took part. Despite fears, the march was peaceful
What was the significance of the washington peace march?
Size, TV broadcast around the world, King’s emotive speech, black and white crowd
What was the 1964 freedom summer?
Freedom Schools set up to help many to pass voter registration tests.
What was the significance of the 1964 freedom summer? (4)
Many white volunteers
Significant white opposition
Many blacks lost jobs, got beatings and experienced violence
Only 1600 of 17000 successfully registered to vote
What was the significance of Kennedy for the civil rights movement?
Appointed black people to high level jobs
Pressed for law changes
Not afraid to interfere with south
What was the significance of president Johnson for the civil rights movement?
Appointed blacks to high level jobs
Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act
Escorted marchers from Selma to Montgomery
When was the Selma, Alabama march?
1955
What happened on the selma alabama march?
Protestors stopped on a bridge and met with brutality. ‘Bloody sunday’
President Johnson sent troops to escort them
When was the second civil rghts act?
1964
What was the 1964 civil rights act?
It banned: Discrimination in voting, in public spaces and in jobs (Equal Opportunities Commission)
Gave government power to: Enforce desegregation, remove funding from state projects that discriminated
When was the voting rights act?
1965
What was the 1965 voting rights act?
Helped more blacks register to vote
Federal government officials ran registration in some states
Who was Malcom X?
A man who joined the Nation of Islam, became interested in black nationalism, changed name to Malcom X
What were Malcom X’s main views?
Rejected non-violence, criticised MLK
Views changed though after a visit to mecca. Became more willing to consider integration.
What was the black power movement?
Encouraged black Americans to be proud and rejected white help
What was the significance of the black power movement? (5)
Influenced by Malcolm X’s ideas and spoke about revolution.
Popular amongst the poor
Stokely Carmichael became leader of SNCC
Radicalised SNCC protests rejected white help
Mexico 1968 Black Power salute on podium after 200m race. Seen across the world and had a massive impact
Who were the black panthers?
They believed black people needed black officials and police to protect them so they wore a black beret, trousers, leather jacket.
What were the successes of the black panthers?
local activities in ghetto communities, health clinics and breakfast clubs.
What were the negatives of the black panthers?
some were involved in robberies and deliberately provoking police, e.g Newton charged with murder
When were the black panthers set up?
1966
What caused the major riots from 1965-7? (4)
Poor treatment of black americans
Poor ghetto conditions
White officials failed to fix problems
Media sensationalised riots
What was the kerner report in 1968? (4)
stated: riots were the result of poor conditions in the ghettos, white officials had failed to fix problems, the police needed to provide more protection in the ghettos, the media had sensationalised the riots
What was King’s campaign in the north?
MLK and the SCLC went to Chicago in 1966 to campaign for fairer housing. Mayor Daley of Chicago agreed to talks but did not fulfil his promises
What was a consequence of King’s campaign in the north?
MLK set up the Poor People’s campaign
When was MLK assasinated?
4th April 1968
What civil rights progress had been achieved by 1975? (4 long)
Civil Rights Act of 1968 included fair housing and gave federal protection to Civil Rights workers Black protest split after 1969, with different groups focusing on different issues and using different tactics (some more radical, some still more peaceful).
The Vietnam War became more of an issue so support for Civil Rights dropped
1970 Voting Rights Act banned literacy tests, in 1975 it was changed to include Hispanic, Native Americans and other races but the fight for equality in the US was far from won.
