USA: Civil Rights Protests, 1960-74

Question 1

Who led the first major civil rights protests of the 1960s?

Answer 1

College students who adopted this new approach of non-violent direct action protests

Question 2

The response towards the sit-ins?

Answer 2

• Partakers faced abuse from segregationists
• Extreme violent provocations but the protesters did not respond with violence
• Arrests; tactic: “jail not bail”
• Widespread media attention helped sit-ins to spread: inspired more people and support grew

Question 3

How did civil rights organizations support the sit-ins?

Answer 3

NAACP, CORE, and SCLC organized a boycott of shops with segregated lunch counters

SCLC helped train students to become effective protestors

Forming the SNCC and given a grant from the SCLC to help establish them

Question 4

Significance of sit-ins:

Answer 4

• Successful. Businesses suffered two-fold
• Received more publicity and media coverage than boycotts. The idea of young blacks taking part without retaliating created sympathy
• Gained a lot of support and huge numbers took part (a significant number of white people)
• Start of student protests
• Indicated a slight change in direction of the tactics of protests; more confrontational

Question 5

Link Freedom rides to Montgomery Bus Boycott

Answer 5

While the December 1956 ruling desegregated state transport, interstate transport was still segregated

In December 1960, the Supreme Court confirmed a 1946 ruling that interstate transport and transport facilities should be desegregated

Question 6

Purpose of “Freedom rides”:

Answer 6

To show that these rulings weren’t always followed and to provoke a violent reaction that would generate publicity, forcing the Federal govt. to act

Question 7

President during 1961:

Answer 7

John F. Kennedy

Question 8

Did the freedom riders achieve their aims?

Answer 8

The Federal govt. was embarrassed by what the world was seeing. They threatened to send in US marshalls to enforce desegregation of interstate transport and bus facilities if states did not obey. So, states did begin integration

Question 9

How did Mississippi’s governor prevent James Meredith’s admission?

Answer 9

In September 1962, the state legislature passed a law that denied admission to a person who had committed a felony offense.

*False voter registration

Question 10

Significance of the Meredith case:

Answer 10

Federal intervention, the president could enforce Supreme Court rulings.

Blacks were rarely prevented from attending integrated unis by state or uni authorities

Question 11

MLK’s methods:

Answer 11

• Non-violent direct action
• Active approach: marches and boycotts
• Publicity
• Speeches

Question 12

What was Project C (1963)?

Answer 12

Organized by SNCC, SCLC, and ACMHR to bring a rigid end to segregation in Birmingham by co-ordinating sit-ins, marches, and boycotts

Question 13

Reasons for choosing Birmingham for Project C:

Answer 13

• Not all desegregated
• ACMHR
• Potential for supporters
• Active KKK + Bull Connor
• Violence
• Publicity

Question 14

Impact of the Birmingham march:

Answer 14

• White community agreed to concessions and agreed to some disintegrations
• Most shops and lunch counters were desegrated
• Blacks were allowed to apply to jobs
• Many facilities remained segregated
• Violence continued
• Inspired similar protests across the USA and more cities began to disintegrate
• The Federal govt. gave more importance to a civil rights bill

Question 15

Purpose of the March on Washington:

Answer 15

To show their support for the civil rights bill that was being debated

Question 16

Importance of the March on Washington:

Answer 16

• Huge number of people took part in a peaceful protest
• Huge publicity to the cause due to the size of the protests and the presence of many celebs
• Put further pressure on politicians
• Fixed MLK’s place as leader of the civil rights movement

Question 17

The aftermath of the Freedom Summer Murders:

Answer 17

• Deaths attracted publicity and support for civil rights
• Divisions within the civil rights group: looking for radical solutions
• Largely unsuccessful
• Some successes with setting up MFDP and the 30 Freedom Schools improved literacy rates
• Publicity increased support and brought about attention to the issue of voter registration

Question 18

How did the March on Selma proceed?

Answer 18

7th March ➡ met by police ➡ tear gas, clubs, electric cattle sticks ➡ March 2 days later was canceled ➡ bill submitted ➡ finally took place ➡ Voting Rights Act (August)

Question 19

The major impact of March on Selma:

Answer 19

• Voting Rights Act
• Civil rights movement began to split: began questioning non-violence as a strategy
• Lead to militant protests in years ahead

Question 20

Importance of the Voting Rights Act:

Answer 20

• Increase in voter registration in Southern states
• Blacks elected as representatives at local, state, and national levels
• Issues affecting African American had to be considered to win votes

Question 21

Factors due to which civil rights legislation were approved:

Answer 21

• Attitudes of the presidents and the hard work of LBJ
• More people in Congress wanted to ‘do the right thing’
• The threat of violent protests from emerging more radical activists if legislation was not passed

Question 22

Malcolm X’s influence:

Answer 22

• Black pride
• Violence in self-defense
• Rejection of the civil rights movement
• Highlighted the economic and social problems faced by blacks

Question 23

Reasons for the growth of black power:

Answer 23

• Slow progress
• Black power expressed anger about the lack of employment and bad conditions in ghettos
• Publicity (1968 Olympics)
• Black pride and self-defense

Question 24

Positive and Negative impacts of the Black Power:

Answer 24

– VEs:

• Worried moderate black supporters and terrified the white.
• Blamed for race riots and an increase in police actions against civil rights activists

++VEs:

• Legacy of Malcolm X
• Black pride, self-confidence
• Inspired projects aimed at improving living conditions

Question 25

What was the “patrolling the pigs” campaign

Answer 25

Panthers would follow police officers to prevent abuse of African Americans. They were thought of as a better police force than the actual one, though there were frequent shoot-outs that attracted -ve publicity.

They were seen as a great threat because of their socialist beliefs and were heavily guarded by the FBI

Question 26

Black Panther’s schemes to improve life in the ghettos:

Answer 26

• Medical clinics
• Breakfast clubs
• Free shoes
• Black history
• Encouraged cooperation between black gangs to reduce violence

Question 27

What did the 1968 Kerner report reveal:

Answer 27

That race riots were caused by:

• Frustration and anger due to the living conditions in ghettos
• Failure of the police force and city authorities to respond to reported problems
• Unfair treatment and violence by the police force

Question 28

Impact of the riots:

Answer 28

• Lost sympathy of white supporters
  ⬇
  Exaggerated reporting by the media
• Federal money spent on weapons so they could deal with riots themselves

++VEs:

• Helped change focus to social and economic problems
• Widened the area of civil rights campaigns

Question 29

What was the focus of the Chicago Freedom Movement?

Answer 29

• Improving housing
• Education
• Employment

Question 30

What was the focus of the Poor People’s Campaign (Dec 1967)?

Answer 30

To help poor people of all races:

• An extension of welfare to help the unemployed
• A fair minimum wage
• Education for poor adults and children to improve their chances of getting a good job

Question 31

Methods used by LBJ to enforce desegregation and prevent extremist civil rights campaigns

Answer 31

• Cutting down on Federal funding to schools who refused to desegregate
• Bussing
• Affirmative action