USA Key Topic 1 (Civil Rights) Flashcards
What was segregation like in the 1950s Southern States?
-White and black people used different entrances to buildings, waiting rooms, schools, restaurants, transport etc.
-Maxim of ‘separate but equal’ from Plessy v Ferguson set precedent of separation, however facilities were not equal.
What was segregation in education like in the 1950s Southern States?
-Black people were given a lower quality of education as they were in segregated schools which had poor facilities and were underfunded.
What was discrimination against black people like in the 1950s Southern States?
-Black people severely discriminated against as attitudes of white Americans (especially Southern) did not change since abolition of slavery, still seen as inferior.
-Examples: violence from KKK, black peoples’ houses bombed, lynched by KKK, faced police brutality
What voting rights did black people have in the 1950s Southern States?
-Fifteenth Amendment gave everyone right to vote but with two requirements: poll tax (flat tax) paid by all, literacy test had to be passed.
-Prevented black people from voting as they were typically poorer and the literacy test was cryptic and used as a filtering mechanism to only allow white people to vote.
What was the NAACP and what were its aims?
-National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People founded in 1909 by William Du Bois.
-Civil rights group aiming for political, educational, social and economic equality of all people. Eliminate racial hatred and discrimination.
What did the NAACP do?
-Used legal means: took cases to court and sued people
-600,000 members by 1946, including some white Americans.
-Use of the legal system limited amount which could be achieved so pace of change was slow.
What was CORE and what were its aims?
-Congress of Racial Equality founded in 1942 by James Farmer.
-Civil rights group aiming to highlight issues of segregation with a particular focus on public transport and achieve equality of races.
What did CORE do?
-Non-violent methods such as peaceful protests and sit-ins in segregated places to highlight issue of segregation,
-Assisted with organising the Freedom Rides. Had limited support in the 1950s.
What was the SCLC and what were its aims?
-Southern Christian Leadership Conference founded in 1957 by Martin Luther King.
-Civil rights group aiming to encourage black Americans to ‘seek justice and reject all injustice.’ Promoted non-violent philosophy regardless of provocation.
What did the SCLC do?
-Encouraged the involvement of white Americans in challenging racism, held peaceful protests.
-Failed to attract widespread support and to influence highest levels of government.
What were the key features of the Brown vs Topeka case (1954)?
-Oliver Brown (Linda Brown’s father) brought claim against state authorities as he wanted his daughter to attend neighbourhood school rather than segregated school some distance away.
-Had evidence that educational achievement was restricted because of ‘separate but equal’, also that black and white schools weren’t equal, defying doctrine of ‘separate but equal’.
-Outcome: school segregation banned on 17 May 1954. Supreme Court overturned PvF and ‘separate but equal’.
Judge believed that segregated schools had detrimental impact on black children and that it denoted their inferiority.
What were the immediate outcomes of Brown vs Topeka (1954)?
Progress: -Overturned case of PvF and ‘sep. but equal’
-Moral victory for black community, first Supreme Court ruling in favour of black Americans.
-Revealed importance of using legal system to bring change
No progress: -Vague judgement of how it would be put into practice: “at the earliest possible speed.”
What were the long-term outcomes of Brown vs Topeka (1954)?
Progress: -300,000 children attended desegregated schools by 1957
No progress: -2.4 millions black children still in seg. schools in 1957, did not change for many.
-Lack of federal support from Eisenhower allowed states to avoid implementing change.
-Led to re-emergence of the KKK and formation of White Citizens Council (200,000 members by 1956)
What were the events at Little Rock High School (1957)?
-3 Sept. 1957 9 black American students tried to enrol at Little Rock High
-Orval Faubus, state governor of Arkansas ordered Arkansas state National Guardsmen to block the black students entering, preventing them from enrolling
-National guard was removed the next day and the students ran the gauntlet of a vicious white crowd (1,000 people)
-President Eisenhower took control of the National Guard and used them and federal troops to protect the black students for the rest of the school year, first example of Federal Intervention
What was significant about the events at Little Rock High School (1957)?
-It involved the president, showing that civil rights could no longer be ignored and shows that states would be overruled by the Federal Government when necessary (showed use of Federal Intervention to make progress).
-Demonstrations shows on TV and newspapers worldwide, US was embarrassed to be seen as an oppressive nation when it criticised comm. countries for opposing basic human rights (use of media and public image of US, international pressure).
-Black activists realised that reliance on federal courts was enough to secure change, civil rights was at the heart of US politics. Led to more protests and civil disobedience.
What were the causes of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Dec 1955 to Dec 1956)?
-Despite BvT, segregation was still rampant in many areas of society including on public transport
-Many black people were beaten or killed for protesting against segregation causing anger within the black community, eg Viola White refused to give up her seat, beaten and arrested.
What were the events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Dec 1955 to Dec 1956)?
-Dec 1st 1955: Rosa Parks arrested for refusing to move to back of the bus for a white person so black community boycotted buses for one day.
-Dec 5th 1955: MLK, leader of MIA, gave inspirational speech to 7000 people.
-Dec 1955 onwards: the boycott continued as the black community used carpooling, despite the violent white response
-Dec 1955-56: economic pressure on the bus companies as black passengers took up 75% of the riders so they received much less money
-June 5th 1956: segregation in public transport ruled illegal and so buses were desegregated.
-Dec 21st 1956: the bus boycott ended after 381 days
What was the significance of Rosa Parks in the MBB (1955-1956)?
-On Dec 1st 1955, Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white person and move to the back of the bus, causing the bus boycott in response from the black community.
-Parks had been selected to be the cause of the boycott as she had a clean background and had a lighter shade of skin which they thought would appeal to the white leaders more.
What was the significance of Martin Luther King for Civil Rights (including MBB)?
-MLK was the leader of the MIA (Montgomery Improvement Association) and helped organise the MBB. He helped set up the SCLC as well.
-On Dec 5th 1955 he gave an inspirational speech to 7,000 people explaining that African-Americans were tired of oppression and that they would remain non-violent. This inspired many to become involved and was in the face of intimidation and violence, showing his model bravery.
-He was an excellent public speaker, inspiring mass support from his speeches and had Christian values so remained non-violent. He was seen as a very well-educated, respected man by political figures.
What were the reasons for success of the MBB (1955-1956)?
-Leadership of MLK: gave inspirational speech encouraging people to become involved and stay non-violent, also showing his model bravery.
-Carpools: after black taxi firms forced to increase minimum fares, black community organised car pools. Churches bought cars to take people to and form work. People shared cares and got lifts to get to and from work, also safer travelling together. Allowed the boycott to continue for as long as it did as they could travel without buses, more economic pressure on bus companies.
-Supreme Court: MIA took segregation issue to federal court who agreed it was unconstitutional. This decision was appealed against by Montgomery City officials, case went to Supreme Court where it was upheld making the boycott successful as segregation on local buses was made illegal.
What was the Civil Rights Act (1957)?
-An Act passed by Congress in Sept 1957 which was the first civil rights act for 82 years.
-The Civil Rights Act (1957):
-established US Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) whose first project was to look for evidence of racial discrimination in voting rights in Montgomery Alabama.
-emphasised right of all people to vote
-allowed Federal Government to intervene if people were stopped from voting
-stated that all people had right to serve on juries
What was the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)?
-A racist white-supremacist hate group that ethnic minorities in the US, particularly black Americans.
-The identified themselves as WASPs: white Anglo-Saxon Protestants.
What did the KKK do?
-It sought to intimidate and humiliate the black community by: carrying out lynching, beating up and mutilating black Americans, stripping their victims and putting tar and feathers on their bodies. From 1865-1955, 2000 people were lynched.
-They also burned crosses to symbolically show that they were trying to ‘purify’ the US of ethnic minorities and show that their cause was supposedly in the name of religion.
Why was the KKK powerful?
-It was a very powerful organisation due to its large size. It was able to influence politicians because it represented a large voting group in society and they were strong enough in numbers to influence the outcome of elections.
-Also, lots of their members were in positions of political power.
-Members wore white sheets and hoods to conceal their identities, meaning they could not be arrested or stopped, and to intimidate their victims.
