Education

Question 1

What happened in the Brown v Board of Education case?

Answer 1

• 1952 - NAACP take 5 desegregation cases to the Supreme Court
• They proved that seperate WAS NOT equal
• Earl Warren replaces pro-segregation judge in December 1952
• May 1954 - Sepreme Court ruled that “seperate but equal” had no place in education
• May 1955 - Supreme Court called for desegregation

Question 2

Why was Brown successful?

Answer 2

• Southern states began to desegregate schools
• Plessey case was reversed
• Led to many further legal victories

Question 3

Why was Brown unsuccessful?

Answer 3

• Threats and violence to black children increased
• Some Southern governors pledged to keep segregation
• White Citizens Council set up in Mississippi to keep segregation
• White parent groups were unhappy and protested
• KKK membership grew

Question 4

Long term effects of Brown vs Topeka:

Answer 4

• More awareness of civil rights
• Black students faced hostility in integrated schools
• Many whites moved away from areas with a high black population
• Desegregation was very patchy and slow
• Many black teachers lost their jobs and struggled in integrated schools

Question 5

How did white people oppose integration?

Answer 5

White Citizens Council:
- Grew rapidly and campaigned against desegregation
- Violence escalated
- Threatened families

Political Opposition:
- Senator Harry Byrd demanded resistance
- Prince Edward county in Virginia closed all schools
- Schools were slow to integrate
- Some schools segregated within the school and gave admission tests to black students which were unfair.

Question 6

What happened at little rock? (1)

Answer 6

• School desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas up to 1957 – 75 blacks applied, 25 were selected, only 9 still willing to go after threats of violence
• Actions of Orval Faubus – Arkansas governor sent troops to prevent black students from entering the school
• Daisy Bates (NAACP) – arranged for students to arrive at school together
• Elizabeth Eckford – missed the message and arrived alone, subjected to abuse from white mob – famous picture

Question 7

What happened at Little Rock? (2)

Answer 7

• Publicity – pictures/TV seen worldwide
• President Eisenhower’s orders – ordered Faubus to remove the state troops
• The outcome - Eisenhower sent federal troops to control the situation and the nine black students attended school
• May 1958 and September 1959 – Faubus closed all the schools for a year before being forced by parents to open the again

Question 8

Why was Little Rock important?

Answer 8

• It forced President Eisenhower to take action
• It led to the Civil Rights Act in 1957
• Drew worldwide attention