US8 The Civil Rights Act

Question 1

When were all African Americans given the right to vote?

Answer 1

In 1957 a Civil Rights Act was passed giving all African Americans the right to vote but little was done to enforce it.

Question 2

Why was the passing of the civil rights act in 1957 important?

Answer 2

It showed that the government was no longer willing to accept that the states could ignore federal government when it came to the rights of African Americans

Question 3

Where was the civil rights protest in Alabama in 1963?

Answer 3

Birmingham, Alabama - one of the most segregated cities in the USA

Question 4

What happened at the 1963 civil rights protest in Birmingham Alabama?

Answer 4

• the police attacked the protesters with dogs, water cannons, tear gas, electric cattle prods and batons
• hundreds of people were arrested including 900 children and it was all shown on TV

Question 5

What happened after the 1963 civil rights protests in Birmingham Alabama?

Answer 5

Kennedy sent in troops to restore order and ordered Birmingham city council to end segregation

Question 6

What was significant about the civil rights protest in Washington 1963?

Answer 6

Martin Luther King gave his most famous speech ‘I have a dream’

Question 7

What happened on the civil rights march from Selma to Birmingham, Alabama?

Answer 7

• the marchers were attacked by local police when they reached Selma
• the day became known as Bloody Sunday

Question 8

What were Freedom Rides?

Answer 8

African American and white civil rights campaigners travelled sitting next to each other in ‘whites only’ sections of buses in areas where the local authorities had refused to de-segregate.

Question 9

What were ‘sit in’ protests?

Answer 9

African American students, sometimes accompanied by white students, would take seats in ‘whites only’ part of a cafe or restaurant, and refuse to leave.

Question 10

In 1960 1961 how many campaigners had taken part in ‘sit in’ protests across the south?

Answer 10

70,000

Question 11

When did LBJ introduce the civil rights act?

Answer 11

1964
It outlawed racial discrimination in employment and segregation in public places

Question 12

When was the Voting Rights Act passed?

Answer 12

1965 but only passed into law by congress in 1968

Question 13

When were interracial marriages legalised?

Answer 13

1967

Question 14

When was the Fair Housing Act and what did it do?

Answer 14

1968
Made racial discrimination illegal when buying and renting houses and other properties