Civil rights Flashcards

Question

Linda Brown- but...

Answer 1

Although segregation had been declared illegal, the court set no date for which desegregation had to happen. The NAACP returned to the court in 1955 and obtained Brown II ruling that it had to happen with ‘deliberate speed’, but still no date! Judges said an adjustment time was needed hence no date. Only 12% of the school districts in the rest of the south had segregated and in 7 states no change occurred.

Answer 2

inspired by Linda Brown Teens should have been able to enroll even if there was no date- caused uproar to point where president had to send paratroopers in to protect- but first time president had sent troops to south to protect lives of black Americans- lead to progress - but slow- 5 yrs still opposition

Answer 3

The mayor and School Board of Little Rock, Arkansas planned to achieve mixed schools by 1963. In 1957, 9 black students tried to enrol in the Central High School. P1- The State Governor ordered the National Guard to stop the black students taking their place. The harrowing scenes were projected around the world.

Answer 4

After pleas from Arkansas mayor, who feared mob violence, President Eisenhower sent in 1,100 paratroopers to protect the black students and federalised the National Guard. The first time a President had sent troops into the south to protect the rights of black Americans.

Answer 5

The Little Rock Nine went on to accomplish great things in their professional careers, some of them serving in the areas of higher education, mental health, and the criminal justice system. Green served under President Jimmy Carter as his assistant secretary in the Department of Labor. Pattillo became a reporter for NBC. Brown worked under President Bill Clinton in the Department of the Interior as the deputy assistant secretary for workforce diversity.

Answer 6

Governor Faubus was reelected in 1958, and, rather than permit desegregation, he closed all of Little Rock’s schools. Many school districts in the South followed Little Rock’s example, closing schools or implementing “school-choice” programs that subsidized white students’ attendance at private segregated academies, which were not covered by the Supreme Court’s decision. Little Rock Central High School did not reopen with a desegregated student body until 1960, and efforts to integrate schools and other public areas throughout the country continued through the 1960s.

Answer 7

1st December 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man when the bus became full. Rosa was sat in a row with 3 other men. The 3 men moved when the bus driver asked them to. Rosa refused. She was arrested and put on trial – on the day of her trial a boycott began. Rosa was found guilty. She was fined $10 and had to pay $4 costs. Black Americans were not happy, so they continued with the boycott. They wanted buses to be desegregated.

Answer 8

It was one of the first major wins of the Civil Rights movement. A long-term large scale direct non-violent protest had worked. It inspired mass protests elsewhere and showed an alternative to the NAACP tactic of litigation (taking to court)- In December 1956 the Supreme Court in Browder V’s Gayle ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. The law said black Americans could now sit wherever they wanted on the buses.

Answer 9

During the boycott, White Citizens’ Council membership rose from 6,000 to 12,000. They harassed the boycotters e.g. King’s house was bombed. This turned public opinion against the Whites and from then on, public opinion especially in the North openly supported Black Civil rights.

Answer 10

Martin Luther King proved himself to be a powerful orator- chosen to lead. In 1957 he set up the Southern Christian Leadership Confederation (SCLC), an organisation that focused on the South. King felt this was needed.

Answer 11

It was not the NAACP’s first victory against segregation. This had been the Brown vs Board decision of 1954 where the judge had ruled that segregated education was unlawful. This had inspired Rosa Parks and many like her/ Due to the violence, many Black Americans were afraid to use their right to sit where they liked. Therefore, they would often sit towards the back to avoid any tension.

Answer 12

By 1962, little progress had been made on Civil Rights despite the Freedom Rides and Sit-ins. This changed in 1963. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) sought to challenge this segregation in Birmingham and started to plan ‘Project C – Confrontation’. Birmingham, Alabama was known as the most segregated city in the USA. To avoid desegregating its parks, playgrounds and other facilities, the city just closed them all down!

Answer 13

‘Bull’ Connor, the Police Chief, was a bad tempered man! The KKK were very active. King said it was the most racist city in the USA. The NAACP and SNCC were relatively inactive in Birmingham. King’s brother lived there and the SCLC had links there.

Answer 14

The first real success of King and the SCLC. King had correctly anticipated the reaction of Connor and the media- On 3rd May, Police Chief Connor allowed his men to set dogs on the protesters, and then called in the fire department to use powerful water hoses. Over 2000 demonstrators were put in jail. Around 1300 children were arrested and students missed school. TV witnessed the event and it was seen worldwide. By the 3rd May there was chaos.

Answer 15

The Kennedy administration admitted that Birmingham persuaded it to push the bill that eventually became the 1964 Civil Rights Act which prohibited racial discrimination in hiring practices and public services throughout the United States.

Answer 16

By 10 May negotiators had reached an agreement, and despite his falling out with King, Shuttlesworth joined him and Abernathy to read the prepared statement that detailed the compromise: the removal of “Whites Only” and “Blacks Only” signs in restrooms and on drinking fountains, a plan to desegregate lunch counters, an ongoing “program of upgrading Negro employment,” the formation of a biracial committee to monitor the progress of the agreement, and the release of jailed protesters on bond- but the Klan tried to sabotage it, bombing King’s brother’s house and King’s motel room. This caused black riots. A policeman was stabbed and Birmingham degenerated into chaos.

Answer 17

28th August 1963- 250,000 demonstrators marched on Washington. When the demonstrators saw politicians they shouted ‘Pass the bill’ Organisers were expecting half the number of people. Why?Birmingham made people talk about civil rights – King wanted to keep issue moving and put pressure on. 1963 was 100 year anniversary of the when Lincoln had promised abolition of slavery. Pressure from competition of rivals. Malcom X’s rise to prominence made him fearful black-Americans would reject non-violence and turn to violence. March had to be successful! A Phillip Randolph had success w/threat of march

Answer 18

The March on Washington got maximum publicity – across the globe – a well organised peaceful protest and a message no one could argue with 'this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed – we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal’- used religion

Answer 19

It was a united front - black and white people working together for a common cause- (80,000 white supporters) and the Christian ethos and hopeful speeches helped to unite different sections of US society.

Answer 20

Further pressure on President Kennedy to act on civil rights, gave him more leverage too.

Answer 21

11 th June 1963 JFK made a televised speech in support of civil rights. The day before the Governor of Alabama stood at the entrance to the state university to stop black students from entering. Kennedy said there had been a ‘100-year delay’ in dealing with the issue and action was needed. He then attempted to pass the Civil Rights Bill. It was due to go before Congress in November 1963.

Answer 22

1960 JFK spoke to Martin Luther King’s wife during his election campaign. King had been jailed in following a sit-in in Atlanta, he was sentenced to 4 months hard labour. JFK said he would do what he could to help, King was released the next day. This was publicised.

Answer 23

He did not have to court sponsors as his dad was rich enough to fund him. His real interest lay in foreign policy and he wanted to focus on this. He criticised Eisenhower’s decision to send in troops to Little Rock in 1957. He opposed Eisenhower’s Civil Rights Act of 1957 – this created a national civil rights commission to investigate discrimination and the Justice Department now had a civil rights sections to support black Americans if they were prevented from voting.

Answer 24

Passage of the Act ended the application of "Jim Crow" laws, which had been upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson, in which the Court held that racial segregation purported to be "separate but equal" was constitutional - ended segregation in public places

Answer 25

It also paved the way for two major follow-up laws: the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which banned discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of property.

Answer 26

banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin- covered other groups

Answer 27

The voting rights bill was passed in the U.S. Senate on May 26, 1965. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill on July 9. Although the Voting Rights Act passed, state and local enforcement of the law was weak, and it often was ignored outright, mainly in the South and in areas where the proportion of Black people in the population was high and their vote threatened the political status quo. Still, the Voting Rights Act gave African American voters the legal means to challenge voting restrictions and vastly improved voter turnout. In Mississippi alone, voter turnout among Black people increased from 6 percent in 1964 to 59 percent in 1969.

Answer 28

Since its passage, the Voting Rights Act has been amended to include such features as the protection of voting rights for non-English speaking American citizens.

Answer 29

Beloved- book- 1987-aimed to give a voice to the collective memory of African Americans. The book emphasises the long lasting impact of slavery, and the trauma it left. She especially highlights the importance of black communities. She portrays their strength in the face of such oppression as slavery. The book is based on the true story of Margaret Garner, who killed her youngest daughter in an attempt to save her from being forced back into slavery. Morrison portrays African Americans with deep complexity and humanity, which had not often been done before in such a popular book.

Answer 30

Islands in the sun-1957- While there isn’t much public display of affection in the film, the inclusion of interracial romances adds significant depth to the story. Island in the Sun is credited by others to have taken the first steps toward showing interracial relationships in film, making the film significant in Hollywood history.

Answer 31

In lots of films- does harm- stereotyping- misrepresentation- Birth of a nation 1915- Griffith’s Civil War epic cannot be forgiven for its portrayal of African Americans as sexcrazed animals, the Radical Republicans who led the Reconstruction as their deluded patsies, and the Ku Klux Klan as an army of heroes, gallantly riding to the defense of the nation. Also movies that were positive recieved viceral reactions- Islands ITS was boycotted in some southern states and protests spread throughout Northern Minnesota. Additionally a white supremacist group in California, the American Nationalist group, published a flyer, encouraging the public to boycott the film.

Answer 32

The aim of Freedom summer was to try and get as many black Mississippians as possible to try to join the voter rolls. They correctly assumed that the majority would be denied the right to register and that this injustice could be widely exposed. They hoped that revealing the contradiction- between American ideals of democracy and- the actual reality in the South would prompt the federal government to act.

Answer 33

Mississippi's badly-funded segregated schools failed to educate most black residents to minimal levels. Freedom Schools were established in local churches, storefronts, and other buildings so children and adults could learn civics, African-American history, social studies, reading, and math, as well as develop leadership skills. During the summer more than 40 Freedom Schools opened in 20 communities across Mississippi, and more than 2,000 children and adults enrolled in classes led by 175 teachers.

Answer 34

These three civil rights workers were murdered on the first day of Freedom Summer. Chaney was a young black activist from Mississippi, Goodman was a new volunteer from New York City, and Schwerner was a CORE staff member from New York. Although previous murders of black organizers in Mississippi had been largely ignored by the media, the disappearance of Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner on the very first day of the project was widely covered by the mainstream press and helped focus the nation's attention on the Mississippi Summer Project.

Answer 35

Mississippi public officials at all levels denounced the Freedom Summer project and supported white supremacy and segregation. Mississippi’s U.S. senators and its governor publicly refused to obey federal integration laws, and state legislators passed new laws prohibiting picketing and leafleting and many of the other non-violent tactics used by civil rights workers.

Answer 36

King chose to campaign for voting rights in Selma because only 130 of 15,000 black citizens were registered. Citizens continued their long fight against institutionalized racism. Sheriff could be trusted to react badly! King led would-be-voters in unsuccessful attempts to register at

Answer 37

Selma’s County Court. Several incidents made headlines; A state trooper shot a black youth who was trying to shield his mother from a beating Whites through venomous snakes at blacks trying to register Keen for the media to expose the brutality, King held back men who tried to stop Clark clubbing a black woman and then got himself arrested for marching.

Answer 38

One of the pivotal days was March 7, when 17 people were injured by police, including future Congressman John Lewis. Televised viewers saw state troopers attack the marchers with clubs, cattle prods and tear gas which aroused nationwide criticism of Selma’s whites.

Answer 39

‘Bloody Sunday’ prompted Congress to pass the Voting Rights Acts (August 1965). Johnson made one of his best speeches in support of the legislation. Sympathetic racial marches in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, New York and Boston constituted ‘a shining moment in the conscience of man’.

Answer 40

King set up this organisation to focus on improving the black situation in the south. It was an alternative to the NAACP’s litigation approach. The main method was to attract attention to the issue of racial inequality using non-violent direct action. King hoped to revitalise the fight for rights and quicken the pace of change. It began with a march on Washington to support Eisenhower’s 1957 Civil Rights bill. The SCLC achieved little in the first 3 years; rivalry from others, lack of staff and poor organisation. However, the SCLC played an important role in the March on Washington in 1963.

Answer 41

Birmingham- Non-violent direct action was met with white violence, which gained national media attention. An agreement was put in place to improve black opportunities in Birmingham. Washington-250,000 of WA/BA showed-I had a dream speech hit right tone Both put pressure on Kennedy to act, in following year the Civil Right Act was passed.

Answer 42

Many of his acts were inspired by others- Rosa Parks boycott- he was asked to lead for first time Non-violent direct action was met with white violence, which gained national media attention. King was arrested, on his release he continued to protest and agreed to use children in protests and chaos ensued in Birmingham. An agreement was put in place to improve black opportunities in Birmingham. This did put pressure on Kennedy to act, in following year the Civil Right Act was passed.

Answer 43

King rented a ghetto apartment to publicise the problems in housing. King’s worst moment came when led a march to the white neighbourhood at Marquette Park. Even though the mayor sent 800 policemen to protect 700 marchers, the marchers were ferociously attacked by whites, a brick even hit King on the head, the racist chants were deplorable. It made the headlines and cost Chicago £2 million in damages.

Civil rights Flashcards

(67 cards)