Civil Rights

Question 1

What does NAACP stand for and when was it established?

Answer 1

NAACP stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was established in 1909.

Question 2

What legal support did the NAACP establish in 1940?

Answer 2

The NAACP established the Legal Defense Fund in 1940 to support black Americans wrongly accused of crimes.

Question 3

What is CORE and when was it established?

Answer 3

CORE stands for the Congress of Racial Equality and was established in 1942.
CORE used non-violence, boycotts, pickets, and sit-ins

Question 4

What was Brown v. Topeka?

Answer 4

Brown v. Topeka is a landmark case from 1954 that ruled segregated education unconstitutional.

Question 5

What was the outcome of the Brown v. Topeka case?

Answer 5

The Supreme Court ruled that segregated education was unconstitutional, but there was no time scale for the ruling to take effect.

Question 6

Who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and when and what was their aim?

Answer 6

Martin Luther King founded the SCLC in January 1957. The SCLC encouraged black Americans to ‘seek justice and reject all injustice’ through peaceful means.

Question 7

What happened to Emmett Till in 1955?

Answer 7

Emmett Till was brutally murdered by Carolyn Bryant’s husband and his half-brother after being falsely accused of harassment. Emmett’s mother had an open casket funeral to show the brutality of his murder

Question 8

What was the outcome of the trial for Emmett Till’s murderers?

Answer 8

Bryant’s husband and half-brother were found not guilty by an all-white male jury.
In 2017, Carolyn Bryant confessed that Emmett never touched her

Question 9

What barriers did many states impose on voting?

Answer 9

Many states required literacy tests, imposed poll taxes, and allowed the Grandfather Clause.

Question 10

What happened at Little Rock High School in 1957?

Answer 10

Little Rock High School desegregated, but only 9 out of 25 black students wanted to enroll due to threats.

Question 11

Who opposed desegregation at Little Rock High School?

Answer 11

The Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, opposed desegregation and sent 250 troops to prevent the Little Rock Nine from attending.

Question 12

What action did President Eisenhower take regarding Little Rock High School?

Answer 12

President Eisenhower signed a Presidential Order sending over 1000 troops to protect the black students for the entire term.

Question 13

What sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

Answer 13

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was inspired by Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat to a white man.

Question 14

How many people were involved in the Montgomery Bus Boycott on the first day?

Answer 14

Approximately 20,000 people were involved on the first day of the boycott.

Question 15

What happened to Martin Luther King during the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

Answer 15

In January 1956, Martin Luther King’s home was firebombed and he, along with 90 others, was arrested for organizing an illegal boycott.

Question 16

What was the main aim of the Civil Rights Act of 1957?

Answer 16

The main aim was to ensure black Americans could exercise their right to vote.

Question 17

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 establish?

Answer 17

It established the US Commission on Civil Rights and allowed government intervention if people were prevented from voting.

Question 18

What was the opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957?

Answer 18

Some black Americans felt the Civil Rights Act did not go far enough.

Question 19

What does KKK, its beliefs and actions?

Answer 19

KKK stands for the Ku Klux Klan, which rejected the idea of racial equality.
The KKK was founded in 1865 and used lynching and murder to prevent black people from voting.

Question 20

Who were the Dixiecrats?

Answer 20

Dixiecrats were Southern Democrat politicians who strongly opposed segregation and believed states should make their own laws.

Question 21

What event took place in Greensboro on February 1, 1960?

Answer 21

Four black students asked to be served at an all-white lunch service.
They sat at the counter until closing.
300 people were participating by the 5th day.

Question 22

What were the consequences of the Greensboro sit-in?

Answer 22

Woolworth desegregated its food counter in July.
The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee set up.

Question 23

What was the status of the University of Mississippi regarding black students?

Answer 23

It only admitted white students.

Question 24

What did the Supreme Court order in 1962 regarding James Meredith?

Answer 24

The Supreme Court ordered the university to admit him.
President Kennedy ordered 320 federal marshals to escort Meredith onto campus.

Question 25

What was the result of the opposition to Meredith's admission?

Answer 25

Riots occurred, leading to 2 deaths.

Question 26

What were the Freedom Riders and how were they opposed?

Answer 26

A group of CORE members who traveled from the North to the South in 1961 to test desegregation laws. They faced violence including the Anniston Bomb and attacks from the KKK.

Question 27

What was the voter registration situation in Selma, Alabama?

Answer 27

Only 1% of the large black community was registered to vote.

Question 28

What did Martin Luther King lead from Selma to Montgomery?

Answer 28

A voter registration campaign with 600 protestors.

Question 29

What was Bloody Sunday?

Answer 29

The attack on marchers by state troopers using whips, tear gas, and electric cattle prods.

Question 30

What did President Johnson do in response to Bloody Sunday?

Answer 30

He ordered the National Guard to escort the marchers.

Question 31

What happened during King's march in Birmingham in May 1963?

Answer 31

The police chief ordered the arrest of 900 children and used dogs and water cannons on protestors.

Question 32

What agreement was made to end the Birmingham march?

Answer 32

Local officials agreed to desegregate lunch counters, public toilets, and drinking fountains.

Question 33

What was the significance of the August 1963 protest in Washington DC?

Answer 33

Over 250,000 people participated, including 40,000 white individuals. Martin luther king delivered famous 'I Have A Dream' speech.

Question 34

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 accomplish?

Answer 34

It ended segregation in public places and banned discrimination in employment. Established The Equal Opportunities Commission.

Question 35

Who first proposed the Civil Rights Act?

Answer 35

John F. Kennedy.

Question 36

What did the Voting Rights Act of August 1965 guarantee?

Answer 36

It guaranteed all black Americans the right to vote and banned literacy tests.

Question 37

What was the Freedom Summer campaign in 1964?

Answer 37

A campaign by SNCC and CORE members to encourage voter registration in Mississippi.

Question 38

What was the voter registration rate for black voters in Mississippi during Freedom Summer?

Answer 38

Only 7% of eligible black voters were registered.

Question 39

What violent response did the KKK have to Freedom Summer?

Answer 39

They committed the Mississippi Murders in June 1964, abducting and shooting three volunteers.

Question 40

What was Malcolm X's stance on MLK's approach?

Answer 40

Malcolm X disagreed with MLK's non-violent approach.

Question 41

What organization did Malcolm X belong to?

Answer 41

Malcolm X belonged to the Nation of Islam (NOI), which believed in black supremacy and that equality could only be reached by establishing their own state. Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam in 1963.

Question 42

What organization did Malcolm X found in 1964?

Answer 42

In 1964, Malcolm X founded the Organisation of Afro-American Unity, which identified racism as the enemy.

Question 43

When was Malcolm X assassinated?

Answer 43

Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965.

Question 44

What significant event occurred at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico?

Answer 44

American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the Black Power salute when awarded their medals.

Question 45

What was the Black Power movement?

Answer 45

The Black Power movement was a revolutionary movement in the 1960s and 70s that emphasized racial pride and self-determination. Stokely Carmichael introduced the term 'Black Power'.

Question 46

What were the aims of the Black Panther Party and what did they do for these?

Answer 46

The Black Panther Party aimed for equality in education, housing, employment, and civil rights. The Black Panther Party implemented survival programs such as free breakfast for children, school sponsorship, health clinics, and transportation.

Question 47

Who founded the Black Panther Party?

Answer 47

The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966.

Question 48

What happened to Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968?

Answer 48

Martin Luther King was shot in his home in Memphis. King was working on 'The Poor People's Campaign', but it failed without his leadership

Question 49

What challenges did King's campaign in the North face in 1966?

Answer 49

King's campaign faced lack of support from black politicians, less influential churches, ignored appeals for calm during riots, and a high number of riots across the USA.

Question 50

What did the Kerner Report conclude in 1968?

Answer 50

The Kerner Report concluded that riots were caused by poor living conditions due to discrimination, and that white officials and police needed to improve their treatment of black people.