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Civil Rights - 1950s Flashcards

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1
Q

When was slavery abolished in the USA?

A

1865 - marking the beginning of a period of reconstruction.

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2
Q

What laws supported segregation?

A

Jim Crow Laws - enforced the legal segregation of black and white people.

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3
Q

Where was racism worst in America?

A

South

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4
Q

Give 5 rights in America that black people were denied equal access to.

A

The right to be protected by law.
The right to vote in elections.
The right to have equal access to amenities.
The right to participate in government.
The right to equal health care and eductaion.

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5
Q

How was the right to be protected by law unequal for black people?

A

In theory, black people were equal before the law, in practice few black Americans received a fair trial.

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6
Q

How was the right to vote in elections made unequal for black people?

A

Many Southern states, introduced literacy tests and grandfather clauses which prevented black Americans from voting.

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7
Q

How were black people denied the right to equal access to amenities?

A

Jim Crow laws in southern states meant it was illegal for black and white people to use the same facilities.

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8
Q

How were black people shown as unequal in government?

A

There were few black Americans in government.

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9
Q

How were black people denied the right to equal health care and education?

A

Hospitals and schools for black Americans were segregated and under-funded and inferior to those for whites.

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10
Q

How did Marcus Garvey improve black employment and economic power?

A

Funded the Universal Negro Improvement Association which funded black businesses and helped the African-American cause.

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11
Q

How was there discrimination among employment and economic power?

A

Even in the north, many ended up with low paid jobs and were paid 50% less than their white counterparts.

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12
Q

How was there an improvement in justice and fair trials in the south?

A

By 1954, there were 143 southern towns with black policemen.

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13
Q

How was there discrimination in court and the police force?

A

Police was full of racist white officials and many police and judges were members of the KKK.
Black people not allowed to sit on jury.
If a black person was murdered, it was dismissed as a ‘negro crime’ and not investigated.

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14
Q

How were the north and the south different?

A

North - no specific legislations or segregation was prohibited and they were ‘free’ states.
South - Segregated enforced and ‘slave’ states.

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15
Q

What did black Americans face in the North?

A

Discrimination - worst paid jobs, lived in poor housing in ghettos, facilities in schools and hospitals were very bad.

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16
Q

What did black Americans face in the South?

A

Jim Crow laws enforced segregation in all aspects of life: schools, transport, churches, cinemas, restaurants and seating in parks.

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17
Q

When was Plessy vs Fergurson?

A

1896

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18
Q

What was Plessy v Fergurson?

A

Supreme court ruled segregation was legal and did not violate the constitution, as long as the facilities were “separate but equal”.

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19
Q

How did the proportion of black voters from 1940 to 1945 during WW2?

A

From 2% to 15%

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20
Q

How many black Americans were registered to vote in 1956?

A

20%

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21
Q

What prevented black Americans from voting?

A
  • Threat of losing jobs
  • Violence - gangs and KKK physically stopped black Americans from voting
  • Literacy tests
  • Grandfather clauses
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22
Q

How did the Cold War impact the situation for black Americans?

A

It put pressure on the government to improve the situation for black Americans as the racial inequality was a political embarrassment.

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23
Q

How could the American gov. be seen as hypocritical during WW2?

A

US troops fought in segregated units. Hypocritical as they are fighting Nazi racism in Europe but allowing racism to go unchallenged at home.

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24
Q

What does NAACP stand for?

A

National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.

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25
When was NAACP founded?
1909
26
What was the NAACP's aims?
1. Help wrongly convicted black people appeal against their convictions. 2. Help prosecute white people who murdered black people. 3. Overcome Plessy v Fergurson.
27
What does CORE stand for?
Congress of Racial Equality
28
What were CORE's aims/methods?
Non-violent campaigns that targeted segregation involving boycotts, sit-ins, pickets
29
Why was it hard to enforce desegregation in the South?
Even if a case was won and segregation overturned, local officials would block any changes.
30
What is a boycott?
Refusal to use a service if you believe it is doing something wrong.
31
What is a picket?
Demonstrating outside a place you believe is doing something wrong.
32
What is a sit-in?
Sitting down somewhere and refusing to move as a form of protest.
33
What is integration?
When black and white people share all facilities.
34
What is the Supreme Court?
The highest court in America - decides if cases are constitutional, it's rulings have an impact on all states
35
What is the Fourteenth Amendment?
The Fourteenth Amendment to the US constitution granted newly freed enslaved people equal citizenship to white people.
36
Who are the Dixiecrats?
Southern democrats in favour of segregation and opposed civil rights legislation.
37
What was the NAACP?
Civil rights group who targeted America's legal system to challenge segregation.
38
What was Linda Brown's case that became known as Brown vs Board?
In 1951, Linda Brown was not allowed to go to the local all-white summer school because she was black.
39
What civil rights group supported Brown vs Board?
NAACP
40
How many more times did Oliver Brown and NAACP try after the first court case failed?
4 more times.
41
What was argued by the NAACP at Brown vs Board?
That separate was not equal in education and black children felt inferior and therefore the 14th amendment was being broken.
42
What did the Supreme Court declare in 1954?
That separate but equal was unconstitutional and schools are ordered to desegregate.
43
Why did the Supreme Courts statement in 1954 (Brown vs Topeka) not change the situation for black children in education?
As no time frame was given when to desegregate so, many states ignored the order.
44
How many school districts had segregated in the border states by the end of 1957?
723
45
What was the negative impact of the Brown vs Topeka case?
KKK membership grew. White Citizen's council set up. Black children threatened with violence and humiliated when integrated into white schools.
46
What was the impact of Brown v Board on the Civil Rights movement?
Did not lead to immediate and widespread desegregation.
47
Why was the White Citizens Council set up?
After Brown v Board, to oppose desegregation in schools and prevent any progression in the civil rights movement. Campaigned strongly against the NAACP.
48
How many White Citizens Council members were there by 1956?
Over 250,000
49
What did Brown v Topeka show about the Supreme Court?
That they were important in improving the position of black Americans and were sympathetic to civil rights.
50
What happened in 1957 that helped to progress education for black children?
9 black students attempted to enrol to the all-white Little Rock High in Arkansas.
51
What did Eisenhower do to allow the Little Rock 9 to enrol?
Ordered 1000 federal to protect students and allow them to enrol. International embarrassment of Elizabeth Eckford.
52
How did the Governor of Arkansas (Faubas) try to prevent the Little Rock 9 from attending school?
Ordered the 250 state troops to prevent black students from attending Little Rock.
53
How did the NAACP successfully challenge Faubus' closure of schools in Little Rock?
Argued that it was illegal to prevent desegregation for any reason.
54
What was the extent of opposition to Little Rock?
Lots of opposition within schools. Racially- minded extreme violence.
55
What was the impact of Little Rock on the Civil Rights movement?
Sent a message that segregation can't continue.
56
How did Orval Faubus delay the desegregation in Little Rock?
Close down all schools in Little Rock, arguing that desegregation would lead to racist violence. Court forced them to re-open in 1959.
57
How did the KKK originate?
As a response to the immigration of European Catholics and Jews to the US.
58
What were the WASPS?
Another term for the KKK, which stands for white, anglo-saxon, protestants.
59
What change in KKK membership was felt during the civil rights movement?
An increase of KKK membership, meaning more opposition.
60
How many black people were lynched from 1865 to 1955?
2000.
61
Where was Emmet Till from?
Chicago.
62
What was he told by his mum before he went away?
To not talk to or look white people in the eye.
63
What happened to Emmet Till?
Dared to talk to a white woman by his friends. He said "bye baby" when he left. The woman and her husband kidnapped and killed him before throwing him in the Mississippi River.
64
What happened to Emmet Till's killers?
They were not prosecuted and found not guilty in a segregated court.
65
What did the police want to do when they found his body and what did they end up doing?
Bury it but his mother refused and had an open casket funeral.
66
How did Emmet Till's story get released?
Murderers sold their story for 3,500 dollars to a magazine.
67
Did Emmet Till get justice?
No and many black Americans still got murdered in Mississippi and their murderers still went free.
68
What had the issue of civil rights do to the democratic party in the 1948 election?
Split it in half to the anti-segregation (Truman) and the pro-segregation (dixiecrats).
69
What was the southern politicians argument during their fight for segregation in schools?
"the original constitution does not mention education" and that there was "no intent that it should affect the systems of education"
70
What had Truman wanted to do during his presidency that the dixiecrats prevented?
Put forth an anti-lynching bill and a civil rights bill.
71
Why was it hard for any changes to be made in education in some states?
The constitution stated that individual states could run their own education and the Dixiecrats accused the federal government for "interfering with individual states".
72
What was the name of the lawyer who represented Linda Brown?
Thurgood Marshall
73
Give 2 examples of groups that opposed Brown v Topeka?
White Citizens Council KKK
74
What was the document many Southern politicians signed promising to fight the Brown decision?
Southern Manifesto.
75
What was the name of the school at the centre of the campaign to enforce Brown v Topeka ruling to desegregate schools?
Little Rock High
76
When were schools in Little Rock fully integrated?
1972 (18 years of Brown v Topeka ruled segregation illegal)
77
What percentage of black children attended desegregated schools by 1964?
3%
78
What impact did the Little Rock campaign have on moderate white opinion in America?
Horrified at the images of the black children being abused by the white mob.
79
3 examples of the KKK's racist acts.
Lynching. Burning crosses near homes of people they wanted to frighten. Large groups in robes marched through centres as a show of power.
80
Why was the KKK rarely punished?
Murders sometimes worked in law enforcements or sat in juries.
81
What was the membership of the WCCC in the mid-1950's?
250,000.
82
Which part of the US gov. did Dixiecrats have the most influence?
Congress.
83
Two methods used by Dixiecrats to slow down and prevent desegregation?
Watered down bills. Filibustered (talking non-stop) to prevent civil rights bill being passed.
84
Under Alabama's segregation laws, in which part of the bus did black passengers have to sit?
Back of the bus, middle section if no white passengers needed the seat.
85
What was the name of the woman arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white passenger?
Rosa Parks.
86
What was the name of the organisation set up to oversee the non-violent protest against Rosa Park's arrest?
Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA)
87
What form did the non-violent protest against the Montgomery bus company take?
Boycott of all buses.
88
How did black people organise themselves to avoid using buses?
Car pool system. Black taxi drivers reduced fees.
89
What percentage of Montgomery's black citizens refused to use the buses?
90%
90
How much money did the Montgomery bus company lose?
$250,000
91
Whose career was launched as a civil rights campaigner during the Montgomery bus boycotts?
Martin Luther King
92
What did the NAACP do to support the bus boycott?
Fought a court case challenging the legality of segregation in public transport.
93
How did the Supreme Court show it's support for desegregation of public transport in 1956?
It ruled that segregation on public transport was unconstitutional.
94
How long did the bus boycott last?
Just over 1 year.
95
3 reasons the bus boycott was a success.
Participants were well organised and committed. Boycott gained positive national media coverage. They kept people informed through leaflets, church services and local media.
96
3 reasons why MLK was an effective leader of the civil rights movement.
Inspirational and charismatic speaker. Roots in black church gave him credibility among largely Christian Southern black community. Emphasis on peaceful protest appealed to some white people.
97
How did the 1957 Civil Rights Act aim to support black people in the South to vote?
Gave courts the power to prosecute any individuals or states that prevented black people from voting.
98
What was the percentage increase of black voter after 1957 Civil Rights Act?
3%
99
Why was the impact of the 1957 Civil Rights Act so limited?
All white-juries were unlikely to convict corrupt local officials who opposed desegregation.
100
What was the name of the organisation set up by MLK to promote non-violent direct action?
SCLC
101
What percentage of black people were registered to vote by 1956?
20%
102
When was Plessy v Fergurson?
1896
103
What was declared on the 17th May 1954?
Plessy was unconstitutional ordered schools to desegregate.
104
What was Brown II?
Declared that states should make a prompt and reasonable start on desegregating. - still schools didn't
105
How many school districts had segregated by 1957?
723
106
What was the impact of Brown v Board?
Brown raised awareness and started the legal battle for Civil Rights, however (especially in the Deep South) many blacks felt worse off and KKK membership grew.
107
3 consequences of desegregation in the south.
1. White citizens council set up. 2. KKK membership grew. 3. Protests outside schools.
108
What did the deep south call for after brown v board?
"Massive resistance"
109
Where was the WCC set up?
Mississipi
110
When was Brown II?
Exactly a year after brown I - May 1955
111
When was Rosa Parks arreseted?
1955 December
112
Why was Rosa Parks chosen as a figuehead?
Member of NAACP and a respected citizen in her community.
113
What did the MIA set up?
Car pool system to give lifts and used publicity to gain support.
114
Who became the leader of MIA?
MLK
115
What was the opposition to the MIA?
KKK and WCC Bombed MLK house and various churhces.
116
Why did the boycott end?
When the NAACP went to the supreme court with Browder v Gayle - claiming that it broke the 14th amendment.
117
What was the result of the boycott?
After two appeals, the Supreme Court upheld its decision to desegregate buses in Montgomery.
118
What was the significance of the success of the boycott?
Showed what non-violent action could achieve. Brought MLK to forefront of Civil Rights Movement. The violent racist reaction showed whites in a bad light - which could then further their cause in struggles such as Little Rock.
119
What were the disappointing outcomes of the boycott?
No other services in Montgomery were desegregated.
120
Who was the 1957 CRA passed by?
Eisenhower
121
When was the murder of Emmet Till?
1955
122
How many members of the MIA were arrested in February 1956 and put on trial?
89
123
What was the name of the political group which had left the Democrats in opposition to a civil rights bill for the military that President Truman attempted to introduce in 1948?
Dixiecrats

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