Civil Rights Movement

Question 1

What was the civil right movement?

Answer 1

A struggle by African Americans in the mid 1950s to late 1960s to achieve equal civil rights to this of whit Americans.

This includes equal opportunity in employment, housing, education and the right to vote, equal access to public facilities and the right to be free of discrimination.

Question 2

Give an example of a civil right event during the 1950s that worked towards equal rights.

Answer 2

Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up to a white man on December 1st 1955 even thought the Montgomery’s bus law stated she had too. SHE WAS ARRESTED.

This lead to a boycott of all city buses until November 1956 when the the Supreme Court ruled segregation of Montgomery buses was illegal.

Question 3

Give examples of 3 civil right groups formed.

Answer 3

King formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). It ran conferences and civil right activists (such as MLK) devised techniques of non violent protests and how to handle police, laws and media.

Many white American students where deeply moved by Civil Right movement and set up the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee. (SNCC).

Another Civil rights activist called James Farmer set up the Congress Of Racial Equality. (CORE).

Question 4

What happened at the Greensborough sit-in in 1960

Answer 4

Students staged the first sit-in in North Carolina on 1st February. Black people were denied service at Woolworths. They called the police but they didn’t take action due to lack of provocation. Kept returning with more and more students by the weekend there were 1400 students including whites. White men harassed protestors by spitting and throwing eggs on them. Woolworths removed their segregation policy.

Question 5

What happened in May 1961?

Answer 5

The first freedom ride was on May 4 1961. Freedom riders were African Americans who rode through the South on buses and trains challenging segregation laws from Supreme Court. They encountered violence from white males who beat them with base ball bats.They gained national and international attention form media and in September 1961 segregation of interstate travel became legal.

Question 6

What was the Birmingham Campaign in Spring 1963?

Answer 6

People boycotted downtown merchants. Martin Luther King gave speeches and there were marches around city hall.
Whites reacted by bombing a church that killed 4 girls and used high pressure fire hoses on men women and children.
It ended in May 1963 and resulted in desegregation of public toilets drinking fountains and lunch counters. They deployed a ‘negro job improvement plan’ and released jailed demonstrators.
However even after campaign Birmingham was not completely desegregated.

Question 7

What happened in August 1963?

Answer 7

The March of Washington. 250,000 African American people gathered in front of Lincoln memorial. 50,000 of these were white. Martin Luther Kings ‘I have a Dream’ speech was presented there.
Some whites were now supporting African Americans even though only 33% of the US population liked MLK.
The March was successful because Kennedy finally took notice. King met with Kennedy and after his assassination the civil rights of 1964 and voting rights were passed by court.

Question 8

Give examples of some positive progress to equal civil rights.

Answer 8

• May 1954 Supreme Court ruled in favour of Brown vs Topeka board of education. Segregation in schools were to end.
• In 1963 Kennedy showed his support for a new civil rights act that aimed to give African Americans same rights as whites.
• President Eisenhower supported The Little Rock 9 in 1957 and 1000 paratroopers were to protect them for a year as they attended school.
• In 1964 King was awards Noble Peace Prize in recognition of non violent approach to eliminate racism.

Question 9

Examples of actions/situations that detract from equal civil rights.

Answer 9

-May 1963 Kennedy send in troops to Birmingham after chief of police. police ordered peaceful protesters to be attacked by dogs and hoses.
-In May 1961 200 freedom riders were arrested and spend 40 days in jail.
By 1956 there were still 6 Southern states which refused to desegregate schools.

Question 10

Who was Malcom X?

Answer 10

He was born as Malcom Little and was and Islamic believer who believed in violent protests.

Question 11

What did Malcom X do?

Answer 11

Malcom X was critical MLK methods and believed that the Vivil right movement held back black people. He wanted to see black Americans rise up and create a black state in the USA by force. He was assassinated in 1965. He was part of the Nation of Islam that fought for separation using violent approaches.

Question 12

What is black separatism?

Answer 12

A political movement aimed at creating separate white and black economic and cultural systems within the USA.

Question 13

What were black panthers?

Answer 13

Formed in 1966 it had around 5000 members by 1968. This was an extreme militant group which argued African Americans needed to protect themselves from white racists using violence if necessary.

Question 14

What is Black Power/Black Nationalism?

Answer 14

The political idea that black Americans should take responsibility for their own lives and reject white help.

Question 15

What is the Nation of Islam?

Answer 15

An American Islamic religious movement founded in 1930. Its goals were to improve the spiritual, mental, social and economic conditions of black Americans. It also called for the separation of black and white Americans.

Question 16

What did the black Panthers do?

Answer 16

The black panthers were a radical party. The were a political party but acted like a small army. They clashed many times with white police force and killed 9 officers between 1967 and 1969.

Question 17

What were race riots and when did they happen?

Answer 17

Race riots occurred between 1965-1967. The cities affected were those in the North and West, which had large populations of African Americans. The cause of race riots was the poor relationship between police and AA. Most of the Police force was white and the black working class that lived in the cities felt they did not get the same protection from crimes as whites. They distrusted the police.

Question 18

Who was Stokely Carmichael and what did he do?

Answer 18

The SNCC became moe radical when Stokely Caarmichael became Chairman in 1966. He talked in terms of black power. He criticised Martin Luther King and supported Separatism.

However they MLK and Stokely agree to fight poverty and support 1968 poor peoples campaign.

Question 19

Who’s was Cassius Clay?

Answer 19

A boxer who joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to. Muhammad Ali. He was an outspoken critic of racial discrimination.

Question 20

How did Martin Luther King view the black power approach to racism?

Answer 20

He was concerned that it would lead to widespread blood shed and be and excuse to whites including the President to turn against Civil Rights reforms.

Question 21

What was a positive affect about black power movement?

Answer 21

The black power movement was successful in improving esteem of AA and their pride in themselves and their culture. BUT unsuccessful in improving the living conditions of poor and working class blacks.

In 1967 interracial marriages were legalised.

After 1965 5 major cities including Detroit, Atlanta and Cleveland had black mayors.

In 1965 the voting right act gave all Americans the right to vote. But not phased into law by congress until 1968.

The fair housing act of 1968 made racial discrimination illegal when buying or renting a property.

Question 22

Negative affects of the black power movement were?

Answer 22

The more radical elects of the black power movement alarmed moderate opinionated and alienated many white Americans who otherwise may have been sympathetic towards the civil right movement.

Media coverage of the black power movement was misinformed and based more on fear and ignorance than an attempt to understand the movement.

The riots were a serious domestic crisis for the government. Whites tended to put the blame on blacks ‘lawlessness’ and demanded tougher action.

On March 7th 1965 MLK organised a voting right march in Selma and even though authorities banned the march it still went a head and was brutally attacked. The media called it ‘Bloody Sunday’.

Question 23

When was Martin Luther King assassinated?

Answer 23

April 1968in Memphis. He was there to express moral support for the bin men on strike.
A group of FBI agents were paid to start a riot and police blamed the blacks.
Martin Luther King was standing on his balcony when shot and a violent eruption of rage and despair led to riots in 100 cities. 46 died. People lost hope in achieving civil rights peacefully.

Question 24

By 1968 what had the civil rights campaign achieved?

Answer 24

Interracial marriages - 1967
The Fair Housing Act of 1968
The Voting Rights Act of 1965not passed into law by congress until 196
By 1965 Detroit, Atlanta and Cleveland had Black Mayors.

Question 25

Who was Martin Luther King?

Answer 25

Martin Luther King was a civil rights activist who campaigned to get equal rights peacefully.

Question 26

When was J.F Kennedy assassinated?

Answer 26

November 1963 in Texas.

Question 27

What was the Little Rock case?

Answer 27

In September 1947 nine African American sports pils including Elizabeth Eckford, tried to attend Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas. Despite the Supreme Court ruling in 1954 Arkansas had refused to desegregate its schools. The governor of Arkansas Orville Faubus sent National Gaurd soldiers to prevent black children entering school. They took Faubus to court and won and Eisenhower sent in 1000 paratroopers to protect them from angry mobs.

Question 28

What did the Civil Rights Bill do?

Answer 28

Banned discrimination based on race and gender in employment and ended segregation in all public places.

Question 29

What did the Immigration Act do?

Answer 29

Ended racial quotas for people entering the USA.

Question 30

What did the Voting Rights Act do?

Answer 30

Banned literacy tests and other obstacles that stopped African Americans being able to register to vote.