Johnson's Civil Rights Flashcards
1
Q
What efforts were made to increase the black vote during Freedom Summer?
A
- white student volunteers from the North joined black activists for campaigns in Mississippi during the summer of 1964
- travelled to register black votes and teach literacy and civics at 41 freedom schools
2
Q
What happened during the campaign and how did the SNCC react?
A
- 3 campaign workers, one black and two white, reported missing
- found dead after FBI investigation
- killings outraged the SNCC who felt that the federal government offered no protection to the Freedom Summer participants
3
Q
What was the result of the freedom summer?
A
- approximately 17,000 black residents of Mississippi attempted to register to vote in the summer of 1964
- however, only 1600 approved, highlighting need for further legislation
4
Q
What was Johnson’s role in passing the 1964 civil rights act?
A
- showed mixed record in the past: didn’t sign the Southern Manifesto but ensured Eisenhower’s civil rights bill was diluted by a racist Mississippi senator
- however, this time showed enormous levels of commitment and political skill to get Kennedy’s civil rights bill through
- subject to a 54 day filibuster attempt by Dixiecrats, but signed into law in July 1964
5
Q
What did the 1964 civil rights act mean and what did it fail to address?
A
- made all forms of de jure segregation a federal crime
- furthered school desegregation and established an equal opportunity commission
- failed to address problems with voting, but was later dealt with with the 1965 Voting Rights Bill after events in Mississippi and Selma
6
Q
What triggered a campaign in Selma in 1965 and what was the result?
A
- triggered by the failure of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to address voting
- half of Selma’s population was black but only 23 people were registered to vote
- King led a march for would be voters to the county court but they were badly beaten and 3000 were arrested
- King also planned a march from Selma to Montgomery, but state troopers attacked using clubs and tear gas
- this ‘Bloody Sunday’ led to Congress passing the Voting Rights Act
7
Q
What opposition did the mainstream civil rights movement face?
A
- the SNCC accused King and the SCLC of leaving a ‘string of embittered cities’ through policy of gaining maximum media attention before moving on
- others criticised King and the SCLC for receiving the donations and increasingly choosing to spend them on campaigns in the North
8
Q
Why did Malcolm X leave the Nation of Islam and what happened to him after?
A
- suspended by Elijah Mohammed after comments he made after Kennedy’s death
- chose to leave after learning of Mohammed’s affair and coming into conflict with fellow ministers over his high media profile
- then embarked on a pilgrimage to Mecca, converted to Sunni Islam and promoted new organisations
- appeared to be coming to a compromise with Southern civil rights groups, renouncing previous criticisms and attacking the nation
- assassinated: Mohammed said NOI was not involved but said he got what he deserved
9
Q
What did the voting rights act of 1965 mean?
A
- abolished literacy tests and poll taxes meaning all that was needed to vote was American citizenship and a registration form
- registrars were now federal employees so anything they did to deny a black citizen to vote made them answerable to the federal system rather than to local politicians
10
Q
What was the result of the 1965 Voting Rights Act?
A
- by the end of 1966 only 4 southern states had less than half of African Americans registered to vote
- led to the no. of black elected officials rapidly increasing
11
Q
How did people react to the 1965 Voting Rights Act?
A
- 70% of those visiting Johnson when he died were black, showing their gratitude
- 1966 poll showed that 90% opposed the new legislation
12
Q
Why was King’s Chicago campaign unsuccessful?
A
- Johnson was skeptical of the campaign and Mayor Daley was his close ally - lack of political support
- King moved his family into a ghetto apartment which the landlord quickly refurbished to avoid media attention
- a July 1966 rally only gathered 30,000 supporters instead of the 100,000 King hoped for
- the city mayor Daley met frequently with King but their meetings were unproductive
- a march through the white working class area of Cicero saw violent opposition
- overall a failure because there was no real plan of action
13
Q
What were the race riots of 1965-8?
A
- much violence, looting and arson during the four summers from 1965-8
- virtually every city had a race riot: disturbances in over 200 cities until the end of 1972
- 250 deaths, 10,000 injuries and 60,000 arrests
14
Q
Why were there large scale race riots under Johnson?
A
- 30% of blacks below poverty line
- 50% lived in substandard housing
- despite no. of poor Americans decreasing from 39million to 33million, the percentage of poor African Americans increased from 28% to 31%
- assassination of MLK provoked major riots in 100 cities - $45 million of damage to property
15
Q
How did Johnson respond to the race riots?
A
- commissioned Otto Kerner, the Governor of Illinois, to investigate the riots
- 1968 Kerner Commission’s report inclded that their nation was moving forward to “two societies: one black, one white”
- riots angered Johnson, who felt he’d done more to help than any president before
- exposure in national and international media undermined the ‘American Dream’
