Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) -1960

Question 1

What was it?

Answer 1

Pronounced “Snick,” it was formed in 1960 by young Black activists, many of them students.
• Originally created to coordinate sit-ins but became one of the most important civil rights groups.
• Focused on nonviolent protest, direct action, and later, Black Power.

Question 2

Key features?

Answer 2

Played a major role in:
• Sit-ins across the South
• Freedom Rides (1961)
• Voter registration campaigns in the Deep South
• The March on Washington (1963)
• Freedom Summer (1964) in Mississippi
• Early leaders included John Lewis, later replaced by Stokely Carmichael (who introduced the idea of Black Power).

Question 3

Shift in direction?

Answer 3

• By the mid-1960s, under Carmichael, SNCC became more radical and separatist.
• Moved away from MLK’s nonviolence to Black Power and self-defense.
• Eventually excluded white members and focused on Black empowerment.

Question 4

Why is it important?

Answer 4

✅ Gave a strong youth voice to the Civil Rights Movement.
✅ Key group in pushing for voting rights and ending segregation through direct action.
✅ Played a major role in turning attention to economic inequality and racial pride.