The Civil Rights Movement Flashcards
(16 cards)
What were the Jim Crow laws?
Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the USA that enforced racial segregation between Black and white people from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century. They kept public facilities separate and voting restrictions for Black Americans.
Alabama had separate schools for Black and White children.
Mississippi: Black and white passengers had to sit in separate railroad cars.
Georgia: Black and white people were prohibited being buried in the same cemetery + restrictions on alcohol.
How did black americans face social inferiority?
Through JIM crow segregation, black Americans were forced into separate and inferior public spaces such as schools, restrooms and buses. As well as this interracial marriage was banned, and black people were expected to show deference to white people. Black people also had to address white people with formal titles like sir or Ma’am. They were also restricted from using the same facilities as white people. They could not buy food at a downtown store and if they buy ice cream in a shop it would be in a paper cup so no white had to use the same cup he touched. He had to sit in the coloured section at the back of the movie theatre.
The Ku Klux Klan and Lynching violence were used to terrorize Black People. Black people who did not comply with this face threats and violence.
how did black americans face political inferiority?
Black Americans organized protests and legal challenges against racial segregation, voter suppression, and inequality. Key figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, led these.
80% of them were unable to vote and southern whites used many methods to obstruct black peoples right to vote. They would threaten them with violence. White registers would either close their office or ask detailed questions on the constitution or impossible questions like How many bubbles are in a bar of soap.
Rosa parks ‘failed the literacy test’ in 1943 when she registered to vote, and had to pay a 16.50 dollar poll tax in 1945- which was seemingly expensive when she finally registered.
how did black americans face ecomic inferiority?
Most southern black people had inferior jobs and economic status such as working in low paying jobs like share croppers and domestics. This was partly due to the education segregated system. Southern states gave black schools much less money than white schools. In 1949, south Carolina spent 179 dollars per annum to educate a white child compared to only 43 for a black child. Black students had to attend segregated universities with teachers with fewer qualifications and materials.
how did black americans face legal inferiority?
Legalized racial segregation in public facilities and institutions across the South.
Southern whites used violence and intimidation to maintain supremacy and there was no protection for black Americans in court. For example in 1955 14 year old Emmet till wolf whistled at a white women. Her husband then beat him so badly. His murderers boasted of what they did and went unpunished.
Who was the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of coloured people), and how successful were they in achieving civil rights before 1956?
The NAACP was established in 1909 and aimed to make America’s 11 million black citizens economically, intellectually and politically/socially free and equal. In the early 1950’s the NAACP used several tactics to pursue this. The NAACP newspaper ‘the crisis’ published black grievances. Local NAACP branches initiated protests against segregated public places such as lunch counters and theatres. NAACP lawyers fought cases of inequality in education and law courts. Much of NAACP litigation aimed to overturn the Supreme Court’s Plessy v. Ferguson 1896 ruling, which declared Jim crow laws as constitutional as long as facilities were separate but equal. In 1950 the NAACP won Supreme Court rulings against segregated universities in the South. Its greatest triumph was in 1954 when the Supreme Court Brown ruling stated that separate schools in south were NOT EQUAL. Brown removed constitutional sanction for segregation. Despite the brown ruling, many schools still stayed segregated. As a result the NAACP litigation strategy rarely brought speedy practical solutions to black American problems. So the large scale version of this was attempted in Montgomery in 1956
Who was Rosa Parks? Summarise her life and role in the civil rights movement.
She was born in Alabama and used to go to bed every night clothed, ready to flee in case the Ku Lux Klan attacked her family home. It was difficult for the Black Population to obtain an education since the whites forced black children out of Montgomery.
However Parks did manage to graduate from high school. During WW2 she joined the NAACP, which she said was about empowerment through the Ballot Box. She considered moving to north Detroit where she said you could get a seat anywhere in the bus. However Bus Race Riots in 1943 made her realize that racism is also present in Detroit as well as Montgomery. She was an enthusiastic member of the NAACP and attended the leadership training seminar in 1946.
She was inspired by the Brown ruling in 1954 and said you cant imagine the rejoicing between black and white people. She was looking every way to challenge Jim Crow in the 1950’s
How successful do you think the Montgomery Bus Boycott was?
The Brown ruling caused white backlash and the establishment of White citizens Council to defend segregation. The Montgomery Citizens Council tried to fight the boycott and used arrests and intimidation such as Martin Luther King. After the NAACP won the Supreme Court ruling against segregated buses in Browder V. Gayle in November 1956, the Montgomery buses were desegregated. The Montgomery black community tried a new form of activism, mass direct action as well but the NAACP ruling is what led to the desegregation. However it was only Montgomery, every other public place had bus segregation. Due to this King and his oratory gained national attention and established the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight segregation in 1957.
What were the main tactics of the Ku Klux Klan, and how successful do you think they were in their aims in the 1950s and early 1960s?
It is an armed racist white group that was established in Tennessee in 1866 after the South lost in the civil war. It was quickly squashed however by the federal government. It was revived in 1915 and millions joined it across USA. The brown ruling did revitalise the Klan but the Montgomery bus boycott suggested how it lost some impact. When the buses were desegregated it send 40 carloads of robed and hooded members. They did stuff such as:
Bombing king’s house in 1956 and his motel room during the Birmingham campaign in 1963.
. Attacks on freedom riders at Birmingham 1963 (some of the police were in the Klan)
Bombing a Birmingham church in 1963 where four young girls were killed.
Shooting and killing Viola Liuzzo, a northern white who participated in the Selma campaign.
. Church burnings, beatings, shootings and murders in Mississippi.
In 1964 they murdered three civil right workers and it caused President Lyndon b Johnson to order the FBI to go after the Klan.
How were the Citizens’ Councils different to the KKK in their aims, membership and tactics?
The Citizens’ Councils, also known as “White Citizens’ Councils,” were made up of middle- and upper-class white Southerners, including politicians and businessmen, and focused on economic and political pressure to oppose desegregation, using tactics such as job dismissals and bank loan denials. In contrast, the KKK, composed largely of lower-class whites, resorted to violent intimidation, including lynching, bombings, and physical assaults. While both groups sought to uphold segregation, the Citizens’ Councils operated through legal and economic means, avoiding the overt violence of the Klan.
- How far were the events at Little Rock (1957) a setback for the civil rights movement?
The attempt to integrate Central High School faced severe opposition, including from Governor Orval Faubus, who used the National Guard to block the nine black students from entering. This defiance showed that despite the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, many Southern states were unwilling to comply, and violent mobs openly opposed desegregation.
Faubus responded by closing Little Rock’s high schools in 1958, prioritizing political gain over the rights of black students. This effectively delayed desegregation and reflected the deep-rooted resistance to integration.
Little Rock revealed the depth of opposition to civil rights and temporarily set back progress, it ultimately showed the need for federal enforcement of civil rights laws and brought significant national attention
What were the causes/aims of the 1963 birmingham game?
The Birmingham campaign in 1963 was organized by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to challenge segregation in Birmingham, which was one of the most racially divided cities in the U.S.
King chose Birmingham because it symbolized Southern segregation, which he described as America’s “worst big city” for racism. The goal was to desegregate public facilities and achieve equal employment opportunities for black Americans.
King also hoped the protests would provoke a violent response from Birmingham’s public safety commissioner, Eugene ‘Bull’ Connor, to gain nationwide publicity and pressure the Kennedy administration into taking stronger action on civil rights.
What were the main events of the birmingham campaign?
At first, demonstrations were small, but when Connor’s harsh tactics failed to deter the protesters, King was jailed. He wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” during this time.
King encouraged young black schoolchildren to join the protests. When Connor responded with violent tactics such as high-pressure water hoses and police dogs, images of the brutality were broadcast nationwide.
These events attracted significant media coverage and shocked the nation, putting the spotlight on Birmingham.
What were the consequences/signifance of the birmingham campaign?
The campaign exposed the extreme racial violence in the South and publicized it nationally, gaining sympathy for the civil rights movement.
Although it didn’t immediately desegregate Birmingham, it pushed President Kennedy to support civil rights reform, helping pave the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Birmingham campaign demonstrated the power of mass nonviolent protests and media coverage in advancing civil rights and is considered one of the movement’s greatest achievements.
Find five other examples of successes in the civil rights movement in this period.
The NAACP achieved victories like Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which declared segregated schools unconstitutional.
Sit-ins (1960): Black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, staged sit-ins at segregated lunch counters, inspiring 70,000 others across the South to join in protests.
Freedom Rides (1961): CORE and SNCC organized Freedom Rides to challenge segregation in interstate travel, facing violence but drawing national attention.
Mississippi Freedom Summer (1964): SNCC’s campaign registered black voters, overcoming violent resistance and pushing for voting rights.
Selma Campaign (1965): The Selma marches led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, securing federal protections for black voters in the South.
Why was the March on Washington in 1963 such a poignant and successful moment for the civil rights movement?
The March on Washington in 1963 was a poignant and successful moment for the civil rights movement because it united over 250,000 people from diverse backgrounds in a powerful display of solidarity for racial equality and economic justice. It was marked by Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, which vividly articulated the aspirations of the movement and resonated with millions. The event garnered extensive national media coverage, raising awareness of the struggle for civil rights and pressuring lawmakers to address racial injustice, ultimately contributing to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
