Civil Rights, 1954-1960

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GCSE History (Civil Rights and Vietnam) Flashcards on Civil Rights, 1954-1960, created by Jack Rogers on 24/03/2018.
Jack Rogers
Flashcards by Jack Rogers, updated more than 1 year ago
Jack Rogers
Created by Jack Rogers over 6 years ago
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Resource summary

Question Answer
What were Jim Crow Laws Racist laws used to segregate black and white americans
Why was segregation legal? The law stated it was legal if services were 'separate but equal'
Give 3 examples of segregated facilities public transport, schools and restaurants
What was the belief many white people believed about black people They were racially inferior
Why were officials discriminant against black americans? Many officials, including police and judges, were members of the Ku Klux Klan
Why did black Americans not get a fair trial? They weren't allowed to sit on juries in court
Why couldn't black Americans register to vote? White gangs physically stopped them from registering to vote and many southern states used unfair literacy tests to make it harder
What is the grandfather clause? A policy southern states introduced where voters had to prove their forefathers had voted. It made it impossible for descendants of slaves to vote
How did many employers stop black people from registering to vote? White employers sacked black workers if they registered to vote
What does NAACP mean and when was it formed? National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 1909
What did the NAACP do? They fought for civil rights using the legal system and defended black people who had been unfairly discriminated.
What ruling did the NAACP focus on? They focused on overturning the 'Separate but Equal' ruling
What does CORE mean and when was it formed? Congress of Racial Equality 1942
What did CORE do? CORE used non-violent direct action and trained local activists in these techniques
Where were CORE primarily and what type of people were members? CORE operated mainly in Northern states and in their early years, most members were white and middle class
What case did the NAACP present to show facilites weren't equal NAACP took Brown v. Topeka to the supreme courts in 1952
How did NAACP show the disadvantages of segregation? They showed that Linda Brown had to walk past her local white school to reach her nearest black school. It made her feel separate and not equal
What did the NAACP argue that Plessy V. Ferguson was? They argued it was unconstitutional and that it damaged black children
What did the courts rule in May 1954? They ruled that segregated education was unconstitutional. However, they set no time limit for the desegregation of schools
What did the courts then rule in May 1955? They ruled desegregation should happen 'with deliberate speed'
How many school districts were desegregated by 1957? 723
What were the short term effects of Brown V. Topeka? It overturned the Plessy V. Ferguson ruling which allowed public facilities to be segregated. There was white opposition and the KKK membership increased Black students and teachers faced hostility Some good black schools were shut down Many southern states found ways to avoid the ruling
What were the long term effects of Brown V. Topeka? Awareness of civil rights issues in the South increased Rulings inspired other desegregation campaigns White Americans moved out of areas where black Americans lied to avoid forced desegregation
What happened at Little Rock High School in 1957? 9 Black Americans attended the newly desegregated high school. They were treated terribly by the white students at the school
How were the 'Little Rock Nine' formed? About 75 black students applied to join but only 25 were accepted. However after threats to family, only nine joined by the start of the school year
What were Governor Orval Faubus' views on segregation? He became a fierce opposition of school integration
What did the Governor do to stop integration? In 1958, he closed every school in Little Rock to stop racial integration. This lasted a year but pressure from parents made him reopen schools
What happened on the 4th September at Little Rock High? Faubus ordered 250 state troops to 'keep the peace'. They infact blocked the black students from entering
What happened to Elizabeth Eckford on this day? She wasn't told to arrive with the rest of the group and so was targeted by the crowd and racially abused.
What happened on the 24th September at Little Rock? On 24th September, President Eisenhower sent federal troops to ensure the students could attend without being attacked. This meant they finally entered the school successfully
Why did Eisenhower have to become involved? Worldwide media showed the events at Little Rock and showed a damaged USA
Why did Eisenhower use presidential powers? He knew congress would oppose to intervening in state business.
What was the significance of the events at Little Rock It showed the world how bad segregation was as children were being racially abused. There was continued resistance to integration as many schools closed rather than desegregate. Even 10 years later, black students attending integrated southern schools were subjected to violence and exclusion by peers and teachers
What happened on the 1st December 1955 in Montgomery? A woman called Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. She was arrested and fined.
What did Rosa Parks start? Rosa Parks' actions led to a mass boycott of the buses by those campaigning for civil rights
What were the long term causes of the boycott? The WPC (Women's Political Council) in Montgomery were focused on bus discrimination. The Montgomery bus company discriminated against black passengers by forcing them to sit at the back of buses. Requests for rule changes at the bus company were denied
What were the short term causes of the boycott? Rosa PArks refused to give her seat to a white man who had no seat Police arrested Parks for breaking segregation laws
When was the MIA formed and why? The Montgomery Improvement Association was formed on 5th December 1955 to discuss a boycott on the buses.
Who was the chairman of the MIA? Martin Luther King
How did the MIA maintain the boycott? They met with church groups and other organisations to introduce car pools which began on 12th December and involved over 300 cars
What did the MIA negotiate with black cab drivers? They reduced cab fares to enable boy cotters to travel for the price of a standard bus fare
What opposition to the boycott effected their chairman on 30 January 1956 Martin Luther King's house was bombed. King responded with no retalliation
Why was the media largely sympathetic to the civil rights campaigners? They were peaceful but were still met by violence in retaliation from racists
Why was Rosa Parks used as a figurehead for the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Parks was difficult to criticize for bad behavior and was very reputable. She understood non-violent action. She was secretary of the Montgomery NAACP. She had already been involved in black voter campaigns
Why was the Boycott successful It was: Well organised Committed to success Well publicized It hurt the bus company financially
How was it well organized? Existing groups meant the structure was already in place to get a running campaign.
How was it committed to success? It continued despite threats received. Some were told they would be fired and attacked but they were prepared to continue
How was it well publicized? The campaign was publicized through churches and local papers. This helped supporters get organised and communicate with each other to lend support
Why was the bus company hurt financially? The vast majority of customers were black Americans so lots of money was lost running empty buses.
What did the supreme court rule about Montgomery? On 5th June, the court ordered that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. The bus company appealed but was rejected on 17th December
When did the boycott end? The boycott ended on 20th December and racially integrated bus services began on 21 December
Why was Martin Luther King significant? King was a pastor who emphasized love He advocated non-violence King made many powerful speeches that had huge impacts. King tried to appeal to all Americans regardless of race. He helped to boost moral and funds for the MIA
What is the SCLC and when was it founded? The Southern Christian Leadership Confernece was set up in January 1957
Who was it led by? It was led by Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy
Why were they successful? They used non-violent direct action They secured black and white membership
How was the Civil Rights Act created? The Brown case and the boycott led to political support and a civil rights act was passed in 1957
What were the aims of the Civil Rights Act? It aimed to increase voter registration, make it illegal to obstruct voter registration and allow federal courts to prosecute states that didn't guarantee citizen's voting rights
What is the KKK and when was it formed? The Ku Klux Klan was formed in 1865 to stop black Americans from gaining equality
What did they do? They terrorised black Americans by intimidation and extreme violence.
What were WASPs White Anglo-Saxon Protestants
Who else did the KKK attack? They also attacked Jews, Catholics and Liberals
Who was Emmett Till? He was a 14 year old oy from chicago who went to Mississippi to visit family who supposedly made sexual advances to a white woman called Corolyn Bryant
What did Bryant's husband do to Till? Him and his half-brother kidnapped TIll and beat him severely. They then shot him and threw him into a river. His body was found 3 days later
What did Till's mother do with the body? She had an open viewing of the body in CHicago which led to extensive media and widespread outrage. The murder trial was reported nationwide
What happened to the murderers? They were found not guilty and admitted to the murder in a magazine
Who opposed the Civil Rights Act? Southern members of congress
What were the Dixiecrats? A splinter group from the Democrats made up of southern politicians
What did the Dixiecrats do in 1954? They rejoined the Democrats as they believed they could have more influence from that party. They kept their racist views
Why was little done for Civil Rights in Congress? The president needed the Dixiecrats support so had to listen to their views
What methods were used by many southern governors? Many officials used underhand methods for segregation such as school admission tests biased against black students.
What was the WCC and when was it formed? The White Citizens Councils were set up from 1954 to stop desegregation
What did the WCC do to stop desegregation? They protested and used violence. They also used economic means such as sacking black employees
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