Civil rights in the 1950s

• Where are what were the jim crow laws?

  Mainly in the south the Jim crow laws enforced separated schools, facilities and transport
• what was life like for African-Americans in the north in 1950s?


  • Racism and discrimination were common
  • Self segregated areas because of the pay gap
  • Higher unemployment rate among African-Americans
  • Living in the poorest areas
• why didn’t African Americans vote?


  • Violence and threats
  • Poll-tax
  • Extremely hard Literacy tests which only African Americans had to take
• Why didn’t the Supreme Court president get involved?


  • The president needed support from the southern politicians who were often racist
  • The Supreme Court were heavily influenced by the views and opinions of the judges who may have been against civil rights
  • In 1878 Plessy versus Ferguson was rude the idea of separate but equal
• Why was segregation and embarrassment to the USA during the Cold War?


  The USA claimed to be the leading nation of the free world, but in reality, segregation and discrimination still Occurred
• who was president truman?


  33rd president of the United States from 1945 to 1953
• What happened during Trumans time as president

  • Took over from Roosevelt during the Second World War
  • Oversaw the transition from the second world war in 1945 to the Cold War from 1947 to 1949
  • Applied the Truman doctrine
  • Faced criticism for ‘ losing China to communism’
• What did Truman do to support civil rights?


  • Set up the presidents committee on civil rights in 1946, which aim to abolish segregation
  • Ended segregation in the armed forces for the 26th of July 1948
• What are the four main organisations for civil rights in the 1950s?

  • The Congress of racial equality (CORE)
  • The National Association for the advancement of Coloured people (NAACP)
  • They regional Council of Negro leadership (RCNL)
  • The Southern Christian leadership conference (SCLC)
• when was the NAACP set up?


  February 1909
• what events were the NAACP involved in?


  • Brown versus Topeka case in 1954
  • Emmett Till case in 1955
  • March on Washington, in 1963
  • Freedom summer of 1964
  • Campaigned for the civil rights act of 1964 and the voting rights act of 1965
• When was CORE set up?


  1942
• which five key events was CORE involved in?


  • Montgomery bus boycott of 1950
  • sit ins of 1960
  • Freedom rides of 1961
  • March on Washington of 1963
  • Freedom summer of 1964
• when was the RCNL set up?


  1951
• what three main events is the RCNL involved in?


  • Boycotts of petrol stations
  • voter register programs
  • found evidence in court to support emmet tills court case
• what is the SCLC set up?


  January 1957
• Who were the leaders of the SCLC?

  • Martin Luther King
  • Ralph Abernathy
• what four main events were the SCLC involved in?


  • Voter registration and education project called the crusade for citizenship in 1957
  • March on Washington in 1963
  • Selma march on to Montgomery in 1965
  • Poor peoples campaign in 1967
• when did the Supreme Court rule on the brown versus board of education case?


  17th of May 1954
• what are the three causes of the Browns versus board case

  • Linda Brown’s rejection from an all white Summer school in 1951
  • Also, Brown, bringing brown versus Topeka to local court in June
  • The court case failing and trying again with four of the cases
• What did Thurgood Marshall’s argument entail?


  • Plessy versus Ferguson decision from 1896 make black children feel inferior and 14th amendment
• what was the 14th amendment of the US Constitution?


  Gave citizenship to African-Americans, meaning they had equal rights and protection legally
• weather for positive effects of the brown versus Topeka case?


  • Raise awareness of racial inequalities
  • Kickstarted the legal battle for civil rights
  • Showed Supreme Court support
  • School started to integrate
• what were the five negative affects of the brown vs Topeka case?


  • White citizen council was set up as a group of people who want to preserve segregation
  • African Americans, receiving threats and bullying
  • African-American Teachers, losing their jobs or being harassed
  • Black schools with good teachers and high levels of achievement closed
  • Uprisings of the KKK
• what was the effect of the murder of Emmet Till?


  • Knowledge was spread of the racism faced in the south
  • Civil rights protests grew
  • Inspired Rosa Parks on the bus in Montgomery
• When was the murder of Emmett till?


  28th of August 1955
• how old was Emmett till?


  14
• what 5 main events happened to Emmett till?


  • He supposedly disrespected Carolyn Bryant
  • At 2:30 am on the 28th of August. Emmett was kidnapped by her husband and his half brother
  • He was driven to a farm and tortured
  • He was then shot and his body was dumped in the Tallahatchie river which was found on the 31st of August
  • His mother had an open casket funeral
• what happened to Roy Bryant and JW Milan?


  • Arrested in September
  • Short trial
  • Found not guilty in front of all male and all white jury
• Who organised the Montgomery bus boycott?


  MIA, Montgomery improvement Association
• what was the significance of the Montgomery bus boycott?


  • Raised MLK’s profile
  • Lead to similar boycotts in other cities (Tallahassee and Florida)
  • Showed the reaction of white people in a negative way
  • Show the importance of nonviolent forms of protest
• What was Rosa Parks’s role in the Montgomery bus boycott?


  • First of December 1955, she refused to give up her seat to a white man
  • She was arrested and fined $10
  • The boycott started on the 5th of December 1955, which was the day Rosa Parks was in court
  • Lasted until the 21st of December 1956, when the bus as well integrated
• when did little rock nine take place?


  September 1957
• summarise little rock, nine in six events


  • Arkansas, a state troops were ordered by Governor Faubus to stop the students
  • White protesters shouted, and abused the students
  • Elizabeth Eckford entered School alone
  • She was faced by angry mobs, and was prevented by entering school by state troops
  • President Eisenhower intervened and ordered that the state troops would be removed
  • federal troops escorted the nine student
• what is four reasons, prove the significance of Little Rock 9?


  • Presidents involvement
  • Should state rules could be overrided by the Supreme Court
  • The medias impact on public opinion
  • Announced the resistance to desegregation
• What is bussing?


  Transporting students to schools outside their neighborhoods to promote desegregation.
• why didn’t people like bussing?


  people didn’t want their children to attend mixed race schools or travel across town
• how did people avoid bussing?


  moved away from urban locations
• what was the civil rights act of 1957 and when?


  • 9th of sept 1957
  • allowed the government to prosecute states who interfered with poeples rights to vote
• who signed the civil rights act of 1957?

  president Eisenhower