History - civil rights movement

• What was the status of black Americans in the USA during the 1950s?

  They were treated as second-class citizens.
• What types of discrimination did black Americans face in the South during the 1950s?

  They faced segregation, discrimination, and attempts to prevent them from voting.
• Which organizations campaigned to improve black civil rights in the 1950s?

  NAACP and CORE.
• What was the aim of racial segregation in the Southern states during the early 1950s?

  • Prevent black and white Americans from mixing
  • Applied to public transport, schools, and other public places
• What were 'Jim Crow' laws?

  Racist laws used to segregate black and white Americans.
• What public facilities were segregated under Jim Crow laws?

  • Cinemas
  • Toilets
  • Schools
  • Transport
• What did the law state about segregation in terms of services?

  It was legal to segregate as long as services were 'separate but equal'.
• How did the reality of services for black Americans differ from the 'separate but equal' principle?

  Services for black Americans were often inferior to those for white people.
• What event occurred in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1955 regarding school segregation?

  Students protested to keep schools segregated.
• How were assaults and murders of black people treated in the Southern states?

  They were not properly investigated or prosecuted.
• Were black people allowed to sit on juries in a court of law in the Southern states?

  No, black people were not allowed to sit on juries.
• What actions did white gangs take against black Americans trying to vote?

  They physically stopped and sometimes attacked them.
• What laws did some Southern states pass to make it harder for black people to vote?

  They used unfair literacy tests.
• What was the 'grandfather clause' in voting rights?

  Voters had to prove their forefathers had voted.
• What consequences did black workers face for registering to vote?

  They were sometimes sacked by white employers.
• What were the two columns in the table regarding the treatment of black Americans and organized resistance?

  Left Column: Bad treatment of black Americans

  • Segregation in public facilities
  • Discrimination in voting
  • Violence and intimidation

  
  

  Right Column: Organised resistance to bad treatment

  • NAACP legal challenges
  • CORE non-violent protests
  • Community support networks
• When did the NAACP take desegregation cases to the Supreme Court?

  In 1952.
• What was the significance of the Brown v. Topeka case?

  It aimed to overturn segregation in schools.
• What was the outcome of the Brown v. Topeka case in 1954?

  The Supreme Court ruled that segregated education was unconstitutional.
• What was the long-term significance of the Brown case?

  It increased awareness of civil rights issues in the Southern states.
• What was the short-term significance of the Brown rulings?

  They overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision.
• What was the reaction of white Americans to the Brown ruling?

  There was a white backlash and increased membership in the Ku Klux Klan.
• What challenges did black students face in desegregated schools?

  They faced threats and hostility.
• Who was Linda Brown?

  A black American student involved in a Supreme Court case against school segregation.
• What argument did the NAACP make in the Brown case regarding the 14th Amendment?

  They claimed segregated schools made black children feel inferior.
• What was the response of the Little Rock school board after the Brown verdict?

  They agreed to desegregate Little Rock High School.
• Who was Orval Faubus?

  The state governor of Arkansas who opposed school integration.
• What were the key events during the Little Rock desegregation crisis in 1957?

  1. School board agreed to desegregate on 3 September 1957.
  2. NAACP arranged for black students to arrive on 4 September.
  3. Faubus sent troops to block black students from entering.
  4. Elizabeth Eckford faced racial abuse alone.
  5. Federal troops were sent by President Eisenhower to ensure safety.
• What was the significance of media coverage during the Little Rock events?

  It shocked people and highlighted racial abuse against children.
• What did President Eisenhower do in response to the events at Little Rock High School?

  He sent in federal troops to ensure black students could attend school.
• What were the long-term effects of the Little Rock events on school integration?

  • Continued resistance to integration in the South
  • Some schools shut down rather than desegregate
  • Black students faced violence and exclusion in integrated schools
• What significant action did Rosa Parks take on 1 December 1955?

  She refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person.
• What was the immediate consequence of Rosa Parks' arrest?

  It sparked a mass boycott of the buses.
• What were the key events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott from 1955 to 1956?

  1. Formation of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA).
  2. Boycott initiated on 5 December 1955.
  3. MIA negotiated reduced cab fares for boycotters.
  4. Martin Luther King's home was bombed.
  5. Increased media coverage sympathetic to the boycott.
• How did the MIA support the boycott?

  They organized car sharing and negotiated reduced cab fares.
• What was the significance of Rosa Parks in the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

  Her refusal to accept segregation triggered a successful desegregation campaign.
• What were the long-term and short-term causes of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

  Long-term causes:

  • Women's Political Council focused on bus discrimination
  • Discrimination by the Montgomery bus company

  
  

  Short-term causes:

  • Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat
  • Her arrest under segregation laws
• What was the importance of the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the civil rights movement?

  It paved the way for further campaigns against segregation.
• What were the reasons for the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

  1. Well organized by existing civil rights groups.
  2. Committed participants despite threats.
  3. Well publicized through community efforts.
  4. Financial impact on the bus company.
• What case did the NAACP file against bus segregation in Montgomery?

  Browder v. Gayle.