the impact of civil rights protests

• the black panther movement

  set up in 1966, its leaders were Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, had extremist views: wanted to replace capitalist society with a version of communism for the black community, heavily monitored by the FBI, wore black leather jackets and berets and carried guns for self-protection against police brutality, ten-point programme that demanded better housing, jobs and education for black communities and an end to police brutality, had some impact: set up health clinics for poor black neighbourhoods, providing breakfast clubs for black children as well as education on black history
• impact of race riots in the watts district

  in august 1965 a race riot occurred over six days and nights involving 30,000 rioters, causing 34 deaths, 4,000 arrests and $40 million worth of damage, the national guard were sent in to end the riots, more riots followed after the assassination of MLK by a white racist in April 1968
• the influence of Stokely Carmichael


  coined the phrase "black power", leader of the SNCC, in 1966, SNCC banned white people from being members, believed that black people had to solve problems for themselves and not rely on white people for help - criticised for his aggressive approach and unpatriotic criticism of US involvement in the Vietnam War
• 1968 olympics: what happened

  2 black athletes won gold and silver medals, both athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos made a political protest - wore a black leather glove and raised their fist to give the Black Power salute during the US national anthem in front of a world wide TV audience. this was controversial because it was seen an unpatriotic - bought lots of publicity
• impact of black power


  historians argue: achieved very little, encouraged race riotsothers argue: offered practical help to those in ghettos eg breakfast clubs and clinics, encouraged african americans to take pride in themselves - afros became more popular
• reasons for the growth of black power


  increasing frustration with a lack of progress - called for a more direct and aggressive approach. people were frustrated that the changes being made were too slow, black americans were more likely to be unemployed, live in poorer housing conditions, and be discriminated against, increased publicity that spread the ideas of black power
• Malcom X


  joined the NOI in the late 1950s, by 1960 he became a leading spokesman, by 1963 there were 50,000 members, his comments were often controversial and some people labelled him a "hate preacher". by 1963 after taking Hajj, Malcolm X changed his views - set up his own Organisation of African Unity which accepted white help, members of the NOI shot him in NY
• what was the nation of islam

  an organisation set up in the 1930s by Elijah Mohammed, had around 10,000 members, preached a version of Islam that said black people should have nothing to do with white society
• selma voting rights

  only 383 black people could vote out of a potential 15,000, on March 7, 1965, MLK and the SCLC organised a protest, planning a 50-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, stopped at the edge of selma, Sheriff Jim Clarke ordered police to attack the protesters with tear gas, beat them with clubs and trample them with horses - became known as "bloody sunday" , President Johnson ordered Congress to debate a Voting Rights Bill and ordered the Alabama National Guard to protect the Selma marchers, later that year in August 1965 the Voting Rights Act was passed into law
• the voting rights act of 1965


  set one simple national test, banned literacy tests, increased the numbers of black people able to vote - 6.7% of voters to 67.5% of voters by 1968
• civil rights act of 1964

  banned segregation, Jim Crow laws were illegal, stated that the federal government would bring cases of discrimination to court, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to ensure enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in employment
• problems black people faced when trying to vote

  difficult to pass literacy tests, or were harassed and beaten up by the KKK even if they tried to register to vote
• Mississipi freedom summer

  a campaign in the summer of 1964 to try and increase the number of black voters' registration in Mississippi, SNCC, CORE and NAACP set up Voter Registration Schools, supported by the Attorney General Robert Kennedy who was the President's brother, only 1,600 more black votes were registered, even though 17,000 tried to do so - failure
• the "dream" speech


  it appealed to the American ideals of equality and morality and mixed this with Christian religious values, made MLK a hero of the Civil Rights Movement, led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, won the Nobel peace prize
• the Washington march


  marched for freedom and jobs, was a campaign organised by various civil rights groups in August 1963, 250,000 protesters - 70,000 were white, MLK who made his famous "I have a dream..: speech which was televised across the world - elevated the status of MLK and put further pressure on Congress to pass the Civil Rights Bill (eventually this happened the following year in 1964).
• the Birmingham campaign

  April 1963, MLK and the SCLC launched Project 'C' (Confrontation) in Birmingham, Alabama, aimed at challenging segregation through marches and sit-ins, encouraged children to join in the protests - controversial, gained a lot of media attention (which was MLK's aim). Photographs of young people being attacked by police dogs and hosed down with powerful water hoses made international news and embarrassed President Kennedy, hundreds were arrested, was significant because it put pressure on President Kennedy who announced a Civil Rights Bill in the Summer of 1963
• what did MLK set up in 1957

  SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference). Like CORE and SNCC that came after it, it was an organisation that accepted white people and encouraged peaceful methods of protest
• methods of MLK

  believed that a non-violent peaceful approach was the only way to achieve civil rights for black people as well as integration with whites,
• battle of ole miss

  was two nights of rioting in protest at the admission of Meredith as the first black student at the University of Mississippi. 2 people were killed and several hundred injured, showed how the President was willing to go against states' rights to ensure equal access to education
• What was the Meredith Case?

  in September 1962 President Kennedy stepped in and ordered 300 state troopers to accompany and protect Meredith so that he could register for his university course. A riot broke out between a racist white mob and the state troopers,
• Who was James Meredith?

  a black student who applied to attend the University of Mississippi and was rejected several times for no other reason than his skin colour, in 1962 1962 the Supreme Court ordered that the University of Mississippi must register Meredith as a student
• what happened during the sit ins?

  4 SNCC students entered a Woolworths department store, sat at the lunch counter, and ordered coffee, but were refused service due to segregation rules, four students, who were told to sit i the coloured only area, refused to move and stayed at the counter, sparking a prolonged protest, next day more students turned up. This continued for several days and weeks, customers poured coffee over their heads and smeared mustard on them, calling them names and intimidating them to leave, but the protestors had been trained not to retaliate and remained seated, the black community boycotted Woolworth stores and so it changed its rules to allow black customers to sit at the lunch counter,
• what was and who set up the SNCC?

  students from the University of North Carolina set up an organisation called S.N.C.C. (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee).
• when were the sit ins?

  1960
• what was the anniston fire bombing?

  violent incident in Anniston, Alabama during a Freedom Rides protest, KKK threw a petrol bomb into the bus and held the doors shut while the bus filled with smoke and the Freedom Riders protestors inside the bus struggled to escape, eventually, passengers escaped and were treated for smoke inhalation at the roadside, police stood by and did nothing to stop this happening and the fire brigade were not called
• when did the anniston fire bombing happen

  1961, may 14th
• what were the freedom rides

  co-ordinated campaign to challenge the law which said inter-state travel should not be segregated, CORE's white members would get off at service stops and use the "coloured only" facilities and black members of CORE used the "white only" services, it gained publicity, When buses arrived in some places in the South, KKK members violently attacked the bus and it's passengers - made them gain more publicity
• who set up the freedom rides and when

  1961, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)