history: civil rights movement

How did the situation in Little Rock, AR get resolved in 1957?

Due to the crisis in little rock, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights law since reconstruction.

What was the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party?

Organized by SNCC, it was created so the African Americans could have a voice in Mississippi's all white Democratic party.

What is affirmative action? What is the difference between de jure and de facto segregation?

Affirmative Action is any form of action that favors those who are being discriminated. Intended to end discrimination. De facto segregation is segregation that exists by practice and custom. De facto segregation can be harder to fight than De jure segregation, or segregation by law, because eliminating it involves changing people's attitudes rather than repealing laws.

what view did Malcolm X have on the March on Washington?

He made fun of the march on Washington and called it the "farce on Washington". He believed that it was ineffective.

How successful was the Albany project in Georgia?

It was the first mass movement to have its goal be the desegregation of an entire community. More than 1,000 African Americans were sent to jail. Albanys failure, then, came Birminghams success

What position did President Johnson take after the violence of the selma march?

Johnson presented Congress with a new voting rights act and asked for its swift passage. Later, Congress finally passed Johnson's Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act eliminated the so-called literacy tests that had disqualified many voters. This brought many African American voters.

What was Martin Luther Kings philosophy for protesting against discrimination?

King heavily believed in the power of nonviolence or a peaceful refusal to obey unjust laws. He urged his followers "Don't ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them". From the teachings of Jesus, he learned to love ones enemies. He learned to resist oppression without violence.

What actions were taken in Birmingham, AL to protest discrimination?

Martin Luther King and SCLC were invited to Birmingham to test the power of nonviolence. Kind and a small band of marchers were arrested during a demonstration on good friday. After bail, thousands of black children marched in Birmingham, but the police used high pressure hoses, attack dogs, and other weapons to hurt the marchers. Continued protests and other factors later convinced Birmingham officials to end segregation. This stunning civil rights victory inspired many blacks across the nation.

What did Rosa Parks begin in Montgomery, AL in 1955?

Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of the bus (white section) to a white man. This act led to Jo Ann Robinson and NAACP leader E. D. Nixon suggest a bus boycott. Leaders in the black community formed the Montgomery Improvement Association to organize the boycott. They elected the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Martin Luther King Jr., to lead the group. African Americans also filed a lawsuit and for 381 days refused to ride the buses in Montgomery. The montgomery bus boycott proved to the world that the black community could unite and organize a successful protest movement. It also proved the power of nonviolent resistance.

What did the civil rights act of 1964 accomplish?

Singed by Lyndon B. Johnson, it prohibited discrimination because of race, religion, national origin, and gender. It gave all citizens the right to enter libraries, parks, washrooms, restaurants, theaters, and other public accommodations

What were the differences between SCLC and SNCC?

The SCLC was led by Martin Luther King. It's purpose was to use nonviolent attitudes to fight for desegregation. The SCLC planned to stage protests and demonstrations throughout the south. SNCC was founded by African American college students that were willing to risk their lives to fight. SNCC planned sit-ins, in which black protesters would sit down at segregated lunch counters and refuse to leave until being served.

Why did the civil rights movement begin?

The event in ww2 set the stage for the civil rights movement. The demand for soldiers during the war let blacks fight for the country, so when they returned, they expected freedom and to fight for it. Also, roosevelt issued a presidential directive prohibiting racial discrimination. That laid down the groundwork for the end of segregation.

What did the freedom riders do?

The freedom riders went on a historic bus trip (2 buses) across the south to test the supreme court decisions banning segregated seating on interstate bus routes. They hoped that this would convince the Kennedy administration to enforce the law. At the Alabama state line, white racists got on Bus One and brutally beat the african americans with weapons, this ended bus one. Later in Anniston Alabama, angry whites attacked Bus two and blew the bus up. The SNCC later took over the bus rides. The violence provoked exactly what the freedom riders wanted. Ultimately, President Kennedy arranged to give the freedom riders direct support. In addition, the attorney general and the interstate commerce commission banned segregation in all interstate travel facilities, including waiting rooms, restrooms, and lunch counters.

What is the significance of Brown v Board of education?

The supreme court ultimately declared the segregation in schools as unconstitutional (violation of the 14th amendment)

what was the condition of of African Americans in the south?

They faced racial discrimination. The Jim Crow laws were passed which aimed to separate the races. Many blacks moved north to find work in industrial factories but also experienced discrimination there. The jim crow laws was a result from the plessy v furguson case because that ruled separate but equal is constitutional