Civil Rights
During the 1963 March on Washington, what speech did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. give that inspired participants?
"I Have a Dream"
Which doctrine was overturned by the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education?
"Separate but equal"
What is a dove?
A dove was someone who was opposed to the war.
What is a hawk?
A hawk or war hawk was someone who supported the Vietnam War.
What is legal today because of Loving v. Virginia?
A marriage between a black man and a white woman.
What happened at Kent State University, Ohio?
A student protest of the Vietnam war that led to the shootings killing some university students and wounding of others.
What was the last state to remove anti-miscegenation laws?
Alabama was the last state to remove its laws against miscegenation or mixed-race marriages in 2000.
What is an example of a "bigoted law to prevent certain groups from maintaining their basic rights" that the Supreme Court struck down as being unconstitutional?
Both Plessy v. Ferguson case regarding "separate but equal" facilities for blacks and whites and the Bailey v. Patterson regarding transportation facilities were overturned by the Supreme Court.
J.F. Blake, labeled "Complainant" in the police report most likely was the
Bus driver
A second reason Dr. King cites for bringing Vietnam into the field of his "moral vision".
Dr. King also points out that America's poor were dying in high proportions relative to the rest of the population. He talks of the cruel irony in how young black men are fighting to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in America.
What are the overriding irony(s) that Dr. King speaks to in his speech about Vietnam?
Dr. King is speaking to several different ironies that students could reference and discuss: - How America is supporting equality in Vietnam but not at home. - How he preaches non-violence as the answer to problems, but America often uses violence and war as a solution. - How the war is fought predominantly by the poor but was planned and promoted by the wealthy and powerful. - Other student opinions can also be explained here as well.
Why do you think King invoked America's Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Constitution in his speech?
Dr. King was appealing to all Americans and wanted to point out to those that support segregation and discrimination that they are not living up to the standards of freedom and equality set forth in these documents
How does President Eisenhower characterize the situation in Little Rock Arkansas?
Eisenhower characterizes the situation as a threat to the United States and that it hurts the prestige and safety of the country because of how it shows Americans to be. If other nations think that the USA is not a firm believer in human rights and equality, then they might be less likely to come to America's aid in foreign conflicts and other events.
Fifteenth Amendment (1870)
Grants African-American men the right to vote.
Fourteenth Amendment (1868)
Grants African-Americans full American citizenship
NAACP (1909)
Group formed by African-Americans that used the courts to secure equal rights victories.
What specific recommendations does Kennedy's speech make to improve the lives of African Americans?
He asks all Americans to act out of their human decency and to support the passage of laws to ensure equal treatment for all Americans.
Jackie Robinson
He burst onto the scene in 1947, breaking baseball's color barrier and bringing the Negro leagues' electrifying style of play to the majors. Robinson was named National League MVP in 1949, leading the loop in hitting (.342) and steals (37), while knocking in 124 runs
What role did Martin Luther King, Jr. play in the Selma March?
He helped lead the peaceful march to Montgomery
In his speech, how does Kennedy personalize the struggle over civil rights? How does he invoke the golden rule?
He states that the issue "must be solved in the homes of every American in every community across our country." He honors those Americans who are making life better for all "out of a sense of human decency." He invokes the Golden Rule when he talks about treating all Americans as they would want to be treated.
Thurgood Marshall
He the grandson of a slave. It was Marshall who ended legal segregation in the United States. He won Supreme Court victories breaking the color line in housing, transportation and voting, all of which overturned the 'Separate-but-Equal' apartheid of American life in the first half of the century. It was Marshall who won the most important legal case of the century, Brown v. Board of Education, ending the legal separation of black and white children in public schools.
Malcolm X
He wanted blacks to not only stand up for their rights, but also to demand a separate country for themselves. He thought King's integration and assimilation policy smacked of low self-esteem. His viewpoint, language and bravado made him a formidable force in the black struggle against racism and segregation. He assassinated in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom twenty years ago on February 21, 1965.
A third reason Dr. King cites for bringing Vietnam into the field of his "moral vision".
His last reason was that he told the poor and minority groups in America that violence will not solve their problems but that they instead should always utilize non-violent civil disobedience. However, he was asked why our own nation was violence to solve its problems if non-violence was more powerful. He then knew that he could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today - America
How does Kennedy's comment that "civil rights is a moral crisis" in his speech coincide with his push for more aggressive legislation?
If Civil Rights is truly a moral issue, then America should act immediately to ensure that it is acting in a moral way so that it can retain its moral superiority in the world.
When could an African-American sit in the white section of the bus?
If she was a nurse caring for white children.
Why did Richard and Mildred Loving have to go to Washington DC to get married?
In Virginia, there was a Racial Integrity Act which made it impossible for them to marry because they were of two different races.
According to the police report, where in Montgomery was Rosa Parks arrested?
In front of the Empire Theater on Montgomery Street.
Jim Crow Laws (1890s)
Jim Crow Laws (1890s)
Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
Lincoln's Civil War proclamation that freed slaves in rebelling territories.
Plessy v Ferguson (1896)
Made segregation legal in the South as long as facilities were equal.
Why were many college students opposed to the war?
Many college students were opposed to the mandatory draft, which required young men to serve in the military.
Which Supreme Court Case is an example of how the court can "invalidate acts and executive actions that the justices agree exceed the authority granted to government officials"?
Marbury v Madison - established Judicial Review for Presidential acts
Which event __________ represents a pair of correctly matched ideas and people in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement?
Martin Luther King, Jr. - Civil Disobedience
Thirteenth Amendment (1865)
Officially bans slavery in the United States forever.
According to the Montgomery City Code, the buses had to have "equal but separate accommodations". What Supreme Court case created this requirement?
Plessy Vs. Ferguson
The _______Supreme Court case originally that allowed for separate but equal facilities for black and white Americans?
Plessy v. Ferguson
Based on the program, which group was NOT represented at the March on Washington?
Political Leaders
How might a poll tax or literacy test be used to prevent someone from voting?
Poll taxes require people to pay money in order to vote. Most African-Americans in the South at the time were poor and this extra cost might be too much for them. Literacy tests were used to deny AfricanAmericans the right to vote by requiring them to take purposefully confusing tests that were almost impossible to pass. Grandfather clauses were used to exempt whites from paying the tax or taking the test.
In what ways does Kennedy speech charge the American nation with hypocrisy?
President Kennedy charges America with hypocrisy when he states that America preaches freedom around the world and "that this is the land of the free except for the Negroes; that we have no second-class citizens except Negroes."
What is the significance of Kennedy referencing recent events in the conflict over civil rights in his speech?
President Kennedy is most likely trying to make a larger point about how important this issue is because struggles are going on that very moment over civil rights issues.
What is the significance of Kennedy using life expectancy and income statistics in his speech?
President Kennedy is using facts to back up his argument that "separate but equal" is not equal for African-Americans.
Why does JFK include both North and South in his criticism of violations of civil rights in his speech?
President Kennedy wants to make sure that Northerners do not ignore his words thinking that he is only speaking to the South. There was racism in all areas of the United States at the time and President Kennedy wanted to make sure that everyone was listening.
What oratorical devices are used by Kennedy in his speech to advance the cause of civil rights?
President Kennedy's speech uses repetition, analogies, asyndeton, emotional and moral appeals, and logical reasoning to name a few.
What are some groups who protested against the Vietnam War and why?
Religious leaders, civil rights activists, teachers, journalists and college students protested the war because some felt that the US had no business involving itself in the affairs of other nations, while others believed the methods of warfare were inhumane
Brown v Board of Education (1954)
Ruled that separated educational facilities are unequal "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. (Separating children) solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely to be undone." - Chief Justice Earl Warren
Who was the first female Supreme Court justice?
Sandra Day O'Connor
Dred Scott Decision (1857)
Supreme Court ruling that African-Americans are not American citizens
How does the New York Times article characterize the March on Washington D.C.?
The New York Times characterizes the March as a peaceful success that will bring gains for AfricanAmericans. A sub-headline states that King's speech was a histopric moment and will be long remembered at the Capitol.
What were some of the reasons for MLK holding the March on Washington?
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) wanted to bring civil rights and economic issues to national attention. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) saw it as a way of challenging the Kennedy administration to do more for civil rights for African Americans.
Why do you think Eisenhower states that "our enemies are gloating over this incident"?
The Soviet Union was likely gloating over the incident because it make the US look hypocritical in that America stands for equality and human rights but is seeing riots over children attempting to attend school. It made America look hypocritical. The Soviet Union could use the event to make itself look like the more advanced nation.
What was the basis for the Supreme Court's decision in 1967? (Loving-vs-VA)
The Supreme Court held that Marriage is one of the 'basic civil rights of man,' and fundamental to our very existence and survival.
What was the basis for the Supreme Court's ruling to make abortion legal?
The Supreme Court held that the constitutional basis for a right to privacy that is protected from government interference makes abortion legal.
How does White House statement describe the March ? What does it say the President will do?
The White House press release describes the event as a peaceful success that has helped bring civil rights progress from "principles to practice." It says that the Executive Branch will continue to eliminate employment discrimination and work towards passing civil rights legislation and other employment and education bills.
How did their marriage certificate actually help the police's case?
The certificate helped the police's case because it proved that they were married, which was illegal in Virginia due Section 20-58 of the Virginia Code, which prohibited interracial couples from being married out of state.
How did the Little Rock Crisis begin?
The crisis began after the Brown v. Board of Ed case and subsequent legislation forced all schools to desegregate with "all deliberate speed." The Governor of Arkansas did not want his schools, especially the large and prestigious Little Rock Central to desegregate, however, the courts ordered it to. When 9 African-American students registered and wanted to begin classes, protests began.
What was the judge's sentence in their case? (Loving-vs-VA)
The judge suspended their sentence on the condition that the Lovings would leave Virginia and not return for 25 years.
What inspired the protest at Kent State University, Ohio?
The protest began because of a speech recently given by President Nixon in which he announced that he was escalating the war by committing US troops from Vietnam into specified areas of nearby Cambodia
How does the fight over civil rights bring up a larger struggle over Communism in JFK's speech?
The rioting and unrest over civil rights was making the United States look bad across the world at a time when the US and Soviet Union were struggling to gain the upper hand across the world as a moral leader.
One reason Dr. King cites for bringing Vietnam into the field of his "moral vision".
The war in Vietnam diverted essential funds and energy from the Poverty Program to help the pool (both black and white) into the war effort. It showed Dr. King that war would always be an enemy of the poor because the country could not support both at the same time.
How could it be in Arizona that a mixed race person could not marry anyone?
This could be true in Arizona, because if you were mixed and followed the law strictly, you could not marry a white person because you were part black and could not marry a black person because you were part white.
The attorney who served as the NAACP's chief counsel and was later the first African American justice on the Supreme Court was
Thurgood Marshall
__________served on the defense team for the NAACP in a landmark court case and went on to become the first African American appointed to the United States Supreme Court?
Thurgood Marshall
"So the registrar [at the circuit clerk's office] gave me the sixteenth section of the Constitution of Mississippi. He pointed it out in the book and told me to look at it and...interpret what I had read. That was impossible. I had tried to give it, but I didn't even know what it meant, much less interpret it." — Fannie Lou Hamer This practice was outlawed with the passage of the _____?
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Why do you think John Lewis and other leaders asked the marchers not to fight back against any violence?
by not fighting back, the marchers would show the brutality of the police and no one watching would be able to say that they were at fault. It also helped to outrage the nation and build support for the Voting Rights Act.
What was the MOST effective way in which the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) opposed segregation?
challenging laws in the courts
In response to the decision handed down in the Brown v. Board decision, Prince Edward County in Virginia
closed down their public schools indefinitely
The main focus of Martin Luther King's speech was
ending segregation and racial injustice in America
The best definition of "deputized"
give someone the power to act as part of the police force.
Would you consider the march from Selma on March 7th a success or a failure?
it a success because the televised violence helped build support for the Voting Rights Act. Conversely, students could argue that it was not a success because many were harmed and it was the 3rd march that actually made it to Montgomery.
Stokley Carmichael
militant blacks were increasingly questioning its very premises-that integration was a good thing, that whites and blacks had interests in common, and that whites were able to speak for blacks. In 1965 he helped organize the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO). It became known as the Black Panther Party. He became a proponent of Pan-Africanism, the belief that African people throughout the world should unite
Martin Luther King, Jr.
prime mover of the Montgomery bus boycott, keynote speaker at the March on Washington, youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate. But in retrospect, single events are less important than the fact that King, and his policy of nonviolent protest, was the dominant force in the civil rights movement during its decade of greatest achievement, from 1957 to 1968.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and gender
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made segregation illegal in ____?
public accommodations
The goal of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 was to protest segregation on city buses by
putting economic pressure on the city bus company
Which section of the Montgomery City Code did Rosa Parks violate?
section 10 city code
What section of the city code gave the bus driver the authority to arrest Mrs. Parks?
section 11 city code
Why do you think laws concerning marriage of Asians and Indians existed more in Western states?
there were more Asian and Indian people in the West as opposed to the South.
African Americans secured passage of civil rights legislation by -
working through the court system and mass protests
