USA: Home and Abroad

How were black people treated in 1950s in 1960s America? Why?

They had separate facilities, there were white protestors against them (for segregation), there were places divided for the races, specific facilities for Black People (which were generally not as good quality), there were terrible and rough Klu Kluxers and dehumanisation was common (they were treated like animals)

Why did the Civil Rights Movement begin?

It was a struggle for social justice that took place mainly during the 1950s and 1960s for blacks to gain equal rights

Who supported the Civil Rights Movement? Who opposed the Civil Rights Movement?

Supporters included: the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People), CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), church organisations, and the RCNL. People who opposed it included: the KKK and the Democrats (favoured segregation)

What was the Brown vs Topeka case? What did it achieve? Why was it an important step in the Civil Rights Movement?

The case wanted no segregation in schools and universities. It achieved the desegregation of schools. It also changed attitudes, increased awareness and was a catalyst to speed up the Civil Rights process

What happened in Little Rock? Why were these events significant?

The Little Rock Nine was when 75 students applied to the Arkansas school, 25 were chosen to attend and 9 were willing to go. The 9 students were told not to go to school on the 3rd September 1957 because there were 250 state troops to prevent the students from going in. The school was also surrounded on September 4th and it gave the US government a bad image

Why did the Montgomery Bus Boycott begin?

In the 1950s, buses were segregated with whites in the front and blacks at the back. The Bus Boycott was an example of a peaceful protest in which 17,000 blacks didn't take the buses. It revealed that the bus companies relied on the black population for business

What methods of peaceful protest were used? Why were they significant?

The Greensboro sit-in was where black students were refused service. 25 other students joined to sit at the counter with them

Freedom Riders were people traveling on buses. The KKK beat them up and they got arrested

James Meredith was a student who was rejected from a university. He returned to register with 500 federal officers

The Birmingham Campaign included sit-ins, protest marches, and Martin Luther King was arrested

The March on Washington included 250,000 people and 40,000 whites people protesting together

Freedom Summer included 1000 volunteers. KKK members burnt homes and churches, as well as murdering 3 people

Who was Malcolm X? How did his views and actions change over time? Why was he significant in the Civil Rights Movement? 

He believed in Black Nationalism (black people would never be equal). When on a pilgrimage to Mecca and returned with changed views, including him willing to accept things. He was significant because he appealed to young black men due to his use of violence

What was the Black Power…