Civil Rights Movement and Social Reforms

These flashcards cover key figures, events, and legislation related to the Civil Rights Movement and social reforms during the 1960s.

Stokely Charmichael

Chairman of SNCC who repudiated nonviolence and advocated black power.

Black Panthers

Organized by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, a revolutionary socialist movement advocating for self-rule for American Blacks.

Watts Riot

A 6-day riot in a black neighborhood in LA triggered by the arrest of a young black motorist by white police.

Kerner Commission

Concluded that racism and segregation were the causes of violent race riots, NOT Black Power.

De Facto Segregation

Segregation that occurs in fact, often caused by racism, particularly in the North and West.

Lyndon Johnson

Became president after Kennedy's assassination and created the Great Society Program to expand social reforms.

Great Society

A set of domestic programs launched by Johnson to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

War on Poverty

Declared by Johnson in 1964 to address issues raised by Harrington's "The Other America."

Office of Economic Opportunity

Established to provide self-help programs to the poor as part of the War on Poverty.

Barry Goldwater

Republican presidential nominee who advocated for ending the welfare state and was defeated in the election.

Food Stamp Act

Expanded federal programs to help low-income people buy food, passed in 1964.

Medicare

Provided health insurance for everyone 66 years and older, established in 1965.

Medicaid

Provided funds to states for medical care for the poor and disabled.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Provided federal funds to poor school districts and special education programs.

Immigration Act

Abolished discriminatory quotas based on national origins.

James Meredith

The first African American to enroll at the University of Mississippi, requiring federal protection.

George Wallace

Governor of Alabama known for attempting to prevent a Black student from entering the University of Alabama.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader of the Civil Rights Movement, committed to nonviolent protests and wrote the "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

I Have a Dream Speech

Delivered by MLK Jr. during the March on Washington, calling for an end to racial prejudice.

Civil Rights Act

Legislation that made segregation illegal in all public facilities.

Voting Rights Act

Ended literacy tests and provided federal registrars in areas where Black Americans had been denied the right to vote.

24th Amendment

Abolished poll taxes to encourage voting among poor people.

Malcolm X

Controversial advocate for Black rights who promoted the use of violence to counter White oppression and was assassinated.

SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)

An organization vital to the Civil Rights Movement that focused on nonviolent protest.