African American History Final Exam

restrictive covenants

clauses in property deeds that prohibited African Americans and other non-white individuals from buying or occupying homes, primarily used from the 1920s until they were made unenforceable by the Fair Housing Act of 1968

de facto segregation

separation of racial groups that occurs due to social, economic, or cultural factors rather than legal requirements

A Philip Randolph

organized and led Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (1925)

helped organize the march on washington

influential labor unionist and civil rights activist

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters

first African American led labor union (1925)

aimed to improve working condition and wages of Pullman porters

helped pave the way for the establishment of a Black middle class

Second Great Migration

movement of over 5 million African Americans from the South to the Northeast, Midwest, and West between 1940 and 1970, driven by economic opportunities and a desire to escape racial discrimination.

Adam Clayton Powell Jr

Baptist pastor/politician who represented Harlem

Double V Campaign

movement during world war II advocating for African American rights

aimed for a "double victory" over fascism abroad and racism at home, highlighting the contradiction of fighting for democracy while facing discrimination in the U.S

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

civil rights organization founded in 1942 that played a significant role in the American civil rights movement, advocating for racial equality through nonviolent direct action

significant action: freedom rides

Brown v Board of Education

landmark 1954 Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, stating that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal

overturned the previous "separate but equal" doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896

Little Rock Nine

group of nine African American students who enrolled at Little Rock Central High School in 1957, challenging racial segregation in public schools

enrollment led to the Little Rock Crisis, where they faced significant opposition, including being blocked by the Arkansas National Guard until federal intervention allowed them to attend classes

White Citizen’s Councils

associated network of white supremacist, segregationist organizations in the United States, concentrated in the South and created as part of a white backlash against the US Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling

first group formed in 1954

Rolling Segregation

aimed to end legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement, particularly affecting African Americans

the Montgomery bus boycott, sit-ins, the Birmingham campaign, and the Selma to Montgomery marches, which led to significant legal changes, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Jo Ann Robinson

teacher @ AS college, founded women’s political council

worked to hire more black police

key role in the organizing the Montgomery bus boycott

E.D. Nixon

organizes blacks to register

an American civil rights leader and union organizer in Alabama who played a crucial role in organizing the landmark Montgomery bus boycott there in 1955

Montgomery Improvement Association

formed in 1955 in montgomery to guide the montgomery bus boycott following Rosa Parks arrest

MLKJ was the “leader” and it was organized by the black ministers and community leaders (ED Nixon and Jo Ann Robinson) to improve race relations and fight segregation

Bayard Rustin

taught MLKJ non-violent resistance

principle organizer for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

African American civil rights organization founded in 1957 by MLKJ, Abernathy and others to coordinate nonviolent direct action against segregation

instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement

John Lewis

american civil rights leader, Freedom Rider, and congressman

known as the “conscience of congress”

helped organize march on washington

advocated for nonviolent protest against racial injustice

Tougaloo College

historically black college in Jackson Mississippi

affiliated with United Church of Christ and Christian Church

established in 1869 by missionaries for education of freed slaves and their offspring

March on Washington

held in Washington DC 1963

march to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans

site of MLKJ’s I have a Dream speech

Diane Nash

prominent American civil rights activist

known for her leadership in Nashville Student Movement (Freedom Rides)

co-founded Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022)

Jim Zwerg

the only white man who was a reinforcement for the first freedom riders of the first freedom riders

also a pastor, he stated “my faith was never so strong as during that time. I knew I was doing what I should be doing”

he was later brutally attacked left unconscious for two days

Student Nonviolent Coordinate Committee (SNCC)

principal channel of student commitment in the United States to the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Emerging in 1960 from the student-led sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee, the Committee sought to coordinate and assist direct-action challenges to the civic segregation and political exclusion of African Americans

Emmitt Till

14-year-old African-American boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman

His brutal murder and the subsequent acquittal of his killers became pivotal events in the civil rights movement

Medgar Evers

an American civil rights activist who served as the NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi and was assassinated on June 12, 1963

Richard Daley

mayor of Chicago from 1955 until his death in 1976, known for his strong control over city politics and significant urban development projects

resisted civil rights protests but ultimately publicly stated the injustice when questioned

Kerner Commission

National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders

established by President Lyndon B Johnson (1967)

wanted to investigate the causes of race riots in US (Detroit riots)

1968 it was concluded that the nation was “moving towards two societies, one black one white - separate and unequal

Stokely Carmichael

known as Kwame Ture

prominent civil rights activist born 1941 in Trinidad and Tobago

played role in black power movement (coined slogan “Black Power”)

also had leadership in Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Black Panthers

Founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California

revolutionary organization advocating for Black Power, socialism, and armed self defense against police brutality

focused on “survival programs” (free breakfasts for children and health clinics”

Huey Newton

African American revolutionary and political activist

co-founded Marxist-Leninist political and militant organization (Black Panther Party)

“Soul Brother Number One”

primary nickname for James Brown

legendary american singer/songwriter + dancer

key progenitor of funk music

Bakke v University of California

Allan Bakke (white applicant to university of california) was denied admission to UC davis medical school while less-qualified minority applicants were admitted under special admissions program

Bakke sued claiming reverse discrimination under equal protection clause (title 6)

US supreme court ruled that racial quotas in admissions programs are unconstitutional but race may be considered as one factor among others in admissions to achieve diversity

Rodney King

African American victim of police brutality

severely beaten by LAPD officers during traffic stop in LA 1991

incident was captured on video and led to widespread riots

highlighted issues of police violence and racial tensions in the US

buppies

slang for black urban professional

college educated black adults employed in well-paying professions and typically live/work in/near large cities

underclass

segment of urban black population experiencing persistent, intergenerational poverty, chronic unemployment, and social isolation

Black Lives Matter

decentralized political and social movement

began in 2013

aim to address racism, discrimination, and police brutality against black people in US

founded in response to acquittal of George Zimmerman