History Topic Test - WW2 & Civics

Year 10 - HaSS

United Nations (UN)

An international organisation founded in 1945 after WWII to promote peace, security, cooperation, and human rights globally.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Adopted by the UN in 1948, it sets out 30 basic rights and freedoms for all people regardless of race, sex, religion, or nationality.

Article 1 of UDHR

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights"

• Sets foundation for equality.

Limitations of UDHR

• Not legally binding, relies on nations voluntarily upholding rights

• Often ignored by oppressive governments

Civil Rights Movement (USA)

A social and political movement (1954–1968) led by African Americans to end racial segregation, discrimination, and gain equal rights under the law.

Segregation in the USA

Legal and social system of separating people based on race, enforced by Jim Crow laws, especially in the South.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation in public facilities, transport, schools, and housing in the USA.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

• US Supreme Court case declaring segregation in public schools unconstitutional

• Major victory for civil rights

Emmett Till (1955)

• 14-year-old African American boy

• Murdered by husband and half-brother in Mississippi for allegedly flirting with a white woman

• His open-casket funeral exposed racism and helped spark the civil rights movement

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–56)

• A year-long protest sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest

• Coordinated by Martin Luther King Jr.

• Ended bus segregation in Montgomery

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Founded by Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders in 1957 to coordinate non-violent protests across the South.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

• Civil rights group formed in 1960 by students

• Led sit-ins, freedom rides, and voter registration drives

Freedom Rides (1961, USA)

• Activists rode buses across states to protest segregated bus terminals

• Faced violence, but the media noticed, and the government took action

• Led by James Farmer, director of the Congress of Racial Equality, and the architect, John Lewis

Birmingham Campaign (1963)

• Mass protests in Alabama against segregation

• Police used dogs and fire hoses on children

• Media coverage shocked the world

• Led by Martin Luther King Jr. and the SCLC

March on Washington (1963)

• Mass protest with 250,000 people

• Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech

• Pressured for civil rights legislation

Civil Rights Act (1964)

US law banning segregation in public places and banning employment discrimination.

Selma to Montgomery Marches (1965)

• 3 Peaceful marches for voting rights

• "Bloody Sunday" saw marchers brutally attacked by police

• Led to Voting Rights Act of 1965

Voting Rights Act (1965)

• A law banned unfair voting rules like literacy tests and poll taxes

• This led to many more African Americans registering to vote

Fair Housing Act (1968)

• Banned discrimination in housing based on race, religion, or gender

• Passed after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination

Martin Luther King Jr.

• Minister and activist who advocated non-violence, civil disobedience, and equality

• Assassinated in 1968 (39 years old)

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist who sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man.

Malcolm X

• A leader who pushed for Black pride, self-defence, and empowerment

• Later supported unity before being assassinated in 1965

Thurgood Marshall

• NAACP lawyer who argued Brown v. Board of Education

• Became first African American US Supreme Court justice

Black Power Movement

Movement in the late 1960s advocating pride, self-determination, and sometimes militancy; linked with groups like the Black Panther Party.

Black Panther Party (1966)

• Group founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale

• Focused on armed self-defence, community programs, and challenging police brutality

Strategies of US Civil Rights Movement

• Non-violent protest (sit-ins, marches, boycotts)

• Media exposure

• Court cases

• And lobbying for federal legislation.

Experiences of African Americans

• Systemic racism

• Segregation in education, housing, jobs, and transport

• Violence and intimidation from white supremacists

• Disenfranchisement.

Indigenous Rights Movements (Australia)

Political and social movements by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (20th century onwards) for land rights, citizenship, equality, and recognition.

Colonisation and Indigenous Dispossession

British settlement from 1788 led to loss of land, massacres, forced displacement, and cultural suppression of Aboriginal peoples.

Stolen Generations

Policy (1910s–1970s) of forcibly removing Aboriginal children from families to take them into white society.

Day of Mourning (1938)

• Protest by Aboriginal leaders on 26 January against 150 years of oppression

• One of the first organised Indigenous rights movements

Aboriginal Progressive Association (APA)

Organisation established in 1920s–30s to campaign for Aboriginal rights, led by Jack Patten and William Ferguson.

Freedom Ride (1965, Australia)

• Led by Charles Perkins and university students to expose racism in NSW towns

• Modelled on US Freedom Rides.

Wave Hill Walk-Off (1966)

• Strike led by Vincent Lingiari and Gurindji people against poor working conditions and for land rights

• Key moment in Indigenous activism

Vincent Lingiari

• Gurindji leader of the Wave Hill Walk-Off

• Later symbolically given back land by PM Gough Whitlam in 1975.

Charles Perkins

First Aboriginal man to graduate from university in Australia; leader of the 1965 Freedom Ride.

Eddie Mabo

Torres Strait Islander activist who challenged land laws; led to 1992 High Court decision recognising native title.

Mabo Decision (1992)

High Court ruling that overturned "terra nullius" and recognised native title for Indigenous peoples.

1967 Referendum

Vote where 90.77% of Australians supported changing the Constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census and allow federal government to make laws for them.

Aboriginal Tent Embassy (1972)

Protest site outside Parliament House in Canberra demanding land rights, self-determination, and recognition.

Gough Whitlam and Land Rights

In 1975, Whitlam symbolically returned Gurindji land to Vincent Lingiari, marking progress in land rights recognition.

Bringing Them Home Report (1997)

National inquiry into the Stolen Generations; recommended reparations and an official apology.

National Apology (2008)

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s formal apology to the Stolen Generations and acknowledgment of past injustices.

Kevin Rudd

Prime Minister of Australia (2007–2010) who delivered the National Apology in 2008.

ATSIC (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission)

Government body (1990–2005) created to give Indigenous people more say in policies affecting them.

Experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Dispossession, cultural suppression, racism, exclusion from rights, forced child removals, health disparities, and inequality.

Strategies of Indigenous Rights Movement

Protests, referendums, legal challenges, public awareness campaigns, political lobbying, symbolic protests (Tent Embassy).

Differences in experiences (US vs Australia)

• US: Segregation and denial of voting rights

• Australia: Dispossession of land, lack of recognition, Stolen Generations

Similarities between movements

• Both challenged systemic racism

• Protests

• Media

• Legal action

• Inspired by international human rights principles.

Connections between movements

• The US Civil Rights Movement influenced Australian activists like Charles Perkins

• Both used the ideas of equality and justice

Impact of UDHR on Australia

• Encouraged Indigenous activists to argue for their rights as basic human rights.

• Helped guide campaigns for fairness and acceptance.

Impact of UDHR on USA

Strengthened civil rights activists’ arguments by showing US segregation violated international human rights standards.

Non-violent protest

Strategy used in both US and Australia to attract public support and highlight injustice

• Marches

• Sit-ins

• Boycotts.

Media and Civil Rights

Played a large role in exposing racism and gaining sympathy (in both countries)

Legacy of US Civil Rights Movement

• Brought in major laws

  • Civil Rights Act,

  • Voting Rights Act

• Inspired movements worldwide, but racism and inequality still exist.

Legacy of Indigenous Rights Movement

• 1967 Referendum

• Mabo Decision

• National Apology

Challenges still remain in health, education, and incarceration rates.

What is native title?

• The recognition of the rights and interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to land and waters in Australia

• Based on their traditional laws and customs

What was the impact of native title?

• Overturned the idea of terra nullius (“land belonging to no one”).

• Recognised Indigenous peoples’ connection to their land through traditional laws and customs.

• Led to the Native Title Act (1993), which set out how to make claims.

• Gave some land and water rights back to Indigenous groups.

• Increased recognition and respect for Indigenous culture and identity.

• Caused debate with farmers and miners about land use.

What is the NAACP?

National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People

• fought for civil rights

• challenged segregation

• worked to protect African American voting rights

What is the Native Title Act (1993)?

An Australian law that was passed after the Mabo decision (1992)

• Legally recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ traditional rights to land and waters.

• Sets out the process for claiming native title.

• Provides rules for resolving conflicts between native title and other land interests (like farming, mining, or government use).

• Allows agreements and compensation when native title rights are affected.

How did WWII affect Australia’s economy

It caused a shift from a peacetime to a wartime economy, increasing government spending, production, and employement.

What is a peacetime economy?

An economic system that operates without the direct demands of war, shifting resources from military production to civilian needs.

What is a wartime economy?

An economic system where a nation’s resources and production shift towards war efforts, prioritizing military needs over civilian goods and services.

What industries grew the most during WWII in Australia?

• Manufacturing (weapons, vehicles, munitions)

• Agriculture

• Mining

Expanded to supply the war effort.

How did Australia’s economy shift during WWII?

From mainly farming and mining for exports to industrialised, government-controlled, war-focused production.

How did the war affect employment in Australia?

• Unemployment fallen to lowest it has ever been (0.95%)

• Women entered the workforce in large numbers to replace men at war

How did Australia finance the war?

Through war loans, increased taxation, and government borrowing.

What were shortages like during the war?

Rationing was introduced for food, clothing, petrol, and other essentials due to supply strains.

• Caused personal savings to rise

What long-term economic effects did WWII have on Australia?

• More factories

• Bigger government role in the economy

• Stronger industries after the war

Which country was Australia primarily allied with at the start of WWII?

The United Kingdom

How did Japan’s entry into the war change Australia’s alliances?

Australia turned towards the United States for military support after Japan threatened the Pacific.

What was the significance of the ANZUS treaty?

A post-WWII agreement for military cooperation between Australia, New Zealand, and the US.

How did WWII affect Australia’s relationship with Britain?

Australia became more independent in foreign policy, relying less on Britain and more on the US for security.

How did Australia’s international status change after WWII?

Australia gained more influence in the Pacific and became more active in the United Nations.

What to include when asked the message of a source?

• The main point the author is trying to communicate

• Evidence from the source to support your answer

How to compare and contrast the messages between sources?

• Identify a SIMILARITY between the messages of the two sources

• Identify a DIFFERENCE between the messages of the two sources           

• DO NOT describe the sources 

How to write about the historical context of a source?

• Identify the FOCUS of the source (the main thing the source is about)       

• Identify TWO EVENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES that LED UP to the focus of the source  

• Identify ONE RELEVANT EVENT OR CIRCUMSTANCE happening at A SIMILAR TIME           

• DO NOT describe the source 

How to identify the author’s perspective of a source?

• Name the AUTHOR of the source, and state the author’s VIEW (opinion)  

• Identify the MOTIVE of the source (a past event that motivated the author)           

• Identify the PURPOSE of the source (what the author is trying to achieve) 

How to answer about the extent of the sources accurately representing an event?

• Make an overall JUDGEMENT in response to the question          

• Identify TWO MAJOR THEMES/EVENTS represented in the sources, and EXPLAIN THEIR SIGNIFICANCE     

• Identify TWO MAJOR THEMES/EVENTS not represented in the sources, and EXPLAIN THEIR SIGNIFICANCE 

What to include in extended response?

• Freedom Riders (US)

• Freedom Australia (AU)

• Wave Hill Walk-Off

• March on Washington

• Montgomery bus boycott

• Mabo vs Queensland

What was the Wik Decision?

A 1996 High Court ruling in Australia that found native title can coexist with pastoral leases, meaning Indigenous land rights are not automatically cancelled by those leases.