ush - 8.3 reading notes

what were the goals of the freedom summer?

• to flood mississippi to register african americans to vote

• form the mfdp, an alt to msissippi all-white regular democratic party, to give african americans a voice in the state politics

what setback did the mfdp have at the democratic convention?

• the democrats refused to seat the mfdp

• they would seat two mfdp members as at-large delegates and reform the nomination rules to guarantee greater minority representation in the future

what happened on bloody sunday?

• heavily armed state troopers and other authorities attacked the marchers as they tried to cross the bridge

explain the voting rights act of 1965

• banned literacy tests and empowered the federal government to oversee voting registration and elections in states that had discriminated against minorities

• in 1975, it expanded to cover hispanic voters in the southwest

what was the 24th amendment?

• banned the poll tax, which had been used to keep poor african americans from voting

• laid the groundwork for the voting rights act

what impact did the 24th amendment have?

• african american participation in politics skyrocketed

• in mississippi, the percentage of african americans registered to vote jumped from under 7 percent in 1964 to about 7- percent in 1986

• nationwide, the number of african american elected officials rose from fewer than 100 to more than 6000 by the mid-1980s

how were the race riots of the 1960s different that previous race riots?

• in previous race riots, whites had used violence to keep african americans in their place

• now, blacks wee using violence against police and white business owners in black neighborhoods

what was the kerner commission and what did it recommend?

• established by president johnson to determine the cause of the riots

• concluded that long-term racial discrimination stood as the single most important cause of violence

• recommended establishing and expanding federal programs aimed at overcoming the problems of america’s urban ghettos

who was malcolm x and what was his view on civil rights?

• most-well known african american radical, born malcolm little in omaha, nebraska

• adopted x to represent his lost african name, arguing that “little” was a slave name

• he preached a message of self-reliance and self-protection

• called for black pride and spread the idea of black nationalism, a belief in the separate identity and racial unity of the african american community

according to carmichael, what did black power mean?

• a movement in the 1960s that urged african americans to use their collective power politically/economically to gain equality

who were the black panthers and what were their goals?

• founded by huey newton and bobby seale in oakland, ca

• a symbol of the young militant african americans

• organized armed patrols of urban neighborhoods to protect people from police abuse

• created antipoverty programs

• garnered attention when they entered the state capitol in sacramento carrying shotguns and wearing black leather jackets and berets to protest attempts to restrict their right to bear arms

what was the poor people’s campaign?

• king’s campaign’s goal to broaden civil rights’ goals to address economic inequality in america

why was dr. martin luther king jr in memphis in april 1968

• part of his poor people’s campaign methods

• offered assistance to sanitation workers who were striking for better wages/working conditions

how was his assasination a turning point for civil rights?

• efforts had increased minority participation in the political process and encouraged racial integration

• by the time he died, the civil rights movement had made significant gains

• the impact of his legacy would continue to grow

• his meassages of political equality and economic opportunity for all continue to define political discourse to this day

what was the fair housing act?

• banned discrimination in housing

explain the goal of affirmative action

• a means of closing the economic gap between blacks and whites to increase african american representation in schools/the workforce

explain what california v bakke determined

• - race could be taken into account when admitting students to college

• also ruled that specific racial quotas were not allowed

explain why affirmative action was controversial

• practice had unintended consequences, sometimes hurting the very people it is intended to help

  • minority students accepted through affirmative action at the nation’s most selective universities do not have as high a grad rate as minority students accepted through the regular admissions process at less selective institutions