D4: 'I Have A Dream', 1954-68

when was brown v. board of education?

may 1954

what was the significance of brown v. board of education?

first time it was acknowledged on a constitutional level that ‘separate is not equal’

define paternalistic.

suggesting that oppressed or weaker members of a group need to be ‘saved’ by more powerful members

when was the NAACP founded?

1909

what did the NAACP’s legal defence fund do to preface the case of brown v. board?

won a series of groundbreaking cases that chipped away at the edifice of segregated university education

= legal foundation for an attack on state-imposed segregation in schools

when did the NAACP pass the marigold report and what was it?

1930 → attacked the doctrine of separate but equal by challenging the inherent inequality of segregation in publicly funded primary/secondary schools

try to remember some of the 5 cases that formed brown v board of education.

• briggs et al. v. elliot et al.

• brown et al. v. topeka, kansas board of education

• boiling v. sharpe

• david v. school board of prince edward county

• bulan v. gebhart + betton v. gebhart

what was significant about briggs et al. v. elliot et al. in brown v. board?

the doll test was used - first use of psychological/scientific testing to demonstrate the harmful effects of segregation

when was the ‘doll test’ and what was the outcome of it in briggs et al. v. elliot et al. in brown v. board?

may 1951 → 10/16 black children said the black doll was the “bad one” of the two

where was the case of boiling v. sharp?

washington DC

how did washington DC’s black population change between 1930-1950?

black population doubled to 280,000 (about 35% of the total population)

what was ironic about washington DC that was highlighted in boiling v. sharpe?

washington DC was the self-proclaimed “capital of the free world”, but had the nations worst living conditions

what was the outcome of brown v. board of education?

by overturning the basis/justification for jim crow, the supreme court opened the door to further change

conceded that education has generational and psychological impact

why was the outcome of brown v. board limited?

it was difficult to enforce and states would continue to segregate

what was ‘brown II’ and when was it issued?

1955 → supreme court makes a further declaration demanding ‘speedy integration’ of schools

what did the south do in response to brown v. board and brown II?

nothing - in 1956 (2 years after brown v. board) not a single school in the south was desegregated

broadly, what is martin luther king synonymous with/a symbol of?

the civil rights movement - despite it taking places over hundreds of years

where did MLK spend most of his adult life?

montgomery, alabama

where was MLK educated/grew up?

• attended segregated public schools in georgia

• studied at 2 predominantly white northern institutions

• got a degree in divinity

why is where MLK grew up v. where he spent his adult life significant to his work as a civil rights activist?

he was from the deep south but worked in the north a lot = experienced state-specific prejudice + discrimination

what was MLK’s occupation (before he was a civil rights activist)?

pastor of a baptist church (increased black consciousness/centre of community)

how is the timing of MLKs contribution to the civil rights movement ideal?

he was born in 1929 = crux of his work was completed as anti-civil rights legislation was being passed

what did the brown v. board of education decision signal for BA and for WA?

BA → the time was right to press forward for racial reform - there had been no room for negotiation on segregation laws before

WA → the need not to concede to the civil rights movement gaining traction

when did MLK accept leadership of the montgomery bus boycott?

december 1955

what was the montgomery bus boycott?

the first great black nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the US

when and what was the trigger for the montgomery bus boycott?

1 december 1955 → rosa parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white person on a bus

why was MLK first approached to become involved in the montgomery bus boycott?

• for the use his baptist church hall for meetings

• he was a pastor = central to the black community + job not financially dependant on the white community

• he had no past affiliations with the movement

why was it essential that someone with no past affiliations with the civil rights movement become the figurehead for the bus boycott?

had they used the NAACP, it would have put a bad rhetoric on their name

evidenced when the NAACP was shut down in places after brown v. board

why was MLK reluctant at first to become involved in the montgomery bus boycott?

he didnt want to risk putting his family in harms way

what organisation was set up to orchestrate the montgomery bus movement?

montgomery improvement association (MIA)

what were the 3 ‘modest’ demands of the MIA at the beginning of the bus boycott?

• a modified system of segregation on buses (meaning black passengers would not be forced to stand)

• better treatment from white bus drivers

• hiring of black bus drivers on predominantly black routes

what was the ‘colour line’ on buses?

the line that constituted segregation - the colour line on buses would move back as more white passengers came on

when did MLK’s involvement in the civil rights movement shift from merely a civic responsibility?

it became a religious calling when he heard a voice telling him that “God is with us. What you are doing is just.”

when did the supreme court finally end segregation on city buses?

november 1956

what was the motivator behind MLK pursuing nonviolent protest for BA?

keeps black people as the victims - nothing incriminating about their actions

+ christian ethics about ‘turning the other cheek’

what did bowder v. gayle (1956) do?

segregation on public transport in cities is unconstitutional

what did boynton v. virginia (1960) do?

segregation in bus depots (waiting rooms for public transport) is illegal

what is critical race theory and what does it mean for BA?

theory that the system is set up to discriminate against anyone that isnt a heteronormative white person

= legislation needs to change for system/foundation to change

i love you

pick me pleaseeeeeeeeee

when was the SCLC formed and who was its president?

• southern christian leadership conference

• formed in 1957

• president was MLK

what 3 ‘wants’ was the SCLC based on?

• WA should not stand by and watch (as a result, term n-gro was dropped)

• BA should “seek justice and reject all injustice”

• had to accept non-violence → “not one hair on one head of one white person shall be harmed”

what was the aim of the SCLC?

to coordinate civil rights groups across the south to create a mass movement

when and where was the SCLC’s albany movement?

1961-2 in albany, georgia

why was the 1961-2 albany movement the SCLC’s “biggest defeat”?

it failed to attract national media coverage and achieved very little overall as police were nonviolent in dismantling the protests

what did the 1961-2 albany movement show MLK about amending his tactics?

he had to take his protests elsewhere where he knew there would be lots of resistance in order to gain national media coverage

when was the SCLC’s birmingham movement?

april-may 1963 in birmingham, alabama

what is the birmingham movement known as?

(arguably) the turning point of the civil rights movement

why was inciting national media coverage with their protests so important for the SCLC?

drawing national media attention was an integral part of encouraging legislation to be passed

why did the birmingham movement attract national media coverage?

the police response was significantly more violent than the albany movement

police used dogs and water cannons to brutally attack the protestors and arrest many of them

what agreement did the birmingham movement lead to and when?

the truce agreement, 10 may 1963

what did the 1963 truce agreement declare after the birmingham movement?

• demanded desegregation e.g. in fitting rooms, wash rooms

• integration within employment

• demanded the creation of a committee on racial problems and employment within 15 days from the cessation of demonstrations

when was the march on washington organised to take place?

august 1963

when does MLK give his ‘i have a dream’ speech?

28 august 1963

how many people come to watch MLK’s ‘i have a dream’ speech?

250,000 on the steps of the lincoln memorial

what did the combination of events in 1963 prompt JFK to do?

to announce on national tv that he would introduce a civil rights bill to congress to outlaw racial discrimination

when does MLK go to norway to receive his nobel peace prize and what for?

1964 → for his work in non-violent protesting and the civil rights movement

what does the march on washington and the nobel peace prize make MLK?

an international figure symbolic of the civil rights movement

what was happening contextually in the cold war in the 1960s?

• bay of pigs

• cuban missile crisis

what does SNCC stand for?

Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee

who were the SNCC?

emerged as a ‘youth-wing’ of the SCLC; grassroots movement of students

what activities of protest did SNCC contribute in?

sit-ins

what are sit-ins?

BA sitting down in places (oftentimes reserved for WA, or segregated places) - threatening established order in southern cities

what did sit-ins by the SNCC result in?

publicity + desegregation of lunch counters across the south

when was the north carolina greensboro woolworth’s sit-in?

1 february 1960

what did SNCC say to promote nonviolence?

“nonviolence nurtures the atmosphere in which reconciliation and justice become actual possibilities”

what does CORE stand for?

congress of racial equality

what sets CORE apart from other major civil rights groups?

CORE was founded in the northern states

when and where was CORE founded?

chicago, 1941

what was the intended purpose of the freedom rides of 1961?

to test the supreme court decisions to make interstate travel desegregated (montgomery desegregation laws)

what were freedom rides?

involved black and white people breaking jim crow laws by sitting together on buses while travelling through the deep south

why might federal intervention at little rock have been inspirational to CORE?

it finally got the state and govt. powers to back the civil rights movement

= a beacon of hope + motivation to push forward

what made the SCLC particularly different from the other civil rights groups?

important in establishing foundational aspects of the movement i.e. nonviolence

what made SNCC particularly different from other civil rights groups?

instrumental in having the youth become involved in the civil rights movement

= new generation more awareness

what made CORE particularly different from other civil rights groups?

integral in creating interstate resistance and publicity for the civil rights movement

what did JFK famously refer to the civil rights movement as?

a ‘moral issue’

what was JFK’s reaction to the brutal repression of the civil rights protests in birmingham?

to put an end to legal segregation in the southern states

when was JFK assassinated?

22 november 1963

who was JFK replaced by after his assassination?

lyndon b. johnson

when was the presidents committee on equal employment opportunity (PCEEO) created and by whom?

JFK created it in march 1961

what was the aim of presidents committee on equal employment opportunity (PCEEO)?

to prevent racial discrimination for all those doing business w/ the federal govt.

what is JFK’s assassination oten cited as in relation to the civil rights act?

as a catalyst that got the civil rights act passed

even after JFK’s assassination, how did racial tensions persist?

• southern (and border state) democrats staged a 75-day filibuster in the senate

• once, a former KKK member spoke for over 14 hours

what 3 things enabled LBJ to guide the civil rights act through congress?

• exploitation of sympathy at JFK’s assassination

• using his wealth of experience

• using his great persuasive skills

when was the civil rights act passed?

july 2, 1964

what did title II (section 2) of the 1964 civil rights act say?

outlawed racial segregation for for all public facilities and accomodation

what did title III (section 3) of the 1964 civil rights act say?

outlawed racial segregation in federal govt.

how did education change under the 1964 civil rights act?

federal finance assistance given to schools to aid racial integration

what did JFK’s 1961 executive order do?

forbade racial segregation in any federal funded programme

+ state govts. who tried to uphold segregation were at risk of losing federal funding

what did the 1964 civil rights act provide for the 1865-70 constitutional amendments?

they now had legal backing

what was a shortcoming of the 1964 civil rights act?

gaining equal civil rights ≠ gaining political, social, and economic advances

i.e. BA still lived in poor areas, poor housing, limited job prospects

how many votes did LBJ win the 1964 elections by?

486 electoral college votes to 52

the largest margins in the history of presidential elections

what did the KKK do in the summer of 1964 after the civil rights act had been passed?

in mississippi → bombed 24 black churches + murdered 3 young civil rights volunteers who were attempting to register voters

how did BA still have issues regarding voting in southern states after the 1964 civil rights act had been passed?

• literacy tests

• poll taxes

  • rigged constitutional tests

why did SNCC activists have to set up the mississippi freedom democratic party (MFDP) in the summer of 1964?

they found it very hard to register black mississippians by normal methods

what was selma intending to show?

that the 1964 civil rights act only created the illusion that things had changed

intended as a black voting registration campaign

why was selma selected for the location of the voting rights campaign?

its similarities to the racist conditions of birmingham

more opposition + resistance = more media coverage

how many people were involved in the third, successful selma march?

25,000 people = the biggest march ever seen in the south

in 1965, how many of selma’s black voters were registered?

2% (about 300 out of 15,000)

what was the impact of selma on the civil rights movement?

the eventual success of the selma march provided an impetus to get the voting rights act over the line

when was the voting rights act passed?

august 1965