Civil Rights Movement Strengthens - Lecture Notes

This set of flashcards covers key events, people, legislation, and concepts from the strengthening of the Civil Rights Movement, including early legal battles, major protests, landmark Supreme Court cases, federal legislation, and the rise of Black Power.

What 1896 Supreme Court case established the “separate but equal” doctrine?

Plessy v. Ferguson.

What were Jim Crow laws and where were they primarily enforced?

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation in public facilities across the South.

Define de jure segregation and identify the U.S. region where it was most common.

Segregation enforced by law; it prevailed mainly in the South.

Define de facto segregation and identify the U.S. region where it was most common.

Segregation maintained by custom or practice rather than law; it prevailed mainly in the North.

Which civil-rights organization did James Farmer found in 1942 to fight northern segregation?

CORE (Congress of Racial Equality).

What protest tactic, adopted early by CORE, involved occupying seats at segregated facilities?

Sit-ins.

How did World War II help spur the modern Civil Rights Movement for African Americans?

It created job opportunities during labor shortages and highlighted the contradiction of fighting for freedom abroad while lacking it at home.

Which organization used the court system to challenge segregation, especially in education, during the 1940s–50s?

The NAACP.

Who was the NAACP attorney that later became the first African-American Supreme Court Justice?

Thurgood Marshall.

What did the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision declare unconstitutional?

Racial segregation in public schools because it violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

Which 1954 case ruled that Mexican-American children could not be segregated in Texas schools?

Hernandez v. Texas.

Which Arkansas governor ordered the National Guard to block nine Black students from Little Rock Central High in 1957?

Governor Orval Faubus.

How did President Eisenhower respond to the Little Rock crisis?

He sent federal troops to escort and protect the Little Rock Nine, asserting federal authority over state resistance.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 accomplish?

It gave the U.S. attorney general greater power over school integration and protected African-American voting rights.

Whose refusal to surrender her bus seat in December 1955 sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

Rosa Parks.

How long did the Montgomery Bus Boycott last, and what was its legal outcome?

381 days; it ended when the Supreme Court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional.

What two key lessons did the Montgomery Bus Boycott demonstrate to the civil-rights community?

African-American capacity for mass organization and the effectiveness of non-violent resistance.

Where did the first widely publicized sit-in of 1960 take place?

A Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.

What does SCLC stand for, and who helped found it?

Southern Christian Leadership Conference; founded by Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders.

What student-led organization, directed by Ella Baker, coordinated youth involvement in non-violent protest?

SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee).

What were the 1961 Freedom Rides designed to test?

Whether southern states were obeying Supreme Court rulings that desegregated interstate buses and terminals.

Which U.S. president provided federal protection to Freedom Riders after violence in Alabama?

President John F. Kennedy.

Who organized the 1963 March on Washington, and how many people attended?

A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin; more than 250,000 marchers.

Which landmark speech did MLK deliver at the March on Washington?

His “I Have a Dream” speech.

Name two key provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

It prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and banned employment discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, or gender.

Why was Martin Luther King Jr. jailed in Birmingham in April 1963?

He violated a city injunction against protesting during the Birmingham Campaign.

What was the purpose of King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”?

To defend non-violent protest and urge immediate action against injustice rather than waiting for the courts.

In what year did Martin Luther King Jr. win the Nobel Peace Prize?

1964.

What was Freedom Summer (1964) primarily focused on?

Registering African-American voters in Mississippi.

What incident in March 1965 became known as “Bloody Sunday” and contributed directly to new voting legislation?

Violent attacks on marchers during the Selma-to-Montgomery march.

What did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminate, and what was its impact on Black voter registration?

It abolished literacy tests; the number of registered African-American voters tripled.

What did the Kerner Commission (1968) identify as the root cause of urban riots?

White racism and de facto segregation.

To which religious group did Malcolm X belong before his 1964 pilgrimage to Mecca?

The Nation of Islam (Black Muslims).

After visiting Mecca, how did Malcolm X’s views on race change?

He adopted a more inclusive stance toward racial equality and cooperation.

What slogan did Stokely Carmichael popularize as SNCC turned more militant in 1966?

“Black Power.”

Why were the Black Panthers founded in 1966, and what community services did they provide?

To combat police brutality and promote self-sufficiency; they offered free breakfast programs, health clinics, and community patrols.

What was the primary purpose of the Civil Rights Act of 1968?

To ban housing discrimination (Fair Housing Act).

What is affirmative action?

Policy initiatives encouraging employers and institutions to hire or admit groups historically subject to discrimination.

List four long-term gains of the Civil Rights Movement.

Ended de jure segregation, expanded educational opportunities, increased Black political participation, and fostered greater racial pride.

Which two historical figures influenced King’s philosophy of non-violent civil disobedience?

Jesus of Nazareth and Henry David Thoreau.