Aice U.S. History A-level Civil Rights 1950s

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Established to investigate communist infiltration, investigated Hollywood, the Hollywood Ten, Red Channels and blacklisting, loyalty oaths

FBI

Surveillance and investigation of suspected communists, coordination with HUAC and Senate Subcommittee, support for McCarthyism, impact on civil liberties

Rise of McCarthyism

Senator McCarthy's rise to prominence through accusations of communist infiltration, targeting well-known officials

Decline of McCarthy

Eisenhower's disapproval, McCarthy's accusations against the US Army, Eisenhower's use of executive privilege, McCarthy's censure by the Senate

Eisenhower

Republican president in the 1950s, focused on fiscal conservatism and moderate policies

Adlai Stevenson

Democratic candidate who ran against Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956

Korean War

Conflict in Korea from 1950 to 1953 involving the US and other nations

Checkers Speech

Speech by Nixon defending himself against accusations of impropriety

Corruption

Allegations of unethical behavior, a campaign issue in 1952

Economic Prosperity

Focus on financial well-being and growth, a key issue in the 1956 campaign

Modern Republicanism

Eisenhower's approach balancing individual freedom and government assistance

Fiscal Conservatism

Economic policy advocating for reduced spending and balanced budgets

Federal-Aid Highway Act

Legislation authorizing the construction of the Interstate Highway System

Civil Rights Act of 1957

Legislation aimed at protecting voting rights of African Americans

Jackie Robinson

First African-American MLB player, symbolizing racial equality

Executive Order 9981

Truman's order desegregating the US Armed Forces

Brown v. Board

Landmark Supreme Court case overturning school segregation

Emmett Till

African American teenager brutally murdered, sparking civil rights activism

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest against segregation sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Organization founded by MLK Jr. to fight segregation through nonviolent means

Examples of resistance to the civil rights movement

Southern opposition to desegregation, including laws and violence

Little Rock Nine

African-American students blocked from entering a school, leading to federal intervention

NAACP

Organization providing legal support for civil rights cases

Thurgood Marshall

Key attorney in Brown v. Board, fighting for desegregation

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist who sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, says she got her motivation from Emmet Till

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights leader advocating for nonviolent protest and equality

Earl Warren

Chief Justice leading the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board decision

Executive order 9981

An executive order issued by President Harry S. Truman in 1948 that abolished racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces and established equality of treatment and opportunity.

Eisenhower Recession

Characterized by a sharp contraction in economic activity, high unemployment rates, and a decline in industrial production

followed a period of rapid economic growth in the United States during the 1950s, known as the Golden Age of Capitalism

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

Non-violent, civil disobedience organization

CORE’s restaurant sit-ins

In the early 1940’s, CORE worked to integrate Chicago restaurants and buisnesses using sit-ins and other non-violent actions

CORE’s principles

Strict devotion to interracial membership

Hoped to create an interracial, nonviolent army that would end racial segregation in America, employing Ghandi’s peaceful protesting 

Changes to the Supreme Court

The appointment of Earl Warren as chief justice of the Supreme Court in 1953 signaled the beginning of a more liberal interpretation of the Constitution regarding civil rights matters

Senator Strom Thurmond

Signed the Southern Manifesto, opposing the decision in Brown v.s. Board, pledging to use all lawful means to reverse the decision

Conducted the longest one person filibuster in Senate History against the Senate debate over the Civil Rights Act of 1957

By 1963, ten years after the decision in Brown v.s. Board, what percent of students in the South attended integrated schools?

1.2 percent

Who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)?

Martin Luther King, Rustin Bayard, Ralph Abernathy

What did Eisenhower do for the Little Rock Nine?

Sent the 101st airborne to Little Rock to allow the nine black students to enter school

Why was the 101st airborne sent to Little Rock?

The national guard of Arkansas was preventing the Little Rock Nine from attending school, so the federal army needed to come to enforce integration

Why did Orval Faubus not allow the integration of Little Rock highschool

He risked losing political support in the upcoming 1958 Democratic gubernatorial primary if he showed support for integration

Orval Faubus

Governor of Arkansas from 1955 to 1967

June 5, 1956, one of Montgomery Alabama’s federal courts ruled that_______ in the wake of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Any law requiring racially segregated seating on buses violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

How long did the Montgomery bus boycott last for?

381 days

What followed the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

Integration of the bus system was met with significant resistance and violence

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 establish?

The United States Commission on Civil Rights and the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1960 do?

established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote.

Civil Rights Act of 1960 purpose

To more effectively enforce what was set forth in the 1957 act through eliminating certain loopholes in it, and to establish additional provisions.

How did the Civil Rights Act of 1960 help desegregate schools?

It imposed criminal penalties for obstruction of court orders to limit resistance to the Supreme Court's school desegregation decisions.

Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-Ins

Began in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960 when four African American college students peacefully occupied a segregated lunch counter.

The Greensboro Four names

Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and David Richmond

The lunch counter sit-ins impact

These protests led to a nationwide wave of sit-ins, inspiring thousands of young people to join the movement for civil rights. The activism around lunch counters played a crucial role in raising public awareness about racial inequality and helped pave the way for significant legislative changes.

Why lunch counters in the lunch counter sit-ins?

Lunch counters represented not only a place for food but also a social gathering spot that highlighted the everyday discrimination faced by African Americans.

Freedom Riders

Civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States in 1961 to challenge and protest against racial segregation in public transportation.

Freedom Riders backlash

Many Freedom Riders faced violent backlash from segregationists, particularly in Alabama, leading to brutal attacks and arrests by law enforcement.

Freedom Riders challenging social norms

Directly challenged the entrenched social norms of segregation by taking integrated buses into the Deep South.

Freedom Riders influencing public opinion

Their courage to confront hostile segregationists highlighted the injustice of Jim Crow laws, prompting widespread media coverage that drew national attention to racial discrimination. This exposure shifted public opinion, rallying support for civil rights initiatives and putting pressure on government officials to take action against segregation.

Resistence to integration from. Brown v. Board

Some school districts temporarily closed public schools rather than integrate, others created private "segregation academies" for white students. Many school boards used "pupil placement laws" to assign students to schools based on factors they could manipulate to maintain segregation. Some communities used threats and violence to keep Black students from attending white schools

The SCLC’s purpose

To organize Black churches and ministers to support civil rights work.The SCLC recognized that churches played a central role in Black communities and used their moral authority and organizational resources to promote civil rights.

What percent of Montgomery Alabama’s bus systems riders were African American?

75 percent

How many African Americans boycotted the Montgomery bus system on December 5th?

approcimately 40,000

What was the significance of carpooling during the bus boycott?

To ensure the boycott did not dissipate, black leaders in charge of the boycott organized around 4,000 carpool stations around Montgomery to act as an alternative to riding the bus

Who was Emmett Till?

14 year old African American boy from Chicago who was brutally murdered by members of the KKK during a visit to his family in Mississippi

What was the impact of Emmett Till’s murder?

The extreme torture enacted on Till, combined with the fact that Till’s mother allowed magazines to publish photos of Till’s open casket, shocked the nation. His death received mass media attention, alerting Americans to the brutality enacted on African Americans (especially for petty crimes like the one Till was accused of) 

What was Rosa Park’s relationship with the NAACP?

Parks worked as a part-time secretary at the NAACP, and when Parks was arrested she was backed up by lawyers from the NAACP

Violence after Montgomery court de segregated the bus system

Snipers began firing into buses: in one case, a shooter shattered both legs of a pregnant African American passenger.

In January 1957, four black churches, along with the homes of prominent black leaders, were bombed; a bomb at King’s house was defused.

On January 30th, 1957, the Montgomery police arrested seven of these bombers. All were members of the KKK.