Civil Rights Movement and Key Legislation

These flashcards provide definitions and key concepts related to Civil Rights Movement events, legislation, and notable figures.

ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act signed in 1990, aimed for better public access for people with disabilities.

American Indian Movement (AIM)

An organization that monitored police interactions with Indigenous people and reclaimed public property.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed racial, religious, and sex discrimination by employers and empowered the government to desegregate schools.

Civil rights movement

African Americans sought equality before the law and protection of their rights. Many used civil disobedience to achieve their goals

Little Rock 9

The first African-American students to attend an all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)

Formed in 1929, it sought compensation for Japanese Americans interned during World War II.

Civil Rights Act of 1968

Banned racial discrimination in housing, mortgage lending, and rentals.

Cesar Chavez

Co-founder of the United Farm Workers who used hunger strikes and boycotts to advocate for labor rights.

Black Panther Party

Founded in 1966 to demand equal rights for African Americans, prepared for violence if necessary.

Civil Disobedience

A form of protest involving the purposeful breaking of laws that were deemed unjust.

George Wallace

Former Governor of Alabama, known for his segregationist policies.

Orval Faubus

Former Arkansas Governor who called in the State National Guard to prevent the Little Rock 9 from entering Central High School. He closed all Little Rock schools to avoid integration.

Lester Maddox

Former Governor of Georgia who refused to serve blacks in his restaurant in defiance of the Civil Rights Act

Dixiecrats

A group of southern Democratic representatives and senators who united with Republicans to prevent federal involvement in race relations in the U.S.

Wanted to show that many people in the south opposed African Americans having Equal rights

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Outlawed literacy tests and other discriminatory practices used to disenfranchise African American voters.

March on Washington

A 1963 event where over 250,000 people marched to listen to civil rights leaders, featuring MLK's 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Freedom Rides

Organized by SNCC in 1961 to test the integration of interstate transportation in the Southern states.

National rainbow coialation

A political organization that advocated social progress and equal rights for people of color, women and gays

Affirmative Action

Policies designed to increase the representation of minorities in various sectors, especially employment.

24th Amendment

Constitutional amendment that eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite for voting in national elections.

Executive order 9981

Issued by President Truman in 1948 ending segregation in the military

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A protest against bus segregation initiated by Rosa Parks' arrest, leading to the integration of Montgomery's bus system.

Jackie Robinson

The first African American to play in Major League Baseball, renowned for breaking the color barrier.

SNCC

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a youth organization advocating for civil rights through nonviolent means.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

A proposed amendment aimed at guaranteeing equal rights for women, first introduced in 1923.

United Farm Workers

A labor union formed by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to improve working conditions for migrant workers.

Woolworth Sit-in

A nonviolent protest in 1960 where four black students sat at a segregated lunch counter, leading to integration.

NOW

National Organization for Women was started by Betty Friedan. It focused on legal reforms and ending workforce discrimination to promote gender equality.

Kerner Commission

A commission on civil disorders that concluded white racism was a leading cause of riots in the country.

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

An organization founded in 1942, committed to nonviolent direct action for civil rights.

De Facto Segregation

Segregation established by practice and custom rather than law.

De Jure Segregation

Segregation enforced by law, predominantly found in the Southern United States.