History Test- Social Transformations in the US

What had been wanted and needed for marginalized groups in America after WWII?

What had been wanted and needed for marginalized groups in America after WWII?

The movement of the need to secure the same freedom and opportunities for groups of marginalized Americans that other Americans received

What Civil Right Organizations had come from the need to fight for equal opportunities for African Americans?

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Which organization had Martin Luther King worked in the most?

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

What was the NAACP known for, and what did it do?

This organization played a pivotal tole in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. The key victory for this organization was the US Supreme Court’s decision in Brown Vs. Board of Education, which had outlawed segregation in public schools.

The head of the NAACP legal defense and education fund, Thurgood Marshall, a pioneered civil rights attorney, had successfully argued the case before the court. He would go on to serve the 1st African American supreme court justice after many years of serving the causes of the NAACP

Who was Rosa Parks and what had she done?

Rosa Parks was an African American seamstress had refused to give up her seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. She had been arrested and fined.

In response to this there had been the 1st ever large-scale protest against segregation, with many African Americans boycotting through buses throughout Montgomery. 75% of African Americans had constituted bus rides in the city.

Once there had been demands for the end of segregation on buses, a federal court in Al. had ruled that segregated buses was a violation of the 14th Amendment, which had stated that all people were guaranteed equal protection under the law

When had the segregation of buses end?

After 381 days of protest

What was the SCLC and what did they do?

Following the victory of the Montgomery Boycott, Martin Luther King Jr. had invited 60 black ministers and leaders to Ebenezer Church in Atlanta.

Later the SCLC was founded and had become highly influential in civil rights organizations that worked to end segregation throughout the South.

The goal of the organization was to coordinate and support nonviolent and direct action as a method to desegregate bus systems across the South.

What were Freedom Riders and what did they stand for?

They strived to further the goals of civil rights activists and made it a goal to protest everywhere there had been segregation in bus terminals.

They specifically drove protestors to these specific locations, where they would then attempt to use “whites-only” bathrooms and lunch counters throughout the South. This led to arrests and occasionally violence against the protesters.

This brought international attention to the civil rights movement and helped drive awareness to their struggle

What was the March On Washington?

What had also been known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, this event had aimed to draw attention to continuing challenges and inequalities faced by African Americans a century after emancipation.

How many protesters arrived in Washington in August of 1963?

250,000

What had these protesters demanded?

They had demanded equality for African Americans and job opportunities in America.

What speech had Martin Luther King Jr. give during this time and what did he announce within it?

During this time he had given his “I have a dream” speech in which he announced the tolling at the end of the bells of freedom from one end of the other. This event invigorated civil rights movements across the US in new calls for Social equality.

What had happened when the US was experiencing an era of unprecedented prosperity and economic growth?

Increased demand for goods and services

Growth of suburbs

Baby boom

What had the US been able to achieve during the post-war period?

The ability to consolidate the position as the worlds richest Country.

What had happened from 1945-55 due to the major opportunity growth?

Sales of cars had doubled and affordable mortgages paved the way for a housing boom.

What changes had workers then faced?

The decline of people producing goods, and the incline of more providing services as class distinction began to fade away between classes in the middle of the spectrum

What had farmers been dealing with?

Major changes due to major companies purchasing and maintaining large farms, which had forced many family farm owners to leave the land for city work and life.

What had happened when many moved from the cities to the suburbs?

Businesses would change to accommodate moving patterns, major shopping centers would spring up across the nation, providing more shopping options and convenience then ever before.

What was the baby boom?

With the end of WWII, more babies had been born in 1946 than ever before: 3.4 million, 20% more than in 1945. This had been the beginning of the baby boom. In 1947, 3.8 million babies had been born, and in 1952 3.9 million had been born. From the years 1954-1964, more than 4 million babies had been born every year.

Due to the baby boom, what had been made in the 60s?

So called “baby boomers” a powerful voice in the nation, with youth steering the election unlike ever before in American history. This youth played a very important role in the many movements that would take place for civil rights

What medical advancements had also taken place during this time?

Surgical techniques had grown rapidly, such as transplants for organs and many vaccines, such as the polio vaccine being developed

What part of the transportation industry greatly improved during this time as well?

The automobiles improved at a rapid rate and the invention of passenger jet planes to make travel easier.

What had nuclear power plants introduced?

Cleaner and much more efficient power source than coal factories that had seen widespread use early in over industrial history.

Why did Lyndon Johnson become President?

Because of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

What plan did Lyndon Johnson come up with and what were these goals?

He came up with a plan known as the Great Society and the goals had been to

End poverty

Reduce inequality

and improve the environment

What had been created to help the underprivileged break the poverty cycle by helping them develop job skills, further their education, and find work?

The office of Economic Opportunity and the Economic Opportunity Act

What had been given to those who who offered jobs to the unemployed?

They were given loans and guarantees

What had been provided to farmers?

Funds to purchase land and establish agricultural co-ops

What had become law quickly after Johnson became president?

Medicare and Medicaid

What did Medicare cover?

Hospital and physician costs for the elderly who qualified

What did Medicaid cover?

Covered Healthcare costs for people getting cash assistance from the government

What act had been passed in 1965 and what did it guarantee?

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Guaranteed federal funding for education in school districts whose student majority was low income

Funded preschool programs

Supported school libraries

Purchased school textbooks

Provided special education services

What did the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 provide?

Due to the poor housing left by those who left the city for suburbs, this act provided federal funds to cities. This law also provided easier access to home mortgages and a controversial rent-subsidy program for vulnerable Americans who qualified for public housing

Water Quality Act (1965)

Set national water quality standards

Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act

Formed the first vehicle emissions standards.

How did some people feel towards Johnson and what he had been doing?

Some resented why they had saw as government handouts and felt the government should butt out of American’s lives altogether

What had Nixon done?

Made a campaign promise to undo much of the Great Society legislation with limited success hoping to still help the needy but cut costs immensely