US GOV

What was the name of the agency that helped formerly enslaved people after the Civil War?

The Freedmen's Bureau.

When was the Freedmen's Bureau established?

1865.

What was the purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau?

To provide formerly enslaved people with food, healthcare and education.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1866 do?

Granted African Americans citizenship rights.

When was the Civil Rights Act passed to grant African Americans citizenship rights?

1866.

What was the name of the 1867 law that divided the South into five military districts?

The First Reconstruction Act.

When was the First Reconstruction Act passed?

1867.

What happened to Andrew Johnson in 1868?

He was acquitted at his impeachment trial by one Senate vote.

Which amendment was ratified in 1868?

The Fourteenth Amendment.

What did the Fourteenth Amendment establish?

Citizenship for people born or naturalised in the United States and equal protection under the law.

What was the name of the amendment that prohibited denying voting rights based on race?

The Fifteenth Amendment.

When was the Fifteenth Amendment ratified?

1870.

What did the Enforcement Acts of 1871 do?

Gave the federal government powers to combat the Ku Klux Klan and protect civil rights.

What was the purpose of the Civil Rights Act of 1875?

To ban racial discrimination in public accommodations.

What happened to key provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 in 1883?

The Supreme Court struck them down.

What was the Compromise of 1877?

A political agreement that led to federal troops withdrawing from the South.

Why was the Compromise of 1877 significant?

The withdrawal of federal troops effectively ended Reconstruction.

What were Jim Crow laws?

Laws enforcing racial segregation and discrimination, particularly in the South.

When did Jim Crow laws become widespread?

From the late nineteenth century onwards, particularly in the South.

Who were Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner?

Radical Republican leaders who supported civil rights and tougher Reconstruction.

Who was Andrew Johnson?

President from 1865 to 1869 who opposed congressional Reconstruction and was impeached but acquitted.

Who were the Radical Republicans?

Republicans who supported stronger civil rights protections and Reconstruction.

What was United States v. Harris?

An 1883 Supreme Court case that limited federal power to prosecute certain acts of violence by private individuals.

How were Black Americans disenfranchised in the 1890s?

Through restrictions such as literacy tests and grandfather clauses.

What was Plessy v. Ferguson?

A 1896 Supreme Court case that established the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

What was the significance of Plessy v. Ferguson?

It provided constitutional justification for racial segregation.

What was Williams v. Mississippi?

A 1898 Supreme Court case that upheld discriminatory voting laws written in race-neutral terms.

Who was Oscar De Priest?

An African American congressman elected to represent Chicago in 1928; he took office in 1929.

What did Executive Order 8802 do?

In 1941, Roosevelt banned racial discrimination in defence industries.

Who pressured Roosevelt to ban discrimination in defence industries?

A. Philip Randolph, through his planned March on Washington in 1941.

What was Smith v. Allwright?

A 1944 Supreme Court case that banned racial exclusion from Democratic Party primaries.

What did Executive Order 9981 do?

On 26 July 1948, Truman ordered equal treatment in the armed forces.

Who ordered desegregation of the US armed forces?

President Harry S. Truman, in 1948.

What was Brown v. Board of Education?

A 1954 Supreme Court case ruling public school segregation unconstitutional.

Who was Emmett Till?

A Black teenager murdered in Mississippi in August 1955; his murder and his killers' acquittal caused national outrage.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1957 do?

Strengthened federal enforcement of voting rights.

Who were the Little Rock Nine?

Nine Black students who integrated an Arkansas high school in 1957 with federal protection.

Who opposed the integration of Little Rock Central High School?

Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus.

What was Boynton v. Virginia?

A 1960 Supreme Court case ruling segregation in interstate bus-terminal facilities unlawful.

Who was Medgar Evers?

An NAACP civil rights activist murdered in Mississippi on 12 June 1963.

What was the March on Washington?

A major civil rights demonstration held on 28 August 1963, attended by around 250,000 people.

Who delivered the 'I Have a Dream' speech?

Martin Luther King Jr., at the March on Washington on 28 August 1963.

What was the significance of the March on Washington?

It drew national attention to demands for civil rights and economic equality.

Who was Thurgood Marshall?

The lead NAACP lawyer in Brown v. Board of Education; he became the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967.

Who was John F. Kennedy?

President who proposed major civil rights legislation in 1963.

What did the Twenty-Fourth Amendment do?

Ratified in 1964; banned poll taxes in federal elections.

When was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed?

2 July 1964.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do?

Banned racial discrimination in public accommodations and employment.

What was Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States?

A 1964 Supreme Court case upholding the Civil Rights Act's ban on racial discrimination in public accommodations.

Who signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

President Lyndon B. Johnson.

What did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 do?

Banned discriminatory voting practices and strengthened federal enforcement.

When was the Voting Rights Act signed?

6 August 1965.

Who signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

President Lyndon B. Johnson.

What were the Watts Riots?

Riots in Los Angeles in summer 1965 linked to racial inequality, poverty and police brutality.

What did Executive Order 11246 require?

Signed in 1965, it required federal contractors to take affirmative action.

What did the Immigration Act of 1965 do?

Ended the national-origins quota system.

What did the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 do?

Strengthened enforcement against employment discrimination.

What was Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education?

A 1969 Supreme Court case requiring school desegregation to proceed immediately.

What was Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education?

A 1971 Supreme Court case upholding court-ordered busing as a means of desegregating schools.

Who was Rodney King?

A Black motorist whose beating by police was filmed in 1991.

When was the Rodney King beating filmed?

3 March 1991.

What caused the 1992 Los Angeles Riots?

The acquittal of officers involved in the filmed beating of Rodney King.

Why were the 1992 Los Angeles Riots significant?

They highlighted anger over police brutality and racial inequality.