History USA - test

Section 2 - Why were people unhappy with the CRM?

Black power - role of individuals

Stokey Carmichael - created a political organisation to represent black Americans (Lowndes County Freedom Organisation)

- May 1966 - elected chairman of SNCC (Students Non-violent Coordinating committee)

- Continued March against fear after murder of James Meredith —> encouraged peaceful protests

Tommie Smith and John Carlos - Mex Olympics 1968: gave black power salute while US national anthem played, booed off stage + racial abuse —> inspired many young people to join BP movement.

Black power - organisations

Black Panthers - Huey Newton and Bobby Seale 1966: confrontational methods of protest (carried guns), attracted media attention (recognisable uniform), White official were not doing enough for black communities, saw themselves as police and social workers (breakfast clubs, patrol streets) 2000 Black panthers across country

Riots

New York - July 1964

Watts, LA - August 1965

Chicago and Cleveland - 1966

Newark and Detroit - 1967

Long term causes of riots

Discrimination by police - harassment of young black men rather than keeping ghettos safe

Discrimination by white officials - no response to complaints

Unemployment - lack of opportunities, jobs often low skilled and paid

Poverty - mostly white landlords provided cramped, crowded, over-priced places

Education - schools were run down, lacked funding

Impact of riots

80% of rioters young black men

Watts riots led many black people to join black power groups

Publicity grew attention to ghetto conditions

Led Johnson to put more money into ghettos

Kerner report 1968

White officials should listen to and involve black communities

Policing should change (brutal to black people + protect ghettos)

Assassination of MLK

4 April 1968 - Memphis, Tenesse shot

Impact of the assassination

Riots in 172 towns and cities

By funeral, 9 April —> 32 black people dead, 3,500+ seriously injured, 27,000 arrested and $45M damage caused

National civil rights groups lost membership, funding, and support from white people

White support for CRM decreased after Civil rights and Voter registration acts passed

King had been the person most white people related to, w/o him increased opposition