Flashcards
USA notes p2
Cards in this deck (21)
- 1Black Power significance P1Stokely Carmichael was one of the
marchers with Meredith. He became
the new leader of the SNCC – he had
just been released from prison for a
minor offence- encouraged BA embracing their culture/ features- 'Our noses are broad, our lips are thick, our hair is nappy, we are black and beautiful!' - 2Black Power significance P2The Panthers wore uniforms and were prepared to use weapons. Members were trained to use guns. By the end of 1968, they had 5,000 members in 30 urban cities such as Chicago, Boston and New Orleans. They had an impact;
their newsletter had a circulation of approx. 250,000 by 1969.
they had 40 clinics advising in health, welfare and legal rights. Raising awareness of illnesses such as sickle cell anaemia.
They gave free breakfasts to school children in ghettos, set up schools with a curriculum that embraced black culture. - 3Black PowerTwo black athletes giving the Black Power salute at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Tommie Smith won the 200m race in a world record time of 19.83 secs. John Carlos came third- very public
- 4Black power- but...Olympians were sent home in disgrace and received death threats.
Panthers had shootouts with the police. In 1969, 27 Panthers were killed and 700 injured in clashes with the police. This violence lost the Black Panther Party support.
They were constantly targeted by the FBI and were disbanded in 1981. - 5Impact of Malcolm X P1Converted many BA to a new religion- The Nation of Islam grew from a mere 400 members at the time he was released from prison in 1952, to 40,000 members by 1960.
He helped raise awareness about the teachings of the religion, challenging misconceptions and stereotypes. Malcolm X highlighted Islam’s principles of equality, justice, and unity, which resonated with many African Americans seeking spiritual and ideological alternatives to oppressive systems. - 6Malcolm X significance P2Provided an alternative to Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a racially integrated society achieved by peaceful means. He spoke passionately at rallies - big gatherings - and events and lots of people listened to his messages.
achieve rights 'by any means necessary' - 7Malcolm X civil rights P3In 1964, Malcolm X established the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) with the goal of unifying African Americans and promoting their political, economic, and social empowerment.
The OAAU sought to address issues such as police brutality, unequal access to education and employment, and the disenfranchisement of African Americans. It aimed to provide a platform for African Americans to come together, organize, and work towards common goals. - 8Raegan significance P1He appointed the conservative William
Rehnquist to the Supreme Court in 1986.
He had a long history of hostility towards
civil rights. He had opposed the 1964 Civil
Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights
Act. He had also initially opposed the
decision to mark Martin Luther King’s
birthday as a national holiday. - 9Raegan Significance P2holiday. In 1988 he
was the first president to veto a civil
rights bill (the Civil Rights Restoration
Act) since 1866. Congress overrode his
veto. - 10Raegan significance P3There were significant reductions in
federal aid programmes such as
Medicare and Medicaid (aid for families
with dependent children and food
stamps). Around 20% of African
Americans were dependant on these aid
programmes. - 11Civil rights orgs- SCLC, SNCC, CORE- P1SNCC/ CORE- Freedom Rides in May 1961, teams of activists rode buses in mixed racial groups into and across the South. Diane Nash, one of the few prominent women in the sit-in movement and a founding member of SNCC, helped organize the protest and recruit riders-Met with violent resistance on the part of local law enforcement and white segregationist Southerners. That November, the Interstate Commerce Commission finally mandated the full desegregation of all interstate travel facilities
- 12Civil rights orgs- SCLC, SNCC, CORE- P2, P3SCLC- contributed to civil rights act- march on Washington/ Birmingham
Aware that Black people would lack true power in the U.S. without registering to vote, CORE participated in 1964’s Freedom Summer, a campaign started by the SNCC with the goal of registering Black voters in Mississippi to vote and participate in the political process. - 13Civil rights orgs butFreedom summer- negatives- The growing skepticism toward nonviolence resulted in leadership changes in the group, with national director James Farmer resigning in 1966. He was replaced by Floyd McKissick, who embraced a militant approach to eradicating racism. During McKissick’s tenure, CORE focused on Black empowerment and nationalism and distanced itself from its former pacifist ideology- turning away from civility
- 14Nixon- P1e. He supported the policy of Affirmative Action, introduced by the Democrats- idea that the best way to improve the lives of black people and other minorities was to discriminate in their favour. This policy generated opposition from Republicans who believed it was illegal under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, trade unionists and black leaders (who said it slowed change). By 1972, affirmative action policies had been extended to over 300,000 firms,
- 15Nixon P2f. According to advisors of Nixon, he believed in black capitalism. He was opposed to hand outs, rather preferring to
help disadvantaged groups via capitalism. Minority businesses got $8 million through government contracts at the
start of the Nixon Presidency, by 1972 the Minority Business Enterprise was receiving $242 million. - 16Nixon but...1) In the 1968 election, Nixon assured those opposed to integration in education he
would not withhold federal funds from school districts that were slow to follow the Supreme Court rulings.
2)He nominated conservative justices to the Supreme Court who were generally opposed to the ideas of
desegregation. He refused to back the Supreme Court when it ruled in favour of using bussing to integrate schools,
e.g. in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg 1971 Case. - 17Nixon but... P23)in Reader Digest Magazine in 1967. He said the lawlessness was down to the
tolerance of civil rights groups. He used the FBI to suppress the Black Panthers. He opposed the idea of the birthday of MLK being a national holiday. He did not like meeting with black leaders, the meetings were often fruitless - 18Carter1) By the 1970s he was more liberal.
He appointed more African Americans and Hispanics to be federal judges than any President before him: number of
black judges rose from 4% in 1977 to 9% in 1981. Carter appointed two black women to his cabinet
2)The impact of the Voting Rights Act became apparent. In the 11 southern states the number of black voters rose
from 1.5 million in 1960 to 4.3 million in 1980.
3) An increasing number of US cities were electing black mayors:
Tuskagee, Alabama elected their first black major in 1972, Birmingham and Atlanta soon followed. In Charlotte the
election of the first black mayor was only possible as a result of white support. Branches of local government were
following suit, e.g. police forces were also becoming more racial integrated. - 19Carter- but1)Bussing continued to be an issue. The 1974 Milliken v Bradley Supreme Court ruling became a turning point. It
said bussing across school districts in Detroit was unconstitutional. The case was brought by the NAACP, it was
the first case in 20 years that did not approve a desegregation order.
2)The economic climate of the 1970s was not positive; recessions and an oil crisis of 1979. During this time the
unemployment gap between whites and African Americans widened. Unemployment levels amongst African
Americans were twice that of whites, for black youths it exceeded 30%.
3) The economic climate of the 1970s was not positive; recessions and an oil crisis of 1979. During this time the
unemployment gap between whites and African Americans widened. Unemployment levels amongst African
Americans were twice that of whites, for black youths it exceeded 30%. - 20Roosevelt1) Roosevelt was the first President since the 1870s to denounce lynching and brand the act as murder.
2) Roosevelt brought further change to the civil rights of black Americans through his cabinet being made up of several progressive politicians. Harold Ickes was Secretary of the Interior, whilst also being a President of the Chicago branch of the NAACP. Harry Hopkins was sympathetic to the black plight and supervised New Deal programmes.
3) . Those close to President Roosevelt showed their support of black Americans. Eleanor Roosevelt supported the National Committee to Abolish the Poll Tax as well as promoting National Sharecroppers week in 1940. - 21Roosevelt- butfailed to support attempts to bring in anti-lynching bills in, in 1934, 1935 and 1937-8 as well as changes to the poll tax and literacy test.