Civil Rights Era Quiz

Brown v. Board of Ed. was a landmark decision that set in motion the integration of America’s public schools. Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall determined that the very notion of segregation was inherently unequal — reversing the over fifty-year-old policy that had been backed by the Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896.

Arkansas governor Orval Faubus resisted integration of the Little Rock school with all of his might. He mobilized the Arkansas National Guard and did little to discourage or even control local protesters. Once the federal courts ruled that Faubus had to allow the integration, Eisenhower backed the decision with a threat of force if the students were not allowed to enter the school; the Little Rock 9, as they were called, became the first African Americans to integrate Central High.

Despite losing three quarters of their ridership due to the boycott, the Montgomery bus companies held firm in their resolve to maintain segregated seating on busses. It was not until the Supreme Court intervened and ordered the end to bus segregation that the boycott would end and African Americans would once again ride the Montgomery busses.

Heavily influenced by the inspirational protests of Mahatma Gandhi, King saw civil disobedience as a way for African Americans to protest their unfair treatment while still adhering to moral and ethical principles.

The Freedom Riders faced horrible treatment throughout their bus rides through the South in the spring and summer of 1961. On many occasions they faced verbal abuses, unlawful arrests, and even physical assaults for their efforts to test the enforcement of desegregation laws. As a result of the Freedom Rides, the Supreme Court put forth more detailed desegregation rules that specifically focused on interstate travel and transportation centers.

James Meredith’s enrollment in the University of Mississippi caused violent riots resulting in the deaths of two people. President Kennedy himself had to intervene and send in federal troops to escort Meredith on campus to ensure his safety.

Kennedy’s televised address to the nation following the assassination of Medgar Evers defined civil rights as a “moral issue” and set in motion Kennedy’s efforts to make federal civil rights legislation a priority.

President Kennedy proposed a bill in 1963 that would serve as the framework for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although Kennedy’s version stalled in Congress, President Johnson would take up the mantle following Kennedy’s assassination and continue the push for federal anti-discrimination protections.

The 1963 march on Washington D.C. saw a quarter of a million Americans descend upon the nation’s capital to show their support for civil rights legislation. In a testament to the SCLC’s core beliefs, there were no reported incidents of physical altercations or violence. Also of note, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech as a part of the historic gathering.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation for the civil rights movement. The law would give civil rights activists strong legal grounds to sue against discriminatory practices. Additionally, the law’s passage reflected the sizable growth in support the movement had generated over the past decade.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the SCLC wanted to draw attention to the continued difficulties being faced by African Americans trying to exercise their right to vote. The march on Selma ended with a brutal attack on the marchers by the Alabama state police. The assault was filmed and broadcast on television across the nation resulting in massive public outcry and a huge boost in public support for the eventual passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Black Power was a movement focusing on African Americans developing their own communities and cultural enclaves that were separate from what they deemed the oppression and injustice of a racially charged American culture. The Black Power movement did not restrict their acts of protest and rebellion to nonviolent means as the more mainstream civil rights activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had.

The Black Panther Party took a markedly different approach to protesting the abuses and poverty suffered by African Americans (specifically in the inner cities). One of the key components of the Black Panther Party’s platform was advocating violence as a part of their “by any means necessary” approach to fighting for rights and legal reforms.

Following a rash of inner-city riots throughout the summers of 1965, 1966, and 1967, King’s assassination set off a firestorm of violent uprisings in hundreds of American cities. Racial tensions and divisions in American culture remained high.

Malcolm X, as a member of the radical separatist group the Nation of Islam, initially pushed for African Americans to face their injustices head-on by any means necessary. Following an Islamic pilgrimage to Africa and the Middle East, Malcolm X ended his association with the Nation of Islam and its racist stance of black supremacy. Instead, he adopted a belief that African Americans would benefit more from a message of self-determination and self-defense than from further calls for aggression and violence.

The Equal Pay Act was a landmark policy backed by President Kennedy in his efforts to promote gender equality. Women saw other gains during the 1960s and 1970s largely due to the efforts of rising feminist groups like the National Organization of Women. Over the two decades, women made strides in areas like ending unfair employment practices, access to federal education funding, college enrollment, and political representation.

Cesar Chavez organized migrant farm workers in an effort to secure a better life for the laborers who were responsible for producing the majority of the nation’s food supply. These predominantly Mexican American workers were travelling between farms trying to secure work, and getting paid low wages. Some Americans stood by the workers and their strike efforts by refusing to buy certain farm products. These successful boycotts of farm produce helped the United Farm Workers gain increases in wages and more agreeable working conditions.

The Hispanic American population surged throughout the 1960s and 1970s. By expanding the Voting Rights Act to include the creation of voting materials in languages other than English, Hispanic Americans and other immigrant populations were afforded the opportunity to participate in the most fundamental American democratic process.

Native Americans made large political and legal strides throughout the 1960s. Much like other minority groups, their efforts pushed for cultural recognition, legal protection, and political representation. While Native American groups continued to face challenges related to disease, poverty, and a lack of access to employment, the actions of the American Indian Movement and the National Congress of American Indians demonstrated an organized effort to evoke positive change.

Disability rights activists won key protections and rights for disabled Americans in the 1970s. Among them, the Rehabilitation Acts provided increased and equal access to things like education, public transportation, public buildings, and employment opportunities.