Minority Rights Flashcards

All 15 cards in this deck

What was the Empire Windrush (1948)?

The ship that brought hundreds of Caribbean migrants to Britain in 1948, marking the start of large-scale post-war immigration from the Commonwealth.

What did the Race Relations Act 1965 do?

Made racial discrimination in public places illegal; it was strengthened by further Race Relations Acts in 1968 and 1976.

Give one cause of the Brixton Riots of 1981.

Unfair policing of the mainly black community, especially the 'Sus' law used to stop and search young black people. Recession, unemployment and poor housing also hit the community hard.

What did the Scarman Report (1981) recommend after the Brixton Riots?

That racially prejudiced behaviour by police should be a sackable offence and that more black and Asian officers should be recruited; an independent Police Complaints Authority was later created.

What did the British Nationality Act 1948 do?

It confirmed that people from the Empire and Commonwealth were British subjects, free to enter Britain and to settle and work there.

Why did many Commonwealth migrants come to Britain in the 1950s?

Britain was short of workers after the war, and employers such as the NHS and London Transport recruited staff from the Caribbean.

Give one example of discrimination faced by migrants in the 1950s and 1960s.

A 'colour bar': some landlords, employers and pubs refused Black and Asian people, so many were forced into overcrowded, overpriced housing.

What were the Notting Hill riots (1958)?

Attacks by white gangs on Caribbean residents in Notting Hill, London, which led to days of violence and highlighted racism in Britain.

What was the Bristol Bus Boycott (1963)?

A campaign led by Paul Stephenson against the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews; the colour bar was dropped after four months.

What did the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 do?

It restricted immigration from the Commonwealth by introducing work vouchers, so many migrants already here brought their families over.

What was Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech (1968)?

A speech by a Conservative MP warning of violence from immigration and calling for repatriation; he was sacked from the shadow cabinet but won much public support.

What did the Race Relations Act 1968 add to the 1965 Act?

It made racial discrimination illegal in housing, employment and public services.

What did the Race Relations Act 1976 do?

It banned indirect as well as direct discrimination and set up the Commission for Racial Equality to enforce the law.

What was Operation Swamp (1981)?

A police operation in Brixton in April 1981 using mass stop-and-search; a stop on 11 April sparked the Brixton Riots.

What did the Macpherson Report (1999) find?

After the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence, it found the Metropolitan Police was 'institutionally racist', showing problems remained after Scarman.