Developments, 1960–62 Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

What happened at Greensboro, North Carolina, on 1 February 1960?

Four Black college students sat at a whites-only Woolworth's lunch counter and refused to leave when they were refused service. The sit-ins spread to over 50 cities and SNCC was founded in April 1960.

Why did the Freedom Riders ride interstate buses into the South in 1961?

To test the Supreme Court ruling that segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals was illegal, by travelling in mixed-race groups.

True or false? The Freedom Riders of 1961 were all Black Americans.

False. Black and white activists, organised by CORE and later SNCC, rode together.

What happened at Anniston, Alabama, on 14 May 1961?

A Ku Klux Klan mob firebombed a Freedom Riders' bus and beat the riders as they escaped. The publicity shocked the nation and pushed Kennedy's government to act.

What was the James Meredith case (1962)?

Meredith, a Black air force veteran, won a court ruling allowing him to enrol at the all-white University of Mississippi. Riots followed and Kennedy sent federal marshals and troops to protect him.

What happened when the Freedom Riders reached Birmingham, Alabama, in May 1961?

Ku Klux Klan members beat them at the bus station. Police chief Bull Connor kept his officers away, claiming most were off duty for Mother's Day.

What federal action followed the Freedom Rides in September 1961?

The Interstate Commerce Commission banned segregation in bus terminals serving interstate travellers, showing the Freedom Rides had succeeded.