The civil rights movement, 1965–75 Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

What were the riots of 1965–67?

Riots in Black ghettos in cities such as Watts, Los Angeles (1965) and Newark and Detroit (1967), usually sparked by a police incident and fuelled by poverty, unemployment and poor housing.

True or false? The Kerner Report (1968) blamed the riots mainly on Black agitators.

False. It blamed white racism, poverty and discrimination, warning the USA was moving towards 'two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal'.

What was King's campaign in Chicago (1966)?

A campaign against slum housing and discrimination in the North. It achieved very little: his non-violent tactics worked less well outside the South and he met violent white opposition and divisions among activists.

When and where was Martin Luther King assassinated, and what was the immediate impact?

Shot in Memphis, Tennessee on 4 April 1968 by James Earl Ray. Riots broke out in over 100 cities.

Give one sign of progress in civil rights by 1975.

Legal segregation and voting restrictions had been ended by the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965), and the number of Black elected officials rose sharply.

Give one way civil rights progress was still limited by 1975.

Most Black Americans remained poorer than white Americans, and de facto segregation in housing and schools continued, especially in northern cities.

How far did school segregation in the South fall between 1968 and 1974?

The share of Southern Black children in segregated schools fell from 68% to 8%, helped by bussing, which the Supreme Court backed in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg (1971).