Opposition to the civil rights movement Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

Why was the Ku Klux Klan opposed to the civil rights movement?

It believed in white supremacy and segregation, and used violent resistance, frequently attacking and murdering civil rights campaigners.

What happened to Emmett Till in 1955?

The Black teenager was murdered in Mississippi after 'wolf-whistling' a white woman in a store; his killers were acquitted by an all-white jury, showing how dangerous the South was.

True or false? Black Americans in the South could rely on the police to protect them from racist violence.

False. Black Americans were not protected by the police and were targeted, even in their own homes, if they campaigned for integration.

Who were the 'Dixiecrats'?

Southern Democrat politicians who wanted to defend segregation and opposed civil rights legislation in Congress.

Why were the White Citizens' Councils set up?

To stop the desegregation of schools and oppose the civil rights movement, as a reaction against desegregation in the South.

How did Senator Strom Thurmond try to stop the Civil Rights Bill in 1957?

The South Carolina Dixiecrat spoke non-stop for over 24 hours, a record filibuster, to delay the bill in the Senate. It still passed.

What was the Southern Manifesto (1956)?

A statement signed by about 100 Southern members of Congress condemning the Brown v. Topeka ruling as an abuse of the Supreme Court's power and encouraging states to resist school desegregation.