8.6: Early Steps in the Civil Rights Movement (1940s–1950s)

Which of the following was an early success for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1940s?

• Brown v. Board of Education

• The Voting Rights Act

• Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball

• The formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

How did President Harry Truman contribute to the Civil Rights Movement?

• He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964

• He ordered the desegregation of the military

• He participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott

• He refused to support any civil rights initiatives

Which Supreme Court decision overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson?

• Brown v. Board of Education

• Roe v. Wade

• Dred Scott v. Sandford

• Marbury v. Madison

What was the significance of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

• It resulted in the immediate desegregation of all buses in the United States

• It led to a Supreme Court ruling that segregation laws were unconstitutional

• It was a short-lived protest with no long-term effects

• It was organized solely by Rosa Parks without any outside support

What role did the NAACP play in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1940s and 1950s?

• It focused on economic protests and boycotts

• It worked through the court system to challenge segregation

• It organized violent protests against segregation

• It focused on electing African American politicians

What was the purpose of the Southern Manifesto issued in response to Brown v. Board of Education?

• To support the Supreme Court’s decision

• To encourage civil rights activists

• To protest the ruling and resist desegregation

• To call for federal enforcement of school integration

Which statement best describes the difference between the NAACP’s legal strategy and Martin Luther King Jr.’s direct-action approach in the 1950s?

• The NAACP focused on legal challenges, while King emphasized nonviolent protests like boycotts and sit-ins.

• The NAACP supported violent resistance, while King advocated for working within the legal system.

• King’s movement only operated in the South, while the NAACP only focused on the North.

• Both the NAACP and King ignored the role of federal government intervention.

How did the Cold War influence the Civil Rights Movement in the 1940s and 1950s?

• It had no impact on civil rights because it was a foreign policy issue.

• The U.S. government sought to improve its global reputation by addressing racial injustices at home.

• The Soviet Union provided direct financial support to civil rights organizations.

• Civil rights activists focused entirely on fighting communism instead of racial discrimination.

The Little Rock Nine crisis in 1957 highlighted the conflict between ____.

• A) state governments and the Supreme Court over school segregation.

• B) African American activists and the federal government over voting rights.

• C) the NAACP and Martin Luther King Jr. over civil rights tactics.

• D) Southern Democrats and the Republican Party over New Deal policies.

Why do historians consider Brown v. Board of Education a turning point in U.S. history?

• It immediately ended segregation in all aspects of American life.

• It demonstrated the Supreme Court’s support for states’ rights.

•  It overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and inspired future civil rights activism.

• It led to widespread Southern acceptance of desegregation policies.