2F2C: The Civil Rights Movement of 1950s and 1960s

Why was the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education considered a turning point in the fight for civil rights?

• It only applied to new schools built after the case and had limited impact

• It overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine, declaring school segregation unconstitutional

• It allowed segregated schools to remain open but with more funding

• It upheld segregation but required schools to integrate sports teams

What made Rosa Parks' actions on a Montgomery bus significant to the Civil Rights Movement?

• She was the first woman to protest segregated train travel in the South

• Her arrest sparked a year-long boycott that challenged bus segregation laws

• Her story was used in national advertisements to fundraise for civil rights groups

• She was chosen by federal officials to model a proper protest technique

What was a direct outcome of the Montgomery Bus Boycott for public transportation in the United States?

• Bus fares were reduced for all passengers

• Segregation on public buses was ruled illegal by the courts

• Bus routes were expanded to serve more neighborhoods

• Only African American drivers were hired for city buses

How did young activists influence the Civil Rights Movement after the Greensboro Sit-Ins?

• They formed their own community protection patrols to guard protest sites

• They held private meetings to support the efforts of older civil rights leaders only

• They created Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and focused on youth-led direct actions like sit-ins and freedom rides

• They filed lawsuits instead of protesting to avoid arrests and public attention

Why did the Birmingham Campaign attract national attention?

• The city’s leaders publicly invited civil rights activists to negotiate integration

• A new local law legalized protests for the first time in Alabama history

• Peaceful demonstrators were attacked with police dogs and fire hoses, revealing the violent resistance to integration

• The campaign was the first to use television to broadcast protest events live

What was the primary aim of the 1963 March on Washington?

• To protest U.S. involvement in foreign wars and demand demilitarization

• To advocate for civil rights and demand jobs and equality before Congress

• To demand the impeachment of local governors who blocked school integration

• To show support for removing troops from states that resisted desegregation

What effect did the televised brutality during the Selma march have on national policy?

• It led to an emergency summit of state governors to discuss civil disorder

• Protesters were forced to stop all demonstrations for the rest of the year

• Public outrage helped push forward the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to protect Black voters

• It delayed civil rights legislation as Congress focused on other priorities

In what way did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 change American society?

• It lowered the voting age to 18 and established bilingual ballots for elections

• It introduced new housing regulations but ignored employment discrimination

• It banned segregation and discrimination in public spaces, schools, and employment

• It made it illegal for religious organizations to participate in political protests

What was a key difference between Malcolm X’s approach and Martin Luther King Jr.’s?

• Malcolm X focused entirely on voting while King emphasized public education reform

• Malcolm X rejected the use of community meetings and group organizing tactics

• Malcolm X advocated for self-defense and rejected nonviolence as the only strategy

• Malcolm X believed federal laws would eventually bring equality without protest

What did the Black Power movement emphasize that differed from earlier civil rights strategies?

• Racial pride, economic independence, and control of Black communities by Black citizens

• Equal cooperation with white moderates and church-based leadership programs

• Gradual integration through legal education reforms and economic investment

• Full cooperation with federal law enforcement to eliminate violent protests