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Civil Rights: 1957 - 1965

Total questions: 30

Worksheet time: 2hrs 30mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

In 1957, the Little Rock Board of Ed decided to comply with the Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board. What does that mean?

a)

They refused to desegregate public schools

b)

They planned to integrate public schools

c)

They made a separate, private school system for white families

d)

They integrated the local bus system

2.

How did Gov. Faubus respond to the attempted integration of Central High School?

a)

He used the AK National Guard to prevent black students from entering the school

b)

He called in the 101st US Airborne Division to prevent integration

c)

He tried to reach a compromise by creating a better school just for black students

d)

He used the local police to force the school to admit black students

3.

Pres. Eisenhower's actions in response to the crisis in Little Rock showed that...

a)

the federal govt was ready to pass new civil rights laws

b)

the white community was coming around to integration

c)

the economy was more important than civil rights

d)

the fed govt would use its power to enforce the rule of law / not submit to mob rule

4.

What major civil rights event happene in Greensboro, NC and Nashville, TN?

a)

lunch counter sit ins

b)

bus boycotts

c)

school integration

d)

none of the above

5.

What was the point of the non-violent workshops led by groups like SNCC and CORE?

a)

to get people ready to respond to violence with non violence

b)

to teach them basic physical self defense

c)

to instruct them how to use the Bill of Rights to get out of jail

d)

to show them how to vote

6.

What was the main strategy of the group, SNCC?

a)

violence and media attention

b)

non violence and student activism

c)

use of religious leadership

d)

litigation in the courts

7.

What was the goal of the Freedom Rides?

a)

to get the Supreme Court to rule that segregation on interstate travel was unconst.

b)

to challenge the fed govt to uphold the Supreme Court decision to desegregate interstate travel

c)

to encourage the local busses in Montgomery, AL to desegregate

d)

to integrate schools by integrating the school busses first

8.

Who led the SCLC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference?

a)

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

b)

Pres. John F. Kennedy

c)

Rev. James Reeb

d)

Rev. Bayard Rustin

9.

Why were the protests in Albany, GA unsuccessful?

a)

The cops beat and killed some protestors, so people stopped turning out

b)

The protests didn't spark any police brutality, so there wasn't any media attention

c)

Pres. Kennedy failed to take action

d)

They were protesting outdated laws

10.

The violent police response to young protestors in Birmingham prompted JFK to respond to the situation. What was his message to America?

a)

mob rule cannot replace the rule of law

b)

segregation now, segregation forever

c)

it was time for Congress to pass civil rights legislation

d)

protestors needed to wait until the Vietnam War was over

11.

Who was King calling out in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" ?

a)

Town mayors and police chiefs

b)

Black leaders who embraced violent tactics

c)

White religious leaders who wanted calm, not justice

d)

Uneducated blacks who failed to improve themselves

12.

What was a main idea of the "Letter to Birmingham Jail" ?

a)

non-violent direct action is SUPPOSED to cause tension and crisis, to force negotiation and change

b)

non-violent direct action only works if it is followed up with violent action

c)

Privileged groups shouldn't have to give up their power

d)

Justice should take as long as it needs to be accomplished

13.

Which President was the FIRST to directly/explicitly ask Congress to pass civil rights legislation?

a)

Truman

b)

Eisenhower

c)

Kennedy

d)

Johnson

14.

What statement is FALSE about the March on Washington?

a)

It led to the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

b)

It was America's largest, peaceful march up to that date in history

c)

It was only supported by rich and middle class African Americas

d)

It not only called for civil rights, but for economic dignity and opportunity for ALL people

15.

Besides civil rights legislation, was was another demand of the March on Washington?

a)

A national minimum wage for all workers

b)

police abolition

c)

desegregation of professional sports

d)

an increase in troops to fight communism in Vietnam

16.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do?

a)

remove barriers to voting and voter registration

b)

desegregate schools

c)

ban segregation in ALL public settings, including in private businesses

d)

end the Vietnam War

17.

What was SNCC doing in Selma before the arrival of Dr. King?

a)

holding a bus boycott

b)

helping with voter registration efforts

c)

protesting police brutality

d)

helping African Americans create savings accounts so they could pay for college in the future

18.

How did Johnson originally respond to King's pressure to create new civil rights laws around voting?

a)

He threatened to veto the Civil Rights Act

b)

He wanted King to wait so he could work on anti-poverty programs

c)

He said he needed to get out of Vietnam before making any new domestic policies

d)

He agreed that this was needed and started working on a bill soon after

19.

Why was voting connected to justice for racially based crimes?

a)

Only registered voters could serve on juries

b)

Voters could determine how long a term a sherrif could serve

c)

Registrered voters got tax breaks on their property

d)

People not registerd to vote could not serve in the army

20.

What was the goal of the Selma to Montgomery March?

a)

To put pressure on the govt to pass a federal law to remove barriers to voting

b)

To make Election Day a federal holidy

c)

To make the busses desegregate

d)

To get Gov. Wallace removed in the next election

21.

What selection BEST describes the tactics of Civil Rights leaders like King?

a)

violent protest --> media attention --> new laws

b)

non-violent direct action --> media attention --> litigation in courts / negotiation with politicians

c)

religious worship --> non violent action --> new laws

d)

non violent protest --> violent protest --> litigation in court

22.

Which member of the Little Rock Nine was the first to graduate from Central High?

a)

Ernest Green

b)

Minnie Jean Brown

c)

Linda Brown

d)

Elizabeth Eckford

23.

Who was John Lewis?

a)

chairman of SNCC; went on to serve in the US House of Reps.

b)

Dr. King's closest advisor; was killed on Bloody Sunday

c)

Town clerk in Selma, AL

d)

militant civil rights activist; was assassinated in 1965

24.

How did the FBI respond to MLK and his movement?

a)

They offered King support, as they knew his life was threatened by many

b)

They tried to deport him to Jamaica

c)

They black mailed him to try to destabilize his relationship with his wife, hoping he'd give up on the movement

d)

They provided protection to the churches where he gave speeches

25.

What impact did the murders of Jimmie Lee Jackson and Rev. Reeb have on the March from Selma to Montgomery?

a)

It made the march shrink in size, many were scared to participate

b)

It encouraged many white religous leaders to travel to Selma to offer the march support

c)

It forced the Gov. to declare a state of emergency

d)

It made the march go for a longer distance, all the way to Washington DC!

26.

What is civil disobedience?

a)

challenging a law in court

b)

disobeying laws that are unjust

c)

obeying the law because that is the right thing to do

d)

picking which laws to enforce based on your opinions

27.

What did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 accomplish?

a)

It gave men and women citizens, regardless of race, the right to vote

b)

It banned obstacles to voting, like literacy tests and voter intimidation

c)

It let Southern states manage their own elections as long as they promised to include more black voters

d)

It created a registry of police officers with violent records

28.

Why did civil rights leaders WANT to cause a crisis and get on national TV?

a)

They wanted other countries to boycott US goods unless civil rights advanced

b)

They wanted to force white Americans to see what was happening, and to hopefully care

c)

To show others that violent tactics worked

d)

To create buzz for their political races

29.

Which answer BEST describes MLK?

a)

A perfect man without flaws who fought for civil rights

b)

The only important civil right leader of this era

c)

A complex, godly man who used religion to help fight for civil rights without violence

d)

A dangerous man who threatened to ruin America

30.

After the signing of the Voting Right Act of 1965, what more work had to be done in America to accomplish King's "dream" ?

a)

official school integration

b)

removal of barriers to voting

c)

social acceptance and social equality for all

d)

desegregation of private businesses