Civil Rights Organisations (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Why Did the Civil Rights Movement Grow in the 1950s? - Timeline & Summary
The Second World War exposed the weakness of US democracy. Black soldiers fought for freedom abroad while facing segregation and discrimination at home. This made Black Americans more determined to fight for change.
The Cold War between the USA and the USSR impacted the civil rights movement. The conflict heightened international criticism of the USA’s treatment of African-American citizens. To maintain its reputation as a champion of democracy, the USA faced pressure to address racial inequality.
The post-war prosperity provided opportunities for African-Americans to challenge racial discrimination. Many African-Americans migrated from the rural South to urban areas in the North and West to find better jobs. This migration and the growth of black urban communities created a growing black middle class. This group financed and supported civil rights organisations.
The impact of mass media was important in the growth of the civil rights movement. The emergence of television brought the struggles of African-Americans to a national audience. Images and reports of non-violent protests, sit-ins and police brutality captured the attention of millions of Americans. These events increased public support for the civil rights cause. Mass media increased the pressure on policymakers to make meaningful changes.
The Aims of Civil Rights Organisations in 1950s America
All civil rights organisations had different methods to gain public attention
The Aims of Civil Rights Organisations
Aims of Civil Rights Groups | Explanation of aims |
|---|---|
Increase voting rights | Some white Americans attacked African-Americans when they attempted to vote |
Southern states like Georgia and Alabama forced African-Americans to pass literacy tests before they could register to vote | |
Before the Second World War, only 3% of Black Americans were registered to vote in the South | |
Overturn Plessy vs Ferguson | In 1896, in the Plessy vs Ferguson case, the Supreme Court stated that segregation was constitutional if African-Americans had ‘separate but equal’ facilities |
In reality, many facilities for African-Americans were unequal | |
Build upon progress made in the Second World War | Over a million African-Americans fought in the Second World War |
Millions more African-Americans worked in factories on the home front | |
Some white Americans worked with black people for the first time. This changed some people’s opinion of what African-Americans were capable of contributing to US society | |
Gain equal opportunities | More African-Americans had access to better education, especially in the North |
An increase in black professionals meant more demand for better work opportunities | |
People wanted fair pay, working conditions and desegregation. This would improve their standard of living | |
To end violence against black Americans, especially in the South | In August 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was brutally murdered when visiting relatives in Mississippi. The jury acquitted Emmett’s murderers. The men later sold their story to a magazine, admitting that they had murdered Emmett |
Emmett’s murder caused worldwide outrage. It motivated civil rights activists to end racial violence in the South and persuade the government to ban racist groups like the KKK |
The NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was created in 1909
The NAACP increased their membership numbers nationwide during the Second World War
The tactics of the NAACP were:
Using the legal system to fight against discrimination
They defended Black Americans who had been wrongly convicted through the Legal Defence Fund (LDF), created in 1940
They appealed cases to the Supreme Court
Focusing on overturning ‘Separate But Equal’
The NAACP could provide evidence that proved that African-Americans were not getting equal facilities to white Americans
They campaigned for the desegregation of schools and colleges
Exam Tip
Many Europeans and Americans called the African-Americans ‘'coloured'. This is no longer an accepted term. Please do not use 'coloured' to refer to African-Americans in your exam answers. However, as this term is included in the official name of the NAACP, you are permitted to use ‘coloured’ in this context. You may prefer to refer to the organisation by its abbreviation.
CORE
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was created in 1942
CORE was nationwide but had a smaller number of members than the NAACP
They operated mostly in the North
CORE trained its members to use non-violent direct action and protests such as:
Boycotts
Sit-ins of public, segregated places
Pickets
CORE members did not react to violence, being spat on or swore at
Church Organisations
Black American churches were a centre of the civil rights movement
Clergymen were:
Respected community leaders, especially in the South
Good orators with the ability to reach hundreds, if not thousands, of people
Able to negotiate with the white community and policymakers because of their status
Able to organise civil rights events due to their connections within the community
Due to their connection to the civil rights movement, churches also became targets for attacks from white people
Churches taught their congregation to forgive these actions and not to fight back
A famous church-based organisation was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
It was created in 1957 to organise African-Americans church protests in the South
Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy led the organisation
It reflected Christian values through:
Using non-violent methods of protest
Encouraging black and white Americans to join
Using religious arguments to call for the end of segregation
Reaction of White Americans to Church Organisations
The Different Reactions to Church Organisations
Positive reactions | Negative reactions |
|---|---|
The church organisations’ non-violent approach won some support among white Americans | Some white Americans were suspicious of church organisations. They believed them to be too organised |
Some church organisations believed in improving civil rights but not ending segregation. To white Americans, this seemed less threatening | A few church groups did not agree to work with white Americans. White Americans did not trust this category of church organisations |
White politicians were more willing to meet with church organisations than other civil rights groups. Black clergymen were educated and respectful. They did not challenge white politicians too much | Church organisations gathered large amounts of people to protest. This level of support made many white Americans afraid of the power these groups had. White Americans attacked these churches and clergymen |
Exam Tip
An exam question could have two interpretations from white Americans about the civil rights movement in the 1950s. Consider this range of positive and negative reactions. This may help you to understand:
The viewpoint of the author of the interpretation
Why they may have this viewpoint
What personal beliefs may be influencing their opinion
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