A Divided Union: Civil Rights In The USA, 1945-74
Overview
Black American soldiers returned in 1945 from a war fought against a regime built on racial hierarchy, to a country where in much of the South they could not vote, could not eat in the same restaurants as white Americans and could not send their children to the same schools. The gap between what the United States said about itself and how it treated a tenth of its citizens is the engine of this depth study.
You will study the Red Scare and McCarthyism, the legal and grassroots campaigns that dismantled segregation, the argument within the movement about non-violence and Black Power, the student, women's and anti-war movements, and the Watergate scandal that brought down a president. Throughout, the people forcing the change are the ones making the choices.
Objectives
- The Red Scare and McCarthyism: reasons for the Red Scare, the Hiss and Rosenberg cases, the FBI, HUAC and the Hollywood Ten, methods used by McCarthy, reasons for his downfall, overall impact of McCarthyism
- Civil rights in the 1950s: segregation and discrimination, the Supreme Court and Congress, Brown v Board of Education, the death of Emmett Till, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Little Rock, the Civil Rights Act 1957, the Ku Klux Klan
- The impact of civil rights protests, 1960-74: Freedom Riders, sit-ins and voting rights, Martin Luther King, the Birmingham Campaign, the Washington March, Mississippi Freedom Summer, civil rights legislation, the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X, Black Power, Black Panthers
- Other protest movements: students, women, anti-Vietnam: the student movement, the Berkeley Free Speech movement, Students for a Democratic Society, Betty Friedan, Eleanor Roosevelt, NOW, women's liberation, Phyllis Schlafly
- Nixon and Watergate: the Watergate Scandal, impact on US politics and new laws including the War Powers Act, the Election Campaign Act, the Privacy Act, the Congressional Budget Control Act, Gerald Ford and the presidential pardon
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Lesson Note
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Lesson Evaluation
Congratulations on completing the lesson on A Divided Union: Civil Rights In The USA, 1945-74. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.
You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.
Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.
- Which Supreme Court case established the doctrine of separate but equal that Brown v Board of Education overturned? A) Plessy v Ferguson B) Browder v Gayle C) United States v Nixon D) Roe v Wade Answer: A
- How long did the Montgomery Bus Boycott last? A) 38 days B) 100 days C) 381 days D) Two years Answer: C
- What was the immediate trigger for the Voting Rights Act of 1965? A) The March on Washington B) The attack on marchers at Selma C) The Watts riots D) The murder of Emmett Till Answer: B
- Which organisation, founded in 1966, ran free breakfast programmes as well as armed patrols monitoring police? A) NAACP B) SNCC C) The Black Panther Party D) The Nation of Islam Answer: C
- What ultimately forced Nixon's resignation in August 1974? A) The break-in itself B) A Supreme Court ruling requiring release of tapes showing his role in the cover-up C) His defeat in the 1972 election D) The War Powers Act Answer: B
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