1What happened to Black veterans like Isaac Woodard after WWII?
They faced violent racism—Woodard was beaten and blinded by police in 1946.
2What action did Truman take in 1948 to support civil rights?
Desegregated the U.S. military.
3What was Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?
Legalized segregation under “separate but equal.”
4What methods were used to disenfranchise Black voters?
Literacy tests, poll taxes, intimidation.
5What did Brown v. Board of Education (1954) accomplish?
Overturned Plessy, mandated school desegregation.
6Why was Emmett Till’s lynching significant?
It drew national attention and fueled civil rights activism.
7What triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
Rosa Parks' arrest in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat.
8What organization did MLK help found during the boycott?
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
9Who were the Little Rock Nine (1957)?
9 Black students escorted by federal troops into a desegregated school.
10What did sit-ins in 1960 accomplish?
Sparked youth-led protests; SNCC was formed.
11What were the Freedom Rides (1961)?
Integrated bus rides to test desegregation; met with violence in the South.
12Why was Birmingham, AL, in 1963 pivotal?
Shocking police brutality mobilized national support.
13What did JFK do in response to Birmingham?
Proposed civil rights legislation and gave a moral speech.
14What happened to Medgar Evers in 1963?
He was assassinated after JFK’s speech; galvanized support.
15What happened at the March on Washington (1963)?
250,000 gathered; MLK gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.
16What tragedy happened at Birmingham’s 16th Street Church?
A bombing killed four girls; exposed violent resistance to civil rights.
17What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ban?
Discrimination based on race, religion, gender, and national origin.
18What did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibit?
Literacy tests and racial discrimination in voting.
19What was Freedom Summer (1964)?
Voter registration drive in Mississippi; three activists killed.
20What were the Selma Marches about?
Voting rights; violence on “Bloody Sunday” led to national outrage.
21What was the result of the Selma marches?
Massive support and passage of the Voting Rights Act.
22What was LBJ’s “Great Society”?
Program to reduce poverty—Medicare, Medicaid, HUD, education.
23What did the 1968 Fair Housing Act prohibit?
Discrimination in housing based on race, religion, or origin.
24What did the Kerner Commission conclude?
White racism caused urban unrest and inequality.
25Why did some activists shift from nonviolence?
Frustration over poverty, police brutality, and slow progress.
26What did Malcolm X and Black Power advocates promote?
Self-defense, pride, and addressing urban economic issues.
27What was the Black Panther Party?
Group advocating for armed self-defense and community programs.
28What was The Feminine Mystique (1963)?
Book critiquing women's domestic roles; sparked second-wave feminism.
29What was NOW (1966)?
National Organization for Women; fought for legal equality.
30What did Title IX (1972) ensure?
Gender equality in federally funded education.
31What did Roe v. Wade (1973) rule?
Legalized abortion as part of reproductive rights.
32Who were Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta?
Co-founded United Farm Workers; led grape boycott for labor rights.
33What did the American Indian Movement (AIM) demand?
Sovereignty, treaty rights, end of Termination policies.
34What were the Stonewall Riots (1969)?
LGBTQ+ patrons resisted police raids; sparked modern gay rights movement.
35What was Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring about?
Dangers of pesticides; inspired environmental regulation.
36What was the significance of Earth Day (1970)?
Environmental awareness day; influenced policy like the EPA.
37What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)?
Gave LBJ broad power to escalate the Vietnam War.
38What was the Tet Offensive (1968)?
Surprise N. Vietnamese attack; caused public to doubt war progress.
39What happened at My Lai (1968)?
U.S. soldiers massacred hundreds of Vietnamese civilians.
40What was “Vietnamization”?
Nixon’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops and hand war to S. Vietnam.
41What happened at Kent State (1970)?
National Guard killed 4 student protesters during anti-war protest.
42What were the Pentagon Papers (1971)?
Leaked documents showing government deception in Vietnam.
43What was Watergate?
Break-in at Democratic HQ; Nixon tried to cover it up.
44What led to Nixon’s resignation in 1974?
Tapes revealed obstruction of justice and abuse of power.
45Who pardoned Nixon and why?
Gerald Ford, to help the nation move forward.
46How did civil rights expand beyond race?
Movements grew to include gender, class, sexuality, environment, and labor.
47Why did youth and counterculture reject mainstream norms?
They opposed materialism, the war, and racialender inequality.
48What fueled political skepticism in the 1970s?
Vietnam lies, Pentagon Papers, and Watergate scandal.
49How did the federal government’s role evolve?
Initially a force for reform; later mistrusted due to war and scandal.
50How did new movements for civil rights and liberal efforts expand the role of government and generate a range of political and cultural responses?
They led to federal civil rights legislation, Great Society programs, and judicial interventions; responses included protest and backlash.
51How did postwar economic and demographic changes affect American society, politics and culture?
Economic growth fueled suburbs and consumerism while leaving minorities behind, fueling activism.
52How and why did various groups respond to calls for the expansion of civil rights from 1960–1980?
They responded through protests, court cases, and organizing to fight systemic exclusion and inequality.