Unit 10 Study Guide
1. Three Goals of the Civil Rights Movement:
 Equality in Education achieved by the 1954 Supreme Court Case, Brown vs the
Board of Education.
 Right to Vote achieved by The Right to Vote Act of 1965.
 Fair Employment Practices achieved by The Civil Rights Act of 1964.
2. Homer Plessy: Was arrested for riding in a white’s only railroad car. He challenged
the segregation law based on the 14th amendment. This 1896 Supreme Court Case,
Plessy vs Ferguson determined separate was constitutional as long as it was equal.
This made segregation legal.
3. Jim Crow laws- attempts by southern states to keep African Americans from gaining
equal treatment.
4. Rosa Parks: Refused to give up her seat on a bus and was arrested (civil
disobedience). This act led to the Montgomery bus boycott. This Boycott was led by
Martin Luther King, Jr and brought him national recognition.
5. Martin Luther King Jr.: Leader of the Civil Rights movement. Famous for his passive
resistance against segregated facilities. He gave his “I have a dream….” Speech at
the 1963 March on Washington DC. He was also responsible for the Letters from
Birmingham Jail and the March to Selma.
6. Thurgood Marshall was the lead lawyer in Brown vs The Board of Education. This
case brought an end to segregation. Marshall later became a Supreme Court justice.
7. John F. Kennedy (JFK): President that supported civil rights movement. He was
assassinated in 1963.
8. Lyndon B. Johnson: Became President after the JFK assassination. Supported civil
rights movement. Signed into law both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting
Rights Act of 1965
9. Gov. Orval Faubus - Sent troops to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas to
prevent black students from entering.
10. Earl Warren- Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the Brown V. Board of
Education case.
11. Cesar Chavez- Mexican-American farm worker and civil rights activist. Fought for
migrant worker rights.
12. Eleanor Roosevelt- FDR’s wife. Fought for human rights and the expansion of
women’s rights.
13. Malcolm X - Militant leader who embraced the nation of Islam, rejected integration,
and wanted a separate African American society. Later he denounced these ideas.
14. NAACP: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: Fought for
equality for African Americans and to end segregation in the courts. They were very
successful.
15. NOW: National Organization of Women: Fought for women’s rights. Leader Betty
Friedman.
16. UFW: United Farm Workers: Fought for Hispanic migrant workers. Leader Cesar
Chavez.
17. AIM: American Indian Movement. Fought for Native American Rights.
18. Passive Resistance and Civil Disobedience- Methods of protesting which involve
breaking a law or rule peacefully. (Examples: Sit-ins)
19. Freedom Riders- Rode buses throughout the south testing the law that ordered no
more segregation on buses.
20. Freedom Summer- When civil rights workers traveled through the south helping
African Americans register to vote.
21. Civil Rights Act of 1964-Prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national
origin, and gender. Desegregation public accommodations.
22. Voting Rights Act of 1965-Outlawed literacy tests. Federal registrars were sent to the
South to register voters. The act resulted in an increase in African American voters.
23. Equal Rights Amendment- ERA; 1972 Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment
and sent it to the states for ratification. Despite a majority support by Americans the
bill failed by 3 votes.
24. 13th amendment- Abolished slavery. Made slavery illegal.
25. 14th amendment- Defined citizenship, equal protection under the law, and no state
can deny civil rights based on race.
26. 15th amendment- Voting rights for all men. This right cannot be denied based on
race
27. 19th amendment-Universal suffrage. All citizens can vote (men and women).
28. 24th Amendment- Abolished poll taxes. Made it illegal to charge a fee to vote or
register to vote.