The American Dream: Practice Questions
Civil Rights
Q. Was the successful example set by black American civil rights campaigners the main reason for the
success of minority rights campaigners in the years 1960-80?
INTRO – Black civil rights movement was very successful and changed society for today, this was down
to many factors including strong leaders (MLK, Malcolm X), big protests which was publicized by the
media in a positive way and … due to this Latina civil rights movement was able to learn and mirror
these tactics in order to gain rights just like black Americans.
P1 – Strong Leader - Black They saw a strong movement towards civil rights due to having a strong
leader who was the face of the movement. Martin Luther King Jr was a prominent leader and was the
face of the civil rights movement, he used the media well and made sure to use the media so that they
can see how the movement is positive. He orchestrated big movements such as the Montgomery Bus
Boycott and etc by having a strong leader it showed to the world/government the severity of the
movement and how they won't back down. He differed to other civil rights leaders due to his media
attention and his ability to use the media to help further the cause. He also highlighted to the media
that the civil rights movement was not violent despite all the slander that was portrayed about it on the
media. Latina
P2 – Government Action - Latina
P3 – Protests – Black The civil rights movement used big protests to highlight their cause not only in
America but also to the world and to get people talking. An example of a big protest is the
Montogomery Bus Boycott which was when black people boycotted using buses in order to protest the
segregation, they faced not only on transport(they had to sit at the back or stand as they couldn’t sit in
the ‘white only’ parts of the bus) but also in everyday life (not being able to get certain jobs, no help
from the government, being paid less than a white co-worker). 75% of bus users were black and 90% of
black people boycotted the buses which would financially hurt the bus service. The boycott saw the
Supreme Court ruling bus segregation unconstitutional in 1956 Latina
CONC -
Society & Culture in Change
Q. To what extent was the US involvement in the Second World War responsible for improvements in the
position of women in the year 1945-60?
INTRO – The second world war was responsible for the improvement of the improvement for women to a
certain extent as it brought along women’s rights, more employment for women and more government
intervention/welfare. This was down to the second world war itself, the New Deal and also radicals/
women’s liberation movement group.
P1 – WW2 The war brought along more employment opportunities for women just like WW1 as women
showed that they could work the same jobs as men