Group 3

The successes and failures of the Civil Rights Movements

1.What were the tangible achievements of the CRM by 1965?

The Civil Rights Act (1964) which prohibited discrimination of all kind empowering the
Federal Government to intervene directly when the act is violated in the South and the
Voting Rights Act (1965) which made it easier for Southern blacks to register to vote by
abolishing the literacy tests, poll taxes, and other such requirements that were used to restrict
black voting.

2.What was the strategy of nonviolent civil disobedience and why was it unique?

it was the respectful disobedience of unjust laws passed by southern states that were against
the Constitution. It was unique because they were trying to change this stereotype that black
people were violent.

3.In what ways did Malcolm X criticize this strategy and how far do you agree with him?

Malcolm X criticized this strategy because he thought that protestors shouldn’t be nonviolent
unless they ran into nonviolence. If someone was violent, he thought that they should respond
in a violent way.
At some point, reacting violently is inevitable in isolated cases, and we can agree with
Malcolm in that, but as a movement who tries to accomplish deep changes in a white-
dominant society, non violence proved to be more effective.

4.Why is 1965 considered a turning point?

The crowning achievement of the Civil Rights Movement was the passing of the Voting
Rights Act, The Civil Rights Act, basically the support of the government.
Also, Malcom X is assassinated. This year was also considered a turning point because, even
though legislation meant the end of the Jim Crow system on legal grounds in the South, there
still were important socio economic issues which needed to be addressed in order to improve
black people’s lifestyle and opportunities.

5.What was Black Separatism and why did it gain ground after 1965?

It was the base of X’s movement. It was a violent approach that derived from an ideology
which argued that black and white people couldn’t remain together, so it was black people’s
duty to arm themselves and fight back. This ideology gained ground and took over the non-
violent approach after the assassination of Malcom X in 1965.

6.What was busing?

Group 3

Busing consisted of transporting students within or outside their school districts to fight racial
segregation. Minority students were transported to largely white schools and white students
were brought to largely minority schools. It “was essential to breaking segregation’s
stranglehold.”

7.What was affirmative action?

Affirmative action was an effort by the Federal government through the law to favor
applicants of social minorities when hiring for jobs, instead of hiring mainly white people. It
was considered “reverse racism” and was very controversial, but its main reasons were to
balance the evident social inequalities between races.

8.How far do you think they were successful in healing the racial divide in the US after the
1960s?

While they accomplished a lot of important things, like being able to vote, to access
education, we think that there’s still a lot of room for change even in today’s society. Even
though there’s been great improvement, the tension between these groups is still present.