Segregation and Legal Change Flashcards

What does segregation mean in the USA before the 1960s?

Keeping Black and white people apart by law in schools, transport, and public places.

What were Jim Crow laws?

State and local rules in the South that forced segregation and kept facilities unequal.

What did Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) decide?

It allowed "separate but equal" facilities, so segregation was legal.

What is the difference between de jure and de facto segregation?

De jure is by law. De facto is by custom or where people live.

Which part of the US Constitution was used to challenge segregation?

The 14th Amendment, which promises equal protection.

What was the NAACP’s legal strategy against segregation?

Take cases to court to show "separate" was not equal, led by Thurgood Marshall.

What happened when James Meredith tried to attend the University of Mississippi in 1962?

He won a court case to enrol at Ole Miss. After riots, President Kennedy sent troops, and Meredith was admitted.

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What did Brown v. Board of Education (1954) rule?

It said school segregation was against the Constitution because separate schools are not equal.

What did Brown II (1955) say about desegregation?

Schools must desegregate "with all deliberate speed," which let many delay change.

What happened at Little Rock Central High in 1957?

Nine Black students faced mobs, and President Eisenhower sent troops to enforce school integration.

What legal change came from the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

Browder v. Gayle (1956) ended bus segregation in Montgomery by ruling it illegal.

What did Boynton v. Virginia (1960) decide?

It banned segregation in bus stations and cafes used by long-distance bus travellers.

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