67
votes
Accepted
What do the numbers on this 1960s anti-integration sign mean?
Short and "to the point" answer: Those numbers are just identifiers for various school district organization plans. The digits refer to the number of years a student spends in each "...
- 646
59
votes
Why did LBJ, a staunch segregationist, champion and sign the 1964 Civil Rights Bill?
"Why?" questions are particularly difficult to answer. It is not possible to stare into Johnson's soul, searching for motivation, from our vantage point more than fifty years later; instead we are ...
- 71.3k
46
votes
Accepted
Were women the property of men prior to 1919 in the UK?
No. Slavery was abolished in 1833 in England. Prior to 1919 women were not property. Not having equal rights doesn't automatically mean slavery.
Neither is a woman taking the family name of her ...
- 19.4k
43
votes
Accepted
Where did Asian Americans go to school during the 'separate but equal' era?
Short Answer
This really depended on several factors, including state, city, time, Asian origin and even international politics. Local housing regulations also influenced the schools that Asian ...
- 107k
27
votes
Were women the property of men prior to 1919 in the UK?
If you consider the wording carefully:
Until women got full legal rights, [where] they could own property themselves, [and] they could work, essentially they were owned by their fathers and then by ...
- 80.2k
26
votes
Accepted
How was Martin Luther King Jr. viewed by white Americans at the time?
Actually, a good modern analogy might be to look at how white mainstream America views the Black Lives Matter movement currently1: open hostility from social conservatives, and a lot of patronizing ...
- 115k
26
votes
Was violent or nonviolent protest more effective in the context of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement?
During the 1960s, non-violent protest was more effective than violent protest at bringing about desegregation in southern cities - especially where black protest groups had some economic leverage over ...
- 18.1k
25
votes
Accepted
Was violent or nonviolent protest more effective in the context of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement?
This is probably a very debatable question, but I think I can make the argument, with good historical backing, that it was the non-violent protests that were most effective in what progress was made ...
- 115k
23
votes
Accepted
When did "whites only" signs (racial segregation) become illegal in the USA?
The thing is, it was never about the signs.
For example, a quick perusal of this Civil Rights Chronology will show you that after the US Supreme Court ruled segregated public schools illegal, it was ...
- 115k
23
votes
Has Section 2 of the 14th amendment ever been enforced?
Some legal scholars argue that section 2 was essentially revoked by the 15th Amendment, only a year and a half later.
Section 2 basically says, "If you insist on discriminating in voting rights, ...
- 115k
20
votes
Accepted
Did the founding members of the Black Panthers ever mention the role of Malcolm X in creating their group?
Both of the party's founders Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton were inspired and influenced by the 'post-Nation of Islam' Malcom X. However, the Black Panther Party (BPP) largely rejected the Nation of ...
- 107k
17
votes
Why did LBJ, a staunch segregationist, champion and sign the 1964 Civil Rights Bill?
LBJ was a complex figure. He is described as having "uncommon ambition", easily discarding considerations such as ideology for the sake of advancing his career. As a Texas congressman and then Senator,...
- 14.4k
17
votes
Who said this quote about assimilation?
It may this line from E. Franklin Frazier, 1962:
The Negro, according to Adams, could only be partially assimilated or, in our language, integrated but not assimilated.
To which his definition of ...
- 80.2k
16
votes
Accepted
In segregated South, would Asian-Americans be treated as "colored" or as whites?
Segregation in the South didn't make many provisions for grades colour; consequently, Asian-Americans (as well as Native Americans) occupied an uncertain place in between the two. As such, the exact ...
- 96.9k
14
votes
Why did LBJ, a staunch segregationist, champion and sign the 1964 Civil Rights Bill?
LBJ didn't flip. He was racist and only use the Civil Rights Act to further his power and his party's political power. LBJ said to Richard Russell, a fellow Democratic Senator from Georgia:
These ...
- 550
14
votes
Did the Bill of Rights apply to slaves?
Its very good question, since Americans in the 1850's were asking the exact some question as well! As it turns out, there was a Supreme Court ruling on the issue in 1857: The Dred Scott case. The ...
- 115k
12
votes
Accepted
What is "Egyptland" in the context of the 1960s black civil rights movement in the US?
King made frequent reference to the book of Exodus in order to draw parallels between the ancient Israelites (enslaved in Egypt) and African-Americans (not enslaved anymore, but still not granted the ...
- 18.1k
12
votes
Accepted
Has Section 2 of the 14th amendment ever been enforced?
As far as I know this has never happened. I believe that this is because it is a really tough clause to do anything with:
To start with, it would typically take massive disenfranchisement (100k ...
- 6,592
12
votes
Accepted
What was the status of Shia Muslims in the Ottoman empire?
This is very complicated for several reasons: (1) the time period is long, (2) regional / local factors and (to varying degrees) perceived external and internal threats meant changing policies, and (3)...
- 107k
12
votes
Accepted
Did Martin Luther King, Sr. change his name as an allusion to the Semitic root M-L-K?
Short Answer
There doesn't seem to be any evidence for this. More likely, his visit to Berlin and sites associated with Martin Luther were factors, but there is no conclusive, documented evidence of ...
- 107k
10
votes
Accepted
In Montgomery, Alabama, how common was it to be arrested for sitting in the incorrect section of the bus?
It was very rare. In Montgomery (which OP specifically asks about), the passengers mentioned above are the only other passengers arrested before Parks, according to History.com, this NPR story, and ...
- 18.1k
9
votes
Why did LBJ, a staunch segregationist, champion and sign the 1964 Civil Rights Bill?
Why? Because from an egocentric point of view, LBJ became aware of situations that affected him and his (extended) "family". Please allow me to relate a specific anecdote to illustrate that LBJ's ...
- 191
8
votes
Did the Bill of Rights apply to slaves?
The U.S. Constitution makes reference to the fact that it represented only "free persons." (See for instance Article 1, Section 2.) This meant that the Bill of Rights did not fully apply to slaves. ...
- 104k
8
votes
Accepted
Did the "I have a dream" speech make a big impact at the time it was spoken?
It had a huge impact. Some would even say more than it has now. Out of the ten people that spoke that day, his speech was the most memorable and the one that really sparked the passion of the people.
...
- 162
8
votes
Accepted
What is the extent to which Malcolm X's activism was influenced by his Muslim beliefs?
Malcolm X's understanding of race was dramatically changed by his completion of the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Here's a copy of the letter he wrote. He wrote that,
"I have never before ...
- 3,516
8
votes
What was the most effective instrument used to disenfranchise the black population in Louisiana?
tl; dr
In the short to medium term, it can only have been the literacy and comprehension tests. As explained below, the Poll Tax wasn't introduced until after the majority of black people in ...
- 77k
8
votes
Accepted
How far did Malcolm X get with taking the United States to the United Nations?
It appears he went as far as trying to convince African leaders of officially raising the issue.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 —The State Department and the Justice Department have begun to take an interest in ...
- 8,256
7
votes
Accepted
Were Rosa Parks and Freedom Riders the first ones to use a bus to protest/change?
Rosa Parks wasn't even the first woman (or second, or third, or fourth ...) to get arrested for being black and refusing to give up her seat on a bus. She wasn't even the first woman arrested in ...
- 115k
6
votes
Why didn't the zeal of social change brought by ending slavery continue after the US civil-war ended?
It's called war fatigue. After four years of fighting a war, people want to resume their lives and not continue agitating for the social change that brought about the war. And the level of zeal of the ...
- 104k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible