How did African Americans win civil rights between 1945 and 1968?
Segregation and discrimination in post-war America, the key campaigns and events of the civil rights movement (Brown v Board, Montgomery, Little Rock, the marches), the role of Martin Luther King and more militant voices, and the gains made by 1968.
A focused answer to the civil rights movement in the Eduqas period study, covering post-war segregation, the key campaigns (Brown v Board, Montgomery, Little Rock, the marches), Martin Luther King and more militant voices, and the gains made by 1968.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers the struggle for racial equality in Eduqas's Component 2 period study. You need to explain segregation and discrimination in post-war America, the key campaigns and events of the civil rights movement (Brown v Board, Montgomery, Little Rock, the marches), the role of Martin Luther King and more militant voices, and the gains made by 1968. As a period study, focus on change over time as African Americans moved from segregation towards legal equality.
Segregation in post-war America
The key campaigns and events
King, militancy and the role of the media
The gains made by 1968
Try this
Q1. What did Brown v Board of Education (1954) decide? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. The Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional, a major legal victory against "separate but equal".
Q2. Explain how Martin Luther King's approach differed from that of Malcolm X and Black Power. [Short explanation]
- Cue. King preached non-violent protest and integration, giving the movement a moral voice; Malcolm X and Black Power rejected non-violence and integration, stressing black pride and self-defence, and appealed especially to frustrated young people in the northern cities.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas C100 20194 marksDescribe two features of segregation in the southern USA after 1945.Show worked answer →
The period-study describe question (4 marks, AO1). Reward two distinct, developed features, each with one supporting detail.
Feature one. The "Jim Crow" laws enforced racial segregation in the South: separate (and far worse) schools, buses, restaurants, parks and drinking fountains for black and white people, justified as "separate but equal".
Feature two. African Americans in the South were often denied the vote through devices such as literacy tests, poll taxes and intimidation, keeping them out of political power.
Top marks. Two separate features, each developed with precise detail.
Eduqas C100 20218 marksExplain why the civil rights movement made progress in the years 1955 to 1965.Show worked answer →
The period-study "explain why" question (8 marks, AO1 and AO2). Reward a developed analysis of two or three reasons, each with precise support.
Reason one. Effective, organised non-violent protest forced change: the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955 to 1956), the sit-ins and the marches drew mass support and made segregation hard to defend.
Reason two. Leadership and the media mattered: Martin Luther King gave the movement a powerful moral voice, and television coverage of peaceful marchers being attacked (Birmingham, Selma) shocked the nation and the world into demanding change.
Reason three. Federal action followed: Supreme Court rulings (Brown v Board, 1954) and laws such as the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) turned protest into legal gains.
Top band. Connect each reason explicitly to progress, and finish with the most important factor.
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Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE History (C100) specification — WJEC Eduqas (2016)