The Civil Rights Movement in America
A Document-Based Question
By Brandy Mohr
History 530B, Spring 2003
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Directions:
Using the documents (1-8) provided, analyze the impact of the
Civil Rights Movement in America from 1954-1968. As you answer this
question, be sure to take into account the documents, any biases they may
contain, and additional information that you may have.
Background Information:
United States History has been a history of struggle: struggle to
overcome opposition and oppression; struggle to gain rights of access and
opportunity; struggle to gain freedom. That struggle is clearly visible
in the case of African-Americans and their struggle for legal, political,
and social equality. Following the American Civil War, blacks were given
equal protection under the law, rights of citizenship, and the vote.
Despite having these freedoms granted legally, blacks were continually
denied equal access and opportunity in the United States. In Plessy v.
Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court legalized the separation of blacks
and whites in all facets of social life from train cars to schools. The
legalized segregation of the races resulted in limited opportunities and
unequal access to education, employment, and representation. It was not
until 1954, after two World Wars, that the Supreme Court would reverse
that
decision in Brown v. Board of Education. This Supreme Court ruling
marked the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement that emerged in the
United States, and played a significant role in public opinion and
policies until the end of the 1960s.
Part A: Short Answer
Directions: After reading and analyzing the documents,
complete
the following questions, basing your
answers on the document and information provided. Your answers do not
have
to be in complete sentences.
Document 1.
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more
perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty
to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution
of the United States of America.
-Constitution of the United States, Preamble
1. Identify at least two reasons why it was important to establish
the Constitution.
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