Why was World War II an important turning point in the Civil Rights Movement?
WWII exposed Black servicemen and workers to broader opportunities and democratic rhetoric (the “Double V” idea), increased Black urban migration, and created political leverage that civil‑rights activists used to press for federal action after the war
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Why was World War II an important turning point in the Civil Rights Movement? | WWII exposed Black servicemen and workers to broader opportunities and democratic rhetoric (the “Double V” idea), increased Black urban migration, and created political leverage that civil‑rights activists used to press for federal action after the war |
| What specific forms of discrimination did the NAACP challenge? | The NAACP pursued legal challenges to segregated schools, voting restrictions, unequal public services, employment discrimination, and discriminatory laws through litigation and advocacy, using courts to attack state and local Jim Crow practices |
| What was Georgia’s first reaction to Brown v. Board of Education? | Georgia’s initial response was resistance and talk of massive resistance; |
| What was HOPE? What was its purpose? | HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) is Georgia’s lottery‑funded scholarship program (established 1993 under Governor Zell Miller) designed to increase college access by paying tuition for academically qualified Georgia students |
| What was the role of the Sibley Committee? | Governor Ernest Vandiver later created the Sibley Commission (1960) to survey public opinion and recommend a pragmatic path that helped avoid statewide school closures and eased the transition to compliance |
| How did the various civil rights groups help bring out change? Success? | Organizations (NAACP, SCLC, SNCC, local groups) used litigation, voter drives, protests, and federal lobbying to dismantle legal segregation, expand voting rights, and win federal protections; they achieved major legal and policy victories though social and economic equality remained incomplete |
| Why did Georgia get rid of the County Unit System? What effect did this have on the political system? | The county‑unit system gave rural counties outsized power; the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in Gray v. Sanders (one‑person, one‑vote), forcing reapportionment, empowering urban voters, and weakening rural political machines |
| How did Jimmy Carter attempt to end the debate on race? Did it? | Carter publicly declared that racial discrimination must end, diversified state appointments, and pushed equal‑opportunity policies as governor. His leadership shifted Georgia’s official stance and eased institutional segregation, but it did not eliminate deep social and economic racial inequalities or end the broader debate. |
| Characterize Lester Maddox? What progress was achieved while he was governor? | Maddox was a staunch segregationist and populist who rose to power on racialized rhetoric; while his term (1967–71) resisted integration, the state still saw some administrative modernization and continued economic development despite his reactionary stance |
| When did the Republican party become a significant factor in Georgia? Why? | The GOP gained strength from the 1960s onward as national civil‑rights legislation and Democratic liberalism prompted many white conservatives to realign; strategic appeals to conservative voters and suburban growth accelerated Republican gains in subsequent decades |