A2 Unit F965 - Historical Interpretations and Investigations
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Level 6 African American Turning Point Question
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A2 Unit F965 - Historical Interpretations and Investigations
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‘The 1960’s were the most important turning point in the development of African American Civil Rights.’ How far do you agree with this view of the period from 1865 to 1992? Full marks, level 6 answer for Civil Rights in the USA 1865 to 1992.
A2 Unit F965 - Historical Interpretations and Investigations
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‘The 1960’s were the most important turning point in the development of African
American Civil Rights.’ How far do you agree with this view of the period from 1865 to
1992?
The 1960’s could easily be seen as a major turning point in the development of African American
Civil Rights. Throughout the decade there were several significant legislative changes, as well as
many societal developments, in areas of education and transportation, such as the
desegregation of inter-state transport in 1960. The longevity and mass impact of these changes
are what could define the ‘Swinging Sixties’ as an important turning point. However, it is more
difficult to claim this decade as significant in terms of economic progress for African Americans.
Whilst the 1960’s saw an increase in African American employment rates, it could very easily be
argued that other decades and events had a far greater impact on African Americans
economically, for example the 1930’s and Roosevelts’ New Deal and Reaganomics in the
1970’s. Thus, it is impossible to say if the 1960’s were the ‘most important’ turning point.1
The ‘Swinging Sixties’ can be argued to have been the most important turning point in the
development of political advancements, due to Acts such as the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the 24 th
Amendment and the Fair Housing Act in 1968. The Voting Rights Act in 1965, brought about as a
result of the Selma to Montgomery March, marks a significant change in the development of
African American Civil Rights, as it made conditions on voting illegal. Similarly, the issue was
tackled in the Civil Rights Acts of 1960 and 1964, which helped African Americans to register for
the vote and helped them to solidify their voting rights. Prior to this decade however, the
Supreme Court and Congress had aimed to help African Americans secure their suffrage in the
1957 Civil Rights Act, which investigated abuses in fields like voting, and the Smith v. Allright
case, 1944, which served to increase black voting rights in the South. Although these specific
instances cannot be pinpointed to one specific era or decade, it could still be argued that these
serve as equally important turning points in the development of African American Political Rights.
Cases like Mississippi v. Williams, 1898, and Guinn v. US, 1915, show that although the
Supreme Court did work to try and improve political rights for African Americans, they were not
wholly successful at doing so, thus cannot be argued to be major turning points. Furthermore, the
results of the Mississippi Freedom Ballot and Mississippi Freedom Summer, prove that the
1960’s were successful regarding its political advancements: the percentage of registered African
American voters in Mississippi increased dramatically from 6.7% in 1964, to 67.5% in 1968.
Overall, it must be said that since the most advancements in Political Rights were made during
the ‘Swinging Sixties’, it is therefore convincing to say that the 1960’s were a political turning
point in the development of African American Civil Rights.
Socially, it is unclear as to whether the 1960’s were the most significant turning point for African
American Civil Rights. Primarily because even though advancements were made during this era
- in terms of desegregation - were successful, there are also many other decades that could be
argued to have the same amount of significance socially. The ‘Swinging Sixties’ saw the
Birmingham Riot, 1963, March on Washington, 1963, Freedom Rides, 1961, and ‘Sit Ins’, 1960.
These protests encouraged more Black people to stand up for their rights and be more vocal, but
also pressured Congress to help secure their rights, thus leading to the 1964 Civil Rights Act,
which helped to speed up the process of desegregation. Furthermore, the protests led to cases
like Boyton v. Virginia, 1960, and Bailey v. Patterson, 1962, which prohibited segregation on
inter-state travel facilities. Overall, this makes the 1960’s seem like the major turning point for
African American Civil Rights, since so much happened. However, when put into context with
other eras and decades, the 1960’s seems to be more of an extension of what had happened in
the years prior to it. Alternatively, it could be the ‘Cold War Era’, from 1945 to 1959 that saw the
biggest advancement in African American Civil Rights. This time period was when the majority of
Civil Rights Organisations and activists were active (like CORE, the SCLC, Ella Baker, Martin
Luther King and Rosa Parks) and it is their long-term impact that could make the ‘Cold War Era’
the most important turning point. Furthermore, during the ‘Cold War Era’, there was a boom in
protests, like the Montgomery Bus Boycott- targeting segregation on public transport- leading to
the 1956 Browder v. Gayle Case, which declared segregation on buses to be unconstitutional.
Thus, allowing the protests and cases in the 1960’s to take place. In addition to this, the ‘Cold
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