GCSEHistoryEdexcelModern Depth Study (Paper 3)Exam QuestionsThe USA, 1954–75: Conflict at Home & AbroadThe Development of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-60

The Development of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-60 (Edexcel GCSE History: Modern Depth Study (Paper 3)): Exam Questions

Exam code: 1HI0

20 mins20 questions
Easy
Medium
Hard
1
1 mark

When was the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) founded?

  • 1920

  • 1942

  • 1909

  • 1954

Choose your answer

2
1 mark

Which organisation was founded in 1957 after the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

  • Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

  • The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

  • Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

  • Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Choose your answer

3
1 mark

In what year did the Little Rock Nine attempt to enrol in the previously segregated school?

  • 1957

  • 1954

  • 1968

  • 1960

Choose your answer

4
1 mark

Who was the governor of Arkansas during the Little Rock Nine incident?

  • George Wallace

  • Orval Faubus

  • Strom Thurmond

  • Lyndon B.Johnson

Choose your answer

5
1 mark

What year did the Supreme Court rule that segregation in schools was unconstitutional?

  • 1956

  • 1954

  • 1957

  • 1955

Choose your answer

6
1 mark

How many Black students finally enrolled at Little Rock High School after a campaign of intimidation?

  • 75

  • 50

  • 25

  • 9

Choose your answer

7
1 mark


Which court case established the legality of ‘separate but equal’ in 1896?

  • Brown v. Topeka

  • Plessy v. Ferguson

  • Little Rock Nine case

  • Roe v. Wade

Choose your answer

8
1 mark

What year did Linda Brown’s case against school segregation go to the Supreme Court?

  • 1896

  • 1955

  • 1957

  • 1954

Choose your answer

9
1 mark

Which organisation created guidance leaflets to help Black students cope with racism in newly integrated schools?

  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

  • Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

  • Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

  • White Citizens' Council (WCC)

Choose your answer

10
1 mark

Which organisation was formed in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks?

  • Women's Political Council (WPA)

  • Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

  • Montgomery Improvement Association

Choose your answer

11
1 mark

Democrats who opposed desegregation were known by what name?

  • Klu Klux Klan

  • WASPs

  • White Citizens' Council (WCC)

  • Dixiecrats

Choose your answer

1
1 mark

Which answer best describes Linda Brown who was central to the Brown vs Topeka case?

  • A civil rights lawyer

  • A student from Arkansas

  • A student from Kansas who challenged segregated schooling

  • The governor of Kansas who opposed desegregation

Choose your answer

2
1 mark

What did the people who signed the Southern Manifesto believe?

  • The Federal government had the right to enforce school desegregation

  • The states should have control over their own education policies

  • All states should immediately segregate their schools based on skin colour

  • That the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Topeka should be immediately implemented

Choose your answer

3
1 mark

Which answer best describes the reaction of many White Americans who were opposed to desegregation to the involvement of Black churches in the civil rights movement?

  • They supported it entirely

  • They feared the church’s ability to organise and motivate people

  • They welcomed the religious perspective that preached non-violence

  • They demanded the government close Black churches

Choose your answer

4
1 mark

What did the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling of 1896 state about segregation?

  • It was unconstitutional

  • Black Americans could not challenge segregation laws

  • It was acceptable if facilities were 'separate but equal'

  • Segregation only applied to schools

Choose your answer

5
1 mark

How did the Ku Klux Klan react to the Brown v. Topeka ruling?

  • They supported the desegregation.

  • They petitioned Congress to overturn it.

  • They opposed the ruling and used violence to intimidate civil rights activists.

  • They tried to reduce voter registration for Black Americans.

Choose your answer

1
1 mark

What immediate impact did the Brown v. Topeka case have in 1954?

  • It legalised segregation in schools.

  • It improved schooling for Black American students.

  • It desegregated schools immediately.

  • It ruled that 'separate but equal' was unconstitutional.

Choose your answer

2
1 mark

What made the Little Rock Nine so significant?

  • They were protected by federal troops as they entered a segregated school.

  • They peacefully desegregated all schools in Arkansas.

  • They protested against segregation through a bus boycott.

  • Their actions convinced the governor of Arkansas to support desegregation.

Choose your answer

3
1 mark

What was one impact of the increased media coverage of the Little Rock Nine crisis?

  • It encouraged schools across the country to desegregate.

  • It discouraged civil rights activism.

  • It reduced support for integration in the North.

  • It brought national and international attention to the civil rights movement.

Choose your answer

4
1 mark

Why was the intervention of President Eisenhower during the Little Rock Nine crisis significant?

  • It showed that the President was willing to use military force to enforce federal laws on desegregation.

  • It resulted in the permanent closure of Little Rock High School.

  • It led to the resignation of Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus.

  • It marked the end of civil rights activism in the south.

Choose your answer