AP US History: Period 8 (1945–1980) 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Brown v. Board of Education (1954) overturned the precedent established by which earlier case?
- Marbury v. Madison
- Plessy v. Ferguson (Correct answer)
- Dred Scott v. Sandford
- Korematsu v. United States
Correct answer: Plessy v. Ferguson
Brown rejected the 'separate but equal' doctrine set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896.
Question 2: The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955–1956 was sparked by the arrest of whom?
- Ruby Bridges
- Rosa Parks (Correct answer)
- Fannie Lou Hamer
- Ella Baker
Correct answer: Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks's arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat ignited the year-long boycott.
Question 3: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 primarily accomplished what?
- Banned poll taxes in all elections
- Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (Correct answer)
- Guaranteed federal oversight of all voter registration
- Established affirmative action quotas
Correct answer: Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
The 1964 Act prohibited discrimination in employment and public accommodations.
Question 4: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was largely a response to events in which city?
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Selma, Alabama (Correct answer)
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Memphis, Tennessee
Correct answer: Selma, Alabama
The violent suppression of marchers in Selma galvanized support for the Voting Rights Act.
Question 5: Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech was delivered at which 1963 event?
- The Selma to Montgomery March
- The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (Correct answer)
- The Montgomery Bus Boycott
- The Greensboro sit-ins
Correct answer: The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
King delivered the speech at the 1963 March on Washington before the Lincoln Memorial.
Question 6: The 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' (1963) defended what idea?
- Violent armed resistance
- Nonviolent civil disobedience against unjust laws (Correct answer)
- Gradual voluntary integration over decades
- Separation of the races into independent states
Correct answer: Nonviolent civil disobedience against unjust laws
King argued that citizens have a moral duty to disobey unjust laws through nonviolent means.
Question 7: Malcolm X and the later Black Power movement differed from MLK's approach by emphasizing what?
- Complete reliance on federal courts
- Black self-determination and, at times, self-defense (Correct answer)
- Immediate emigration to Africa for all
- Cooperation with segregationist governors
Correct answer: Black self-determination and, at times, self-defense
Black Power stressed racial pride, self-reliance, and the right to self-defense.
AP US History: Period 8 (1945–1980) 3
Brown v.
Board of Education (1954) overturned the precedent established by which earlier case?