Civil Rights and the Long 1960s (1954-1975) — High School U.S. History practice questions

In 1957, Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock to:

1. break up a sit-in
2. enforce school integration
3. stop the Montgomery Bus Boycott
4. arrest Rosa Parks

Answer: B — enforce school integration

B) Correct — The Little Rock Nine entered Central High School under guard. A) Isn't the reason. C) Isn't the reason. D) Isn't the reason.

The 1960 Greensboro sit-ins protested:

1. segregated buses
2. voting restrictions in North Carolina
3. segregated lunch counters
4. the Vietnam War

Answer: C — segregated lunch counters

C) Correct — Students sat at whites-only counters and refused to leave. A) Was the Montgomery boycott. B) Was the focus at Selma. D) Came later.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964:

1. banned discrimination in public places and jobs
2. gave women the right to vote in national elections
3. ended poll taxes
4. created Medicare

Answer: A — banned discrimination in public places and jobs

A) Correct — It outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. B) Was the 19th Amendment. C) Was the 24th Amendment. D) Was part of the Great Society in 1965.

Cesar Chavez is known for:

1. leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955
2. writing The Feminine Mystique
3. organizing farmworkers into a union
4. founding the Black Panthers

Answer: C — organizing farmworkers into a union

C) Correct — With Dolores Huerta he led the United Farm Workers and the grape boycott. A) Was King. B) Was Betty Friedan. D) Was Huey Newton and Bobby Seale.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott began after:

1. the March on Washington
2. the Brown decision
3. King was assassinated
4. Rosa Parks was arrested for keeping her seat

Answer: D — Rosa Parks was arrested for keeping her seat

D) Correct — The 381-day boycott brought Martin Luther King Jr. to national notice. A) Came in 1963. B) Came in 1954 and concerned schools. C) Came in 1968.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruled that:

1. segregated public schools were unconstitutional
2. segregation was legal as long as facilities were equal
3. all private schools must integrate
4. Black Americans could vote

Answer: A — segregated public schools were unconstitutional

A) Correct — It overturned “separate but equal” in public education. B) Was Plessy v. Ferguson, which Brown overturned. C) Applied to public schools. D) Isn't the ruling.

The Kent State shootings of 1970 came during protests against:

1. segregated schools
2. the expansion of the war into neighboring Cambodia
3. the Watergate break-in and the cover-up
4. the draft lottery's end

Answer: B — the expansion of the war into neighboring Cambodia

B) Correct — National Guard troops killed four students in Ohio. A) Isn't the cause. C) Came in 1972. D) Isn't the cause.

The 24th Amendment (1964) banned:

1. poll taxes in federal elections
2. literacy tests
3. segregated schools
4. voting by citizens younger than 21 years old

Answer: A — poll taxes in federal elections

A) Correct — Poll taxes had kept many poor and Black citizens from voting. B) Were suspended by the Voting Rights Act. C) Was Brown v. Board. D) The 26th Amendment lowered the age to 18.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965:

1. gave 18-year-olds the vote
2. suspended literacy tests and added federal oversight
3. ended racial segregation in all public schools nationwide
4. created a national ID card

Answer: B — suspended literacy tests and added federal oversight

B) Correct — Federal examiners registered voters in places with a history of discrimination. A) Was the 26th Amendment. C) Was Brown v. Board. D) Didn't happen.

The Watergate scandal led to:

1. Nixon's resignation in 1974
2. Nixon's removal by the Senate
3. the end of the Vietnam War
4. Johnson's impeachment

Answer: A — Nixon's resignation in 1974

A) Correct — He resigned after tapes showed he helped cover up the break-in. B) He resigned before a trial. C) Isn't the result. D) Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868.

Who were the Watergate burglars caught in 1972?

Operatives linked to Nixon's reelection campaign caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee office at the Watergate complex.

What did Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decide?

Unanimously declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do?

Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public accommodations, employment, and federal programs.