Part A. Essay Questions

Answer all essay questions. Each essay should be approximately one double-spaced, typed page.

1. Compare and contrast the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) on the basis of their leadership, philosophy, and tactics.

2. Assess the effectiveness of the federal government during the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations in enforcing desegregation laws throughout the South. Discuss one event during each of the administrations.

3. Describe the strategies and outcomes of the protest demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. Discuss Martin Luther King Jr.'s rationale for conducting the demonstrations as expressed in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Do you think the demonstrations were a success?

Part B. Short-Answer Questions

Answer all short-answer questions. Responses to each short-answer question should be one or two paragraphs long.

1. Were the Freedom Rides an effective tool for desegregating the interstate transportation system?

2. What was the sit-in movement, and what was the outcome of the movement?

3. Why was Mississippi seen as one of the most important states in the South in which to mount challenges against segregation?

4. Identify Medgar Evers, and briefly describe his contribution to the civil rights movement.

5. What was the purpose and strategy of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP)?