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Difficulty: MediumThe Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s

"The Southern Student Protest Movement now going on in the South is bigger than a hamburger or even a giant-sized Coke. It is an effort to secure these rights for ourselves and for our children. But even more than that, it is an effort to rid America of the scourge of racial segregation and discrimination, not only at lunch counters, but in every aspect of life."

— Ella Baker, "Bigger Than a Hamburger," 1960

Which of the following developments in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was a direct result of the grassroots activism described in the excerpt?

  1. The growing prominence of student-led direct-action campaigns that pressured the federal government to enact civil rights legislationAnswer
  2. B
    The immediate unification of civil rights organizations under a single, agreed-upon strategy and leadership
  3. C
    A uniform shift among all civil rights groups away from nonviolent direct action toward armed self-defense by the mid-1960s
  4. D
    A consensus among activists that legal litigation in federal courts was the only effective method for achieving racial equality

Answer

The growing prominence of student-led direct-action campaigns that pressured the federal government to enact civil rights legislation
The student-led sit-in movement of 1960, which Ella Baker helped organize into the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), represented a major wave of grassroots direct action. These protests desegregated local facilities and, along with other campaigns, pressured the federal government to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document and identify its historical context and author.
The excerpt is from Ella Baker in 1960, discussing the 'Southern Student Protest Movement' (the sit-ins) and its broader goals beyond desegregating lunch counters.
Understanding the context of the 1960 sit-ins is necessary to trace the consequences of student activism.
2
Evaluate the options against historical developments in the 1960s.
Grassroots student direct action (like sit-ins and Freedom Rides) created crises that forced the federal government to pass landmark civil rights laws. Other choices assume a false consensus or uniform transition within the movement.
This identifies the correct historical cause-and-effect relationship and eliminates distractors based on the consensus fallacy.

Key Concept

Tactics and internal debates of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement
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Topics

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s

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