Practice Civil rights movement in the United States - Nature and characteristics of discrimination with authentic IB History exam questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank mirrors Paper 1, 2, 3 structure, covering key topics like historical sources, cause and effect, and continuity and change. Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build exam confidence with questions in the style of IB examiners.
Paper
Level
Question 1
SL & HLPaper 1
Source M
Testimony of Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights activist, given before the Credentials Committee at the Democratic National Convention, August 1964.
“In June of ’63, I tried to register to vote in Mississippi. I was fired from my job, beaten in jail, and threatened just for wanting a say in the laws that governed me. The police told me, 'You're messing with white folks' business.' They used cattle prods on us in that jail. I wasn’t the only one - this is how it is for Black folks who try to vote. We aren’t just kept out of the polls - we’re kept in fear.”
Source N
This 1965 editorial cartoon by Herbert L. Block (Herblock) was published in the Washington Post on May 20, 1965.
Source O
Excerpt from a report by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, 1959.
“In many southern states, African Americans face systemic barriers to voting: literacy tests with arbitrary grading, ‘understanding clauses’, poll taxes, and outright intimidation. County registrars apply these standards unevenly. In Alabama, less than 10% of eligible Black citizens are registered, compared to over 80% of whites. Voter suppression is a deliberate tool used to maintain white political dominance.”
Source P
Excerpt from a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., delivered in Selma, Alabama, March 1965.
“We are here to say to the white men who deny our brothers the vote, that we will no longer be turned around. We will march, we will register, we will vote - no matter the dogs, no matter the clubs. This movement is not about anger. It is about dignity. The ballot is our right - not a gift from the oppressor. We will have it. And we will have it peacefully, but relentlessly.”
1.[3]
What does Source A suggest about the experience of African Americans trying to register to vote in the South?
2.[2]
What message does the cartoon convey about racism and violence during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States (1954–1965)?
3.[4]
With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitations of Source C for a historian studying disenfranchisement during the civil rights era.
4.[6]
Compare and contrast what Sources B and D reveal about responses to racial discrimination.
5.[9]
“To be Black in the South during the civil rights era was to live under constant threat.” Using the sources and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree with this statement?
Question 2
SL & HLPaper 1
Source M
Excerpt from Chief Justice Earl Warren’s majority opinion, U.S. Supreme Court, Brown v. Board of Education, 17 May 1954.
“We conclude that in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race generates a feeling of inferiority... that may affect the hearts and minds of children in a way unlikely ever to be undone. Education is the foundation of good citizenship. To deny it equally to all is to deny the very foundation of democracy.”
Source N
Source O
Excerpt from an article published in the Arkansas Gazette, 5 September 1957.
“The arrival of Negro pupils at Central High School was met with resistance and turmoil. Angry crowds gathered early. Shouts of ‘go back!’ and ‘we don’t want you!’ rang out across the campus. The Governor, claiming to prevent violence, called in the National Guard - not to protect the students, but to block their entry. Parents are deeply divided. While some believe the law must be followed, others warn that ‘forced integration’ will destroy community peace.”
Source P
Testimony of Daisy Bates, president of the Arkansas NAACP, before a Congressional committee, 1958.
“What happened at Little Rock showed the world that legal decisions mean nothing without enforcement. Elizabeth Eckford walked alone into that storm not just because of racism, but because the government failed to act quickly.
The crowd’s hate - grown men and women screaming at a child - is the true face of segregation. These were not fringe extremists, but teachers, parents, and students. The NAACP has worked tirelessly to ensure the right to education for all. We are not asking for favours - only for what is already law.”
1.[3]
What does Source A suggest about the impact of segregated education?
2.[2]
What message is conveyed by the photograph in Source N?
3.[4]
With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitations of Source O for a historian studying resistance to desegregation.
4.[6]
Compare and contrast what Sources N and P reveal about the challenges faced by African American students during school integration.
5.[9]
“To understand the Civil Rights Movement, you must understand the role of education.” Using the sources and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree with this statement?