AP African American Studies Flashcards: Discrimination, Segregation, and the Origins of the Civil Rights Movement
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 14 cards to help you master important concepts.
What was one of the most extreme responses by school districts to the mandate of integration?
In some places, local authorities and school boards chose to shut down their public schools entirely rather than comply with integration orders.
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What was one of the most extreme responses by school districts to the mandate of integration?
In some places, local authorities and school boards chose to shut down their public schools entirely rather than comply with integration orders.
How did the phenomenon of "white flight" contribute to continued school segregation after 1954?
Some white families fled to the suburbs and private schools, shifting their financial investment into schools and neighborhoods that few African Americans could access.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
A landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, violating the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
How did the experiences of students like the "Little Rock Nine" demonstrate the challenges of implementing the Brown v. Board decision?
Their attempts to integrate schools highlighted the intense and often violent resistance from state and local authorities, requiring federal intervention to enforce the Supreme Court's ruling.
Civil Rights Act of 1875
A law that outlawed racial discrimination in public places, which the later Civil Rights movement sought to have the federal government protect and enforce.
In what areas of daily life did African Americans continue to face discrimination through the mid-twentieth century?
African Americans continued to face racial discrimination, violence, and segregation in education, housing, transportation, and voting.
Identify two ways state or local governments resisted school integration after the Brown v. Board decision.
Some states cut funding for integrated schools, used local and federal police to prevent integration, or chose to shut down schools entirely rather than integrate.
What legal precedent did the Brown v. Board of Education decision overturn?
The decision overturned the prior ruling of “separate but equal” which had been established in the Plessy v. Ferguson case.
Who were the "Little Rock Nine"?
A group of African American students who attempted to integrate Little Rock High School in Arkansas in 1957, facing significant resistance from the local community and government.
Why did the Civil Rights movement focus on securing federal protection of rights?
Federal protection was necessary because state and local governments in the South actively resisted enforcing constitutional rights and federal laws for African Americans.
What psychological evidence was cited as a key factor in the Brown v. Board of Education decision?
The Supreme Court cited the “doll test” conducted by psychologists Mamie and Kenneth Clark, which demonstrated the negative impact of racial segregation on children’s self-esteem.
De facto segregation
Segregation that persisted in practice despite not being legally mandated, such as in schools after the Brown v. Board ruling due to housing patterns and private school enrollment.
What was the primary goal of the Civil Rights movement that emerged in the mid-twentieth century?
The movement's goal was to eradicate segregation and ensure federal protection of the rights guaranteed by the Reconstruction Amendments and the Civil Rights Act of 1875.
What was the core legal argument for overturning “separate but equal” in public schools?
The Supreme Court determined that state-sanctioned segregation in schools violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because separate facilities are inherently unequal.