Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Name:_____________________________
Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr.
1. What happened to Martin Luther King, Jr. in the late 1950s and how did he use it as a metaphor for the situation in this country in the summer of 1963? (3 points)
2. What were the two causes of disillusionment among black people in 1963? (3 points)
3. MLK:
When he (the black man)
seeks opportunity, he is told, in effect, to lift himself by his own bootstraps, advice which does not take into account the fact that he
is barefoot. What does this statement mean? (3 points)
4. The year 1963 was the 100th anniversary of what? (2 points)
a. The Emancipation Proclamation
b. The end of the civil war
c. Lincoln’s assassination
d. All of the above
5. MLK called nonviolent direct action
the sword that heals. In what way was this true? (2 points)
6. What irony did MLK see in the following statement:
The justification for risking the annihilation of the human race (with nuclear weapons)
was always expressed in
terms of America’s willingness to go to any lengths to preserve freedom. (3 points)
7. When a governor has ten appointed positions to fill and he seeks to fill one of them with a member of a minority group in order to pacify that group so that they won’t ask for more, this is an example of ___________________. (3 points)
8. After World War I there was a movement which advocated for the return of black people to Africa. Why did it fail? (3 points)
9. What were the two reasons why most black people were against using violence in the fight for equal rights? (3 points)
10. Which of the following is a novel about an unarmed southern lawyer who disperses a mob wishing to lynch a black defendant with the force of his moral courage? (2 points)
a.
Crime and Punishment
b.
To Kill a Mockingbird
c.
Gone With the Wind
d.
Mississippi Burning
11. What two roles did television play in the success of the Civil Rights movement?
(4 points)
12. Why do you think it was important for the black man
to look back at a white man, eye to eye? (3 points)
13.
T
F
Hundreds of black people were killed in civil rights
demonstrations in 1963. (2 points)
14. According to MLK, what was the ultimate tragedy of Birmingham? (3 points)
15. What did Birmingham public officials do when they were court-ordered to open the city’s public recreation facilities? (2 points)
a. They defied the court order and put police officers in place to keep black
people out.
b. They gave up and opened the facilities to all.
c. They closed the facilities down.
d. They appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
16. What were some of the preparatory activities undertaken by civil rights leaders before the demonstrations in Birmingham in 1963? (2 points)
17. Who said,
You have to be prepared to die before you can begin to live? (2 points)
a. Martin Luther King, Jr.
b. Harry Belafonte
c. Fred Shuttlesworth
d. Nelson Rockefeller
18. What did MLK say about the importance of the freedom songs? (2 points)
19.
T
F
Only those who were deemed able to respond nonviolently to extreme
provocation were allowed to participate in the actual demonstrations
in Birmingham. (2 points)
20. Which of the following is a reason why there was black opposition to the demonstrations in Birmingham in 1963? (2 points)
a. Many black people had been made to feel inferior for so long that they didn’t
know how to resist the influences that conditioned them to go along with the
white man’s views.
b. Black businessmen worried that white retaliation would hurt their businesses.
c. Some black people were worried that they would be fired from their jobs as a
result of the demonstrations.
d. Some felt that the city government which had just been elected should be given
time to make changes.
e. a & d
21. When the civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham continued after a court injunction against demonstration was issued, this was an example of: (2 points)
a. civil disobedience.
b. injunction violation.
c. justified law breaking.
d. anarchy.
22. What did MLK say about a person’s legal and moral responsibility regarding the law
? (3 pts.)
23. When teens were recruited to join the demonstrations in Birmingham, the national media criticized black leaders for
using black children in this fashion? Why was this ironic? (3 points)
24. Which of the following statements is true? (2 points)
a. During the period of civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, most
white residents remained neutral.
b. The demonstrations ended when business leaders and civil rights leaders
reached an accord.
c. In May, 1963 segregationists bombed the Birmingham home of MLK’s
brother and MLK’s motel room.
d. all of the above
25. According to MLK, how were the civil rights movement in Birmingham and the Battle of Bunker Hill alike? (3 points)
26.
T
F
The management of U.S. Steel, Birmingham’s most important
business, supported the civil rights movement. (2 points)
27.
T
F
By the end of the summer of 1963, the majority of northern
whites and close to a majority of southern whites, were in favor
of laws guaranteeing equal rights to black people. (2 points)
28. According to MLK, what did man have to recognize in order to emerge from barbarity? (3 points)
29. Which country practiced affirmative action before the United States? (2 points)
a. France
b. India
c. Canada
d. Greece
30.
T
F
MLK was in favor of legislation that would help poor white
people as well as poor black people. (2 points)
As you read MLK’s book, look for short passages that show something about MLK’s character. Choose
five passages and tell what character trait you think is shown and how it is shown. Examples of character traits are: reliability, perseverance, caring, honesty, fairness, patience, and respect. There are many more character traits (both positive and negative) that you can choose from. Each of the passages with explanation will be worth five points.
Use the following format:
1.
Meticulous (marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details)
In preparation for our campaign, I called a three-day retreat and planning session with S.C.L.C. staff and board members at our training center near Savannah, Georgia. Here we sought to perfect a timetable and discuss every possible eventuality. (p. 40)
MLK knew that it would take careful planning to make the demonstrations in Birmingham have the desired effect, and he made sure that staff knew what to do in all kinds of situations. He was very meticulous about this.
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