Quiz for American Voices:
Challenging White Supremacy

Question

1. Which of the following civil rights organizations was created to facilitate and organize more actions like those organized by Franklin McCain and his fellow activists in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is b. Inspired by the development of student sit-ins in Greensboro and elsewhere in the South, SCLC administrator Ella Baker helped to organize the SNCC in 1960 to facilitate the growth of the sit-in movement. By the end of the year, students had launched sit-ins in 126 cities.
Incorrect. The answer is b. Inspired by the development of student sit-ins in Greensboro and elsewhere in the South, SCLC administrator Ella Baker helped to organize the SNCC in 1960 to facilitate the growth of the sit-in movement. By the end of the year, students had launched sit-ins in 126 cities.

Question

2. According to McCain, which of the following individuals was a particularly important influence on him and his fellow activists in the sit-in movement?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is d. McCain stated that the individual who influenced him and his fellow activists the most was Gandhi. He said, “Martin Luther King’s name was well-known when the sit-in movement was in effect but . . . no, he was not the individual we had upmost in mind when we started the sit-in movement.”
Incorrect. The answer is d. McCain stated that the individual who influenced him and his fellow activists the most was Gandhi. He said, “Martin Luther King’s name was well-known when the sit-in movement was in effect but . . . no, he was not the individual we had upmost in mind when we started the sit-in movement.”

Question

3. Franklin McCain spoke of the sense of “manhood” he felt while sitting at the Woolworth’s lunch counter. What does this statement suggest about how participation in civil rights activism affected African Americans at the time of the sit-in movement?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is a. When McCain spoke of the sense of “manhood” he gained from sitting at the Woolworth’s lunch counter, he was most likely referring to the new sense of personal agency and power he gained through the activity. Rather than feeling defined solely by white oppression and racism, he gained a sense of the power he could wield and the impact he could have as a black man challenging the status quo.
Incorrect. The answer is a. When McCain spoke of the sense of “manhood” he gained from sitting at the Woolworth’s lunch counter, he was most likely referring to the new sense of personal agency and power he gained through the activity. Rather than feeling defined solely by white oppression and racism, he gained a sense of the power he could wield and the impact he could have as a black man challenging the status quo.

Question

4. In “Demanding the Right to Vote,” what did John McFerren cite as the impetus for his decision to take up civil rights activism?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is c. McFerren explained that he became interested in justice and convinced of the need for black voting rights as a result of a trial that took place in his town. He said, “The stimulation from the trial got me interested in the way justice was bein used. The only way to bring justice would be through the ballot box.”
Incorrect. The answer is c. McFerren explained that he became interested in justice and convinced of the need for black voting rights as a result of a trial that took place in his town. He said, “The stimulation from the trial got me interested in the way justice was bein used. The only way to bring justice would be through the ballot box.”

Question

5. What does John McFerren suggest African Americans needed before they could begin to challenge the racist systems of the Jim Crow South?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Correct. The answer is d. McFerren said, “You cannot be free when you’re beggin the [white] man for bread. But when you’ve got the dollar in your pocket and then got the vote in your pocket, that’s the only way to be free.” His statement suggests that economic resources were necessary in order for African Americans to have the autonomy to challenge Jim Crow.
Incorrect. The answer is d. McFerren said, “You cannot be free when you’re beggin the [white] man for bread. But when you’ve got the dollar in your pocket and then got the vote in your pocket, that’s the only way to be free.” His statement suggests that economic resources were necessary in order for African Americans to have the autonomy to challenge Jim Crow.