Edexcel IGCSE History: A Divided Union, Civil Rights in the USA, 1945–74 — Revision Notes

Quick-recall notes for Depth Study 7 of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1 Paper 1, “A divided union: civil rights in the USA, 1945–74”. Full explanations are in the civil rights study guide; practise with the civil rights practice questions.

Syllabus coverage (4HI1, Depth Study 7)

Key topic	Core content
1. Red Scare and McCarthyism	Causes, Hiss, Rosenbergs, FBI, HUAC, Hollywood Ten, McCarthy’s methods and fall
2. Civil rights in the 1950s	Segregation, courts, Brown, Till, Montgomery, Little Rock, 1957 Act, KKK
3. Protest, 1960–74	Sit-ins, Freedom Rides, Meredith, King, Birmingham, Washington, Freedom Summer, Selma, Malcolm X, Black Power, Watts, Panthers
4. Other protest movements	Students, anti-war, Berkeley, SDS, hippies, Friedan, NOW, women’s liberation, Schlafly
5. Nixon and Watergate	Scandal, resignation, new laws, Ford’s pardon

Timeline

Date	Event
1947	HUAC hearings on Hollywood; Hollywood Ten
1950	Hiss convicted of perjury; McCarthy’s first accusations; Korean War
1953	Rosenbergs executed
May 1954	Brown v Board of Education
Dec 1954	McCarthy censured by the Senate
Aug 1955	Murder of Emmett Till
Dec 1955–Dec 1956	Montgomery Bus Boycott
1957	Little Rock; Civil Rights Act 1957
Feb 1960	Greensboro sit-in
May 1961	Freedom Rides; Anniston bus fire-bombed
1962	James Meredith at the University of Mississippi
Apr–May 1963	Birmingham Campaign
Aug 1963	March on Washington; “I have a dream”
1963	The Feminine Mystique published
Summer 1964	Mississippi Freedom Summer; Civil Rights Act 1964
1964	Berkeley Free Speech Movement
Feb 1965	Malcolm X assassinated
Mar 1965	Selma marches
Aug 1965	Voting Rights Act; Watts riots
1966	Carmichael and “Black Power”; Black Panthers founded; NOW founded
Apr 1968	King assassinated
Oct 1968	Mexico City Olympics protest
June 1972	Watergate break-in
Jan 1973	Roe v Wade
1973	War Powers Act
9 Aug 1974	Nixon resigns; Ford pardons him in September

Protest and the law: what caused what?

Protest	Federal response
NAACP legal campaign	Brown v Board (1954)
Montgomery Bus Boycott	Supreme Court bans bus segregation (1956)
Little Rock crisis	Federal troops; Civil Rights Act 1957
Freedom Rides	Interstate travel desegregation enforced (1961)
Birmingham and the March on Washington	Civil Rights Act 1964
Freedom Summer and Selma	Voting Rights Act 1965

King and Malcolm X compared

	Martin Luther King	Malcolm X
Aim	Integration and equal rights	Black pride; separation (until 1964)
Method	Non-violent direct action	Self-defence “by any means necessary”
Base	Southern churches, SCLC	Northern cities, Nation of Islam
Strength	Won national sympathy and laws	Spoke to urban anger; inspired Black Power

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Red Scare	Fear of communist infiltration
HUAC	House Un-American Activities Committee
McCarthyism	Reckless accusations of communism without evidence
Jim Crow	Southern segregation laws
NAACP	National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
De jure / de facto segregation	Segregation by law / in practice
Direct action	Protest such as boycotts, sit-ins and marches
Black Power	Movement for black pride, self-reliance and self-defence
NOW	National Organization for Women (1966)
Impeachment	Formal charge against a president by Congress

Worked example: two effects

Explain two effects of the Birmingham Campaign (1963).

1. National outrage: television pictures of police dogs and hoses used on children shocked Americans and the world, turning opinion further against segregation.
2. Federal action: Kennedy announced a civil rights bill in June 1963, which became the Civil Rights Act 1964 under Johnson.

Essay plan in outline

“Federal government action was the main reason for civil rights progress in the years 1954–65.” How far do you agree?

• Paragraph 1 (stated factor): the Supreme Court in Brown (1954); Eisenhower’s troops at Little Rock (1957); Kennedy’s civil rights bill; Johnson’s Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965).
• Paragraph 2 (protest): Montgomery, sit-ins, Freedom Rides, Birmingham and Selma forced reluctant presidents to act.
• Paragraph 3 (media and opponents): television coverage of violence by Connor and others turned public opinion.
• Conclusion: federal action made change law; protest made federal action happen.

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Treating 1954 as the end of segregation. Brown set no deadline; resistance continued for years.
• Confusing the 1957, 1964 and 1965 Acts. 1957 = Commission, weak; 1964 = public places and employment; 1965 = voting.
• Describing King only. Questions often ask you to weigh King against others.
• Ignoring the North. Watts and the Black Panthers show problems outside the South.
• Forgetting topic 5. Watergate and its laws are examinable; learn the four Acts.

Frequently asked questions

Why did McCarthy fall? Television exposed his bullying in the Army–McCarthy hearings, and the Senate censured him in 1954.

Why did Black Power grow after 1965? Slow change in Northern cities, poverty, police violence, the assassination of Malcolm X and frustration with non-violence.

What did Watergate change? It forced Nixon’s resignation and led Congress to limit presidential power and protect privacy.

Source

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1) specification, Issue 5, February 2026, Paper 1, Depth Study 7.