OCR American Civil Rights on Friday!

i was wondering if someone could clarify something for me: for a question which asks how far were the federal government a hindrance or help to the development of African-American civil rights from 1865-1980, would you also include how other factors helped/hindered, e.g. state goverment mainly hindered,anti-civil rights groups; whereas african-americans themselves,leadership mainly helped?

normally i do talk about other factors but i'm not sure if they want to to concentrate mainly on the question they've asked.

I would firstly write how the fed gov hinders (end of reconstruction, limited impact 1877-1930, plessy v ferguson 1896, new deal fails to make lynching federal offence, armed forces not desegregated until 1948, end of bussing 1970s, Nixon and appointment of Warren Burger to S.C. etc.). Then I would focus on how the fed govt helped (Renconstruction 1865-77, New Deal, Truman 1940s, smith v allwright 1944, Eisenhower 1950s, JFK and LBJ 1960s, civ rights act 1964, voting rights act 1965 etc). Depending on which side of the argument you are arguing it may be relevant to illustrate that it was rather the divisive rights movement on 1960s/anyting else which hindered rather than fed govt, but I don't think this should form the main part of the essay. What does everyone else think?

Apart from fed govt and divisive nature of the civil rights campaigns, can anyone else think of prominent factors which hindered the development of African-American civil rights?