The Civil Rights MovementChapter 16

Essays for Chapter 16 Test• 1. Compare and contrast the key

leaders/groups of the Civil Rights Movement. Include Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party

• 2. Explain what the Brown v. Board of Education ruling was. Why was it SO significant to the Civil Rights Movement?

• 3. What were the 2 pieces of legislation below designed to accomplish? Explain the impact they had on life in the United States during the 1960’s

Racial History of the US• Slavery – from very early on, slavery was used in the southern

states for labor in their agricultural industry• Civil War – believing the institution of slavery to be under attack,

southern states seceded from the Union. Lincoln went to war to keep the Union together• EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION – Lincoln freed the slaves in any state in

rebellion

• Post CW – RECONSTRUCTION – 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments, laws to protect the rights of newly freed African Americans

• Post-Reconstruction South – after political deal, troops pulled from the South and they were allowed to go back to treating African Americans badly – KKK

• Southern states able to reinstate racial hierarchy that existed before CW

• Plessey v. Ferguson – “Separate but Equal” establishes legal segregation

• A Divided America – for the next 60 years, laws were used to separate races and keep African Americans in a state of 2nd class citizenship

Essays – Chapter 16• 1. Compare and contrast the key

leaders/groups of the Civil Rights Movement. Include Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party

• 2. Explain what the Brown v. Board of Education ruling was. Why was it SO significant to the Civil Rights Movement?

• 3. What were the 2 pieces of legislation below designed to accomplish? Explain the impact they had on life in the United States during the 1960’s

The Movement Begins• Origins of the Movement

• Plessey v. Ferguson – established to policy of “SEPARATE BUT EQUAL”• For 60+ years, laws could legally separate by race (institutional racism)• Areas without laws often had “defacto segregation” (by custom or

tradition)

• Court Challenges Begin• NAACP (Nat’l Assoc. for the Advancement of Colored People) used the

courts to challenge laws they viewed as unconstitutional or unfair• Will be successful in a few cases early on, but SC ruling was upheld in

most

• New Political Power• In North, as more African Americans voted, they saw new political power• Politicians began to listen to their issues, wrote laws to stop segregation

• The Push for DESEGREGATION• During WW2, African American leaders used political power to end

segregation in factories and increased opportunities in the military• CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) formed to push for desegregation

using “sit-ins”

The Movement Begins• Brown v. Board of Education• After WW2, NAACP began to look for cases to challenge

segregated schools• Thurgood Marshall will bring BROWN v. BOARD OF

EDUCATION to the SC• Several cases combined, from states across the South, to

challenge segregation• On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled UNANIMOUSLY that

schools must desegregate “with all deliberate speed”

• Southern Resistance• The South viewed the ruling as a challenge to the traditions

and systems their culture was based upon• Many southern states viewed as a challenge to “States’

Rights”• Massive resistance through out the South• “Southern Manifesto” – 101 Southern Congressmen signed

resisting the Supreme Court ruling as a clear abuse of judicial power and to use all lawful means to reverse the decision• Not until 1969 did all school finally desegregate

The CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT Begins

• Montgomery Bus Boycott – ROSA PARKS - MLKing Jr.• Rosa Parks arrested for sitting in wrong section, refusing

to get up• Dr. King chosen to lead a boycott of the bus company in

protest• Dr. King followed the example of Gandhi – peaceful

protests only• Boycott will last for over a year – S.C. will rule bus

segregation (public facility) unconstitutional• Many southern states will continue to resist desegregating

public facilities

• African American Churches – SCLC• Churches one of the few places allowed to gather in large

numbers• SCLC formed to coordinate the Civil Rights Movement• Dr. King selected to lead the SCLC• Goal was to challenge laws (voting, transportation,

housing, dining, etc)

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Eisenhower Responds• Eisenhower sympathized with African Americans,

but he feared the impact of the Supreme Court ruling – forcing the South to desegregate

• He believed, given time, segregation would end gradually & peacefully

• But, he knew, as president, he had to enforce the Supreme Court ruling

• Eisenhower will be the first president since the end of Reconstruction to send federal troops into the South to protect the rights of African Americans

Little Rock Nine• 1957 – Little Rock School Board under federal order

to desegregate their schools• Governor Orval Faubus was running for reelection – used

issue to win votes• He ordered Arkansas National Guard troops to prevent the

9 African American students from entering Little Rock High School• Violence broke out as students tried to go to school• Eisenhower could not allow a governor to defy the Supreme

Court ruling• Federal troops (1,000+) sent in to escort the students • For the entire school year, the students were escorted to

and from school and in their classes

New Civil Rights Legislation• Eisenhower tried to get a strong voting rights bill

passed but was blocked by Southern members of Congress

• Civil Rights Act of 1957 – intended to protect the African American right to VOTE• L. Johnson worked out a weaker compromise bill• Created Civil Rights Commission – with authority to use

courts to stop those trying to block African Americans from voting• After the bill passed, the SCLC announced a plan to get 2

million African Americans to register to vote

Challenging Segregration• The Sit-In Movement• “Jim Crow” laws of the South had long segregated most of

society• Using CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE – they intentionally broke

the laws by entering eating cites and sitting at the counter until served• Woolworths’s was the first chain store targeted• They would sit until they were served or arrested• The next day – others would join. When they were

arrested and removed, others would take their place – effectively stopping business• Within 2 months, the movement spread to 54 cities in 9

states• It spread from restaurants to hotels and movie theaters• SNCC (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee) led

these demonstrations• NAACP and SLCL were not in favor, they feared violence

on their children• SNCC tapped into the enthusiasm of the young people

and began a push to register people to vote

Challenging Segregation• Despite S.C. rulings, southern buses still segregated• From the North, teams of activists (both black and

white) boarded buses heading into the South• They hoped to get off the bus and reason with the

leaders of each community as they passed through• They were met by mobs of angry southerners• They slashed tires and threw rocks at the windows

• In Birmingham, they blocked the bus, armed with bats, chains and pipes• The passengers were beaten viciously• The police commissioner said no police were present because

it was Mothers’ Day and he had given them all the day off• Evidence later uncovered showed he had given orders to the

KKK to attack the bus and its passengers• The violence made the news – shocking the American public

Freedom Riders (freedom riders history)youtube.com

Kennedy and Civil Rights• Kennedy promised to work on Civil Rights when campaigning in 60• Civil Rights leaders were excited when he won• But Kennedy quickly realized he needed to work with the Southern

Congressmen and that meant he had to proceed very slowly• Kennedy did appoint more than 40 African Americans to posts• He appointed Thurgood Marshall to a federal judgeship• He created the CEEO (Comm. On Equal Employment Opportunity)• The Department of Justice (led by his brother Bobby) actively

supported the Civil Rights Movement and tried to help people in the South register to vote

• The violent attacks on the Freedom Riders had Kennedy urging a “cooling off” period• CORE leaders rejected this, saying they had done nothing wrong• The cost of bailing “Freedom Riders” out of jail left CORE without funds.

NAACP/Thurgood Marshall step in with funding to keep the riders going• The DOJ was told to enforce desegregation laws for bus terminals and by the

end of 1962 – segregation on buses was mostly over

Violence in Birmingham• In 1963, MLKing decided to lead a march in

Birmingham, ALA• He knew it would provoke violence, but believed it was the

only way to effect change and to get Kennedy to use the federal government to back their cause• PACKED THE JAILS – one of the strategies was to get

arrested, in large numbers, and over crowd the jails. They would have to release prisoners, who would then go back out and join the protests• King was arrested and, while in jail, wrote letters to his

supporters, many of whom were asking him to be patient and back off• King wrote of reasons for protests and the urgency for

change

Civil Rights Act of 1964• Violence in Birmingham only fueled the fires of the

South• Gov. George Wallace ran on SEGREGATION• He will literally stand in the doorway of a university to

prevent a student from entering

• THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON – August 23, 1963• Key leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans

who had succeeded in Entertainment, Sports, Business, etc came to speak, to push for the passage of the Civil Rights Act in Congress• SCLC got word out of the march, hoping for more than

20,000• 250,000+ were present for MLK’s famous speech

• I HAVE A DREAM handout/listen to speech

Civil Rights Act of 1964• Despite the HUGE turnout, the Congress failed to

pass the Civil Rights Act pushed by President Kennedy

• After the death of JFK, President Johnson worked to get this legislation passed. The House passed it but it spent weeks in the Senate (filibuster). The Senate finally voted on and passed.

• CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964• Law made segregation illegal in most public facilities• Law gave people of all colors equal access to public facilities• Law gave the Attorney General the power to force compliance through law suits or intervention• Law established the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)• Forced employers to NOT discriminate in the

work place

Struggle for Voting Rights• Voting remained a stubborn issue – especially in the South• 15th Amendment recognized the right to vote for black men• 24th Amendment outlaws poll taxes in federal elections• Dr. King decided to take the issue to the states• THE SELMA MARCH

• Jan. 1965 – Selma selected as the first protest location for voting rights• To prevent African Americans from voting, tricky testing was used. If

that did not work, violence used to intimidate• King’s demonstration led to the arrest of more than 3,000 (including

kids)• To keep up the pressure on Congress, the President and the states, Dr.

King called in SNCC. They set out on a march of 50 miles• As the march went on, more and more joined in• As they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were brutally attacked

in front of the national TV cameras• Watching these events horrified and angered people across the country,

including LBJ• 8 days later, LBJ proposed the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Voting Rights Act of 1965• Within a year of its passage, 250,000 new voters

had registered in southern states• The number of elected African Americans went up

quickly• The Civil Rights Movement had achieved 2 of its

main goals• 1. Segregation Laws had been outlawed• 2. Voting Rights had been achieved

• After 1965, the movement shifted its focus• Poverty became the new issue, not race• African Americans, Native Americans, Caucasians, etc who

were trapped in poverty had little or no hope for their future

URBAN PROBLEMS• RACISM was still common in most of America. Changing

the laws did not change the hearts or minds of people• 70% of African Americans lived in urban areas and were stuck in

low paying jobs• Poor neighborhoods were overcrowded and dirty• Rate of infant mortality and illness were higher than in other areas• Rate of crime/juvenile delinquency was much higher• Broken families were more common (single parent homes)

• The Watts Riots• Allegations of police brutality caused riot (just 5 days after VRA

passed)• For 6 days, the area near San Francisco known as Watts was

ablaze• National Guard and Law Enforcement called in, but they were

targeted• As American was Watts burn, riots broke out across the US

URBAN PROBLEMS• Kerner Commission – LBJ opened a study on

causes of urban riots and to make recommendations• Racism blamed for most of the problems• “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black and

one white – separate and unequal.”• Creating of inner city jobs, public housing were suggested

• Shift to Economic Rights – MLK shifted sites to all poor• His involvement shed light on the horrid conditions the

poor lived in • Dr. King led marches through Chicago, hoping to

embarrass the government into action• Mayor Daley and Dr. King met – promised changes, but

little changed

Black Power• Despite his efforts, many saw Dr. King’s efforts to push for

change nonviolently as a waste of time or that it would take too long

• Other points of view began attracting angry young African Americans who wanted change NOW

• CORE and SNCC believed the change had to come from the African American leadership alone “BLACK POWER”

• Some took this idea of “BLACK POWER” to mean physical power – to fight back or to fight for

• Stokely Carmichael (leader of SNCC) said it meant African Americans should control the social, political and economic direction of their struggle

• BLACK POWER stressed PRIDE in the African American culture• It emphasized ethnic distinction rather than conforming to the cultural

norm• New African-style hair & clothing became all the rage

Malcolm X – Quick History• Childhood• Father/Mother• Aunt

• Prison Years• Intro to Nation of Islam – Name Change

• Nation of Islam• Teachings• Nat’l Spokesman, Challenges Honorable Elijah Mohammad• Year of Quiet - Hajj

• Post – NOI• Challenged separatist idea

• Legacy• Gave VOICE to the voiceless, challenged Dr. King• Change of Mind is OK, Good – evolving beliefs with new

information

MALCOLM X• Malcolm X became the symbol of BLACK POWER• Became a leader for the Nation of Islam church after

prison• The Nation of Islam preached BLACK NATIONALISM• Separate Black Nation, maybe even return to Africa• Had to take their rights, because white America would never given

them

• After a falling out with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X no longer viewed all whites as the enemy – assassinated

• His teachings, both before and after his Nation of Islam days, molded a generation of African American leaders

• BLACK PANTHERS – called for an end to racial oppression and for control of major institutions like schools, law enforcement and hospitals

Dr. King Assassinated• March 1968, Dr. King in Memphis to support

African American sanitation workers who had been on strike for over a year

• “Poor Peoples March” – campaign to improve economic conditions for impoverished Americans of all color

• Pushed for government to invest billions of dollars to end poverty and unemployment

• Mountain top speech• April 4, 1968 – on a balcony of a motel in

Memphis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated by James Earl Ray

• Dr. King’s death will push Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1968 – which contained fair housing provisions

Ch 16 Test Essays• 1. Compare and contrast the key leaders/groups of

the Civil Rights Movement. Include Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party

• 2. Explain what the Brown v. Board of Education ruling was. Why was it SO significant to the Civil Rights Movement?

• 3. What were the 2 pieces of legislation below designed to accomplish? Explain the impact they had on life in the United States during the 1960’s

• Civil Rights Act of 1964• Voting Rights Act of 1965