Main Idea: As the U.S. emerged from WWII and the Cold War, the American dream of having a secure job and owning a house came within reach for many. For African Americans, it was time to demand equal opportunities in education, housing, and citizenship. The movement for civil rights evolved into a protest movement.

Remember Plessy v. Ferguson1896Supreme Court ruled that “separate-but-

equal” guaranteed all Americans equal treatment under the law

Led to the passage of Jim Crow laws in the South

http://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/videos#separate-but-not-equal

Brown v. Board of Education1954Oliver Brown sued the Topeka, Kansas, Board

of Education to let his daughter Linda attend a nearby (all white) school.

Linda walked past the school on her way to the bus stop.

The Supreme Court declared that the system of segregated public schools in the United States was unconstitutional.

Thurgood Marshall- leader of the NAACP Legal Defense Team

Oliver Hill- NAACP Legal Defense Team in VA

Reactions to Brown V. BoardIn many areas where African-Americans

were majority, whites resisted desegregation- KKK reappears

In Virginia, there was massive resistanceClosing of schoolsEstablishment of private academiesWhite flight from urban school systems

Murder of Emmitt TillAugust 1955

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8QXNyCvDP4

Montgomery Bus BoycottDec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks took a seat in the

front row if the “colored” section of a bus.Driver ordered her to give up her seat to a

white man because the bus was filling up- she refused and was arrested.

Martin Luther King Jr., a pastor, was elected to leader of the boycott.

For 381 days, African-Americans refused to ride the bus.

Boycott remained non-violent.1956, Supreme Court outlawed bus

segregation.

Little Rock, ArkansasSeptember 1957, the Governor Orval

Faubus ordered the National Guard to turn away the “Little Rock Nine”9 African-American students who had

volunteered to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School

Faced an abusive crowd Eisenhower placed the National Guard

under federal control and ordered paratroopers into Little Rock

Faced harassment by other students throughout the year

http://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/videos#little-rock-nine-rev

Grassroots OrganizationsSouthern Christian Leadership

Conference (SCLC)- purpose was “to carry out non-violent crusades against the evils of second-class citizenship”

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)- national protest groupIn addition to boycotts, African- Americans

staged sit-ins (sat down at segregated lunch counters and refused to leave until served)

Famous Sit-insIn Feb.1960, African American students from

North Carolina A&T staged a sit-in at a whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro.

TV crews brought coverage into homes all over the USSparked many other sit-ins in the south

Store managers called in police, raised prices of food and even removed counter seats but the movement continued

By late 1960s, lunch counters had been desegregated in 48 cities in 11 states.

Birmingham AlabamaKnown for its strict enforcement of total

segregation in public lifeApril 3, 1963, King flew into Birmingham

and began holding demonstrationsMay 2, thousands of African American

children marched in Birmingham959 were arrested

Continued protests and negative media coverage convinced Birmingham to end segregation

Convinced Kennedy that a new civil rights act was needed to end racial violenceUnfortunately Kennedy died soon after

1963 March on WashingtonAugust 28, 1963 more than 250,000

people came to D.C.-between Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial

Participants were inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech

The march helped influence public opinion to support civil rights legislation.

The march demonstrated the power of non-violent mass protest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEMXaTktUfA

Civil Rights Act 1964President Lyndon B. Johnson pledged to

carry out the work of Kennedy on civil rights

July 2, 1964 Johnson signed the CRA 1964

Act prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and genderIt also desegregated public accommodations

Freedom SummerIn 1964, members of the SNCC and the Congress of

Racial Equality (CORE) traveled to the South to register as many African-Americans as they could to voteFocused in Mississippi

Recruited college students and trained them in nonviolent resistance

In June, 2 civil rights workers and 1 volunteer disappeared Klansmen and police had murdered 3 of them

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9ro-kYKYHc

Story StarterTake 10-15 minutes to respond to the

following :

“I woke up this morning in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. I…”

Voting Rights Act 1965

Eliminated the so-called literacy tests that had disqualified many voters

Federal registrars were sent in to the South to register voters

Resulted in an increase in African-American voters

Changes to the Civil Rights Movement

The Divide New leaders emerged as the

movement’s attention turned from the South to the North

African-Americans in the North faced de facto segregation- segregation that existed by practice and customsHarder to combat and many

altercations turned violent

Urban ViolenceIn the mid-1960s, clashes between

white authority and black civilians spread all over.

Race riots broke out in NYC, Chicago and LA.

African-Americans were angry and wanted economic equality and equal opportunity in jobs, housing and education.

New Leaders EmergeMany leaders in the black community urged

followers to take complete control of their communities, livelihood and culture

Malcolm X- joined the Nation of Islam while in PrisonEncouraged blacks to separate from white

society and advocated self-defenseEventually calmed down a little and promoted

“ballot or bullets” slogan- “…if you and I don’t use the ballot, we’re going to

be forced to use the bullet. So let’s try to ballot.”

Black Power and the Black Panthers

The term “Black Power” was a “call for black people to begin to define their own goals and to lead their own organizations.”

Black Panthers- a political party founded in Oakland, CA, to fight police brutality in the ghettos.Advocated self-sufficiency,

full employment and decent housing

MLK objected to the Black Panthers movement.Thought it was too violent-

only end in grief.

Turning point On April 3, 1968, King addressed a crowd in

Memphis to support the city’s garbage workers.“I may not get there with you but…we as a people

will get to the promised land…”April 4, 1968, King was shot while standing on

his hotel balconySparked the worst urban rioting in U.S. history

Hardest hit cities were Baltimore, Chicago, Kansas City, and Washington D.C.

June 1968, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated as well.

Civil Rights Act 1968After School segregation ended, the

number of African-Americans who finished high school and went to college increased

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 ended discrimination in housing

Birth Certificate for the Civil Rights Movement Activity

Students will fill out a replica of an actual birth certificate.

You will decide when the Movement was born (this can be a person, an organization, idea, or event) and who should be considered the “parents” of the movement.

Decide the birth date (can be a decade or specific year) and explain why you selected it, and who/what gave birth to the movement and why you gave them credit.

Be specific in your justifications.