the civil right's movement
TRANSCRIPT
The Civil Rights Movement
Section 1: The Movement Begins1. Origins of the Movement2. The Civil Rights Movement Begins3. African American Churches4. Eisenhower and Civil Rights
The Origins of the MovementAfrican American civil rights movement begins after
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white man – Starts a bus boycott – demand for equal rights
1896 – Plessy v. Ferguson (establishes separate but equal)
Jim Crow laws segregating African Americans in the South
De facto segregation (segregation by custom and tradition) in the North
NAACP – supported court cases trying to eliminate segregation; provided financial support and lawyers to African Americans
African Americans voted for Democrats who supported civil rights legislation (Strong Democratic Party)
1942 – CORE founded – used sit-ins as a form of protest
The Civil Rights Movement BeginsAfter WWII, African Americans had fought for equality
overseas and wanted it at home as wellThurgood Marshall – works to end segregation in
public schoolsBrown v. Board of Education – ended segregation in
public schoolsBrown v. Board angered many white southerners who
supported segregationMontgomery bus boycott led by Montgomery
Improvement Association headed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – nonviolent passive resistance
Bus boycott forced the Supreme court to find Alabama’s bus segregation laws unconstitutional
African American ChurchesAfrican American churches play a big role
in the success of the boycott, through being the center of forums, planning, and organization
SCLC, led by Dr. King, challenged segregation of public transportation,, housing, voting, and other public accommodations
Eisenhower and Civil RightsEisenhower was the 1st president since
Reconstruction to send troops to protect the rights of African Americans
Little Rock Arkansas, President Eisenhower sends federal troops to protect African Americans from angry mobs surrounding desegregated schools
Civil Rights Act of 1957 – protected African Americans’ right to vote – 1st step in bringing the federal government into the civil rights debate
Section 2: Challenging Segregation
1. The Sit-in Movement2. SNCC3. Freedom Riders4. Kennedy and Civil Rights5. The Civil Rights Act of 19646. The Struggle for Voting Rights
The Sit-In Movement1960 – 4 African Americans stage a sit-in at
Woolworth’s – led to a mass movement for civil rights using sit-ins across the nation
Jesse Jackson – leader of sit-ins in North Carolina – felt it gave them the power to change things
SNCCStudents for the SNCC as a way to organize for the
civil rights movementMarion Barry and John Lewis – early SNCC leadersRobert Moses points out that rural African
Americans needed help along with those in urban areas
Many SNCC volunteers were beaten and some were even killed
Fannie Lou Hamer – SNCC volunteer who is beaten in police custody in Mississippi – helps organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
Freedom RidersCORE leader James Farmer asks protesters
to travel South to integrate bus terminals – teams become known as the Freedom Riders
Violence erupts in Alabama – televised violence shocks many Americans
Kennedy compelled to control violence
JFK and Civil Rights Kennedy campaigned for civil rights – African Americans
helped get him elected Once in office he became very cautious on civil rights and
avoided new legislation Robert Kennedy, his brother, actively supported civil rights Attempted to reach agreements – riders asked to stop
protesting CORE uses funds to bail riders out of jail – NAACP helps to let
the rides continue Kennedy responds – Interstate Commerce Commission to
increase regulations against segregation at bus terminals – segregation ends by 1962
1962 – James Meredith (African Americans air force veteran) attends University of Mississippi, but needs troops to guard him.
King, frustrated with the movement, holds demonstrations in Alabama that incite violence in order to force the president to act
Civil Rights Act of 1964Kennedy announces his civil rights bill on national
televisionKing marches 200,000 demonstrators to the
nations capital to stage a peaceful rally in order to pressure Congress into passing the bill
Senators filibuster the bill, Congress unable to pass the bill
After Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson commits himself to passing the bill
It eventually passes:Gave federal government broad power to stop
racial discrimination in segregation of public placesBring lawsuits against school segregationRequired employers to end discrimination in the
workplace
Struggle for Voting RightsCivil Rights Act didn’t protect voting rights – Many
African Americans were prevented from voting in the South
Protest staged in Selma, Alabama – march for freedom stopped by 200 state troopers and protesters are attacked – Bloody Sunday
1965 – Voting Rights Act of 1965Federal examiners to register qualified votersBypassed local officials in the voter registration
processResulted in 250,000 newly registered African
Americans
Section 3: New Issues
1. Problems Facing Urban African Americans2. The Shift to Economic Rights3. Black Power4. Assassination of Dr. King
Problems Facing Urban African AmericansRacism was still common after the 50s and
60sEconomic and social problems = difficult to
address1965-1968 – race riots break out in many
American cities:o Watts riots – lasted 6 dayso Detroit riots – US Army sent in to retake control
Kerner Commission created to make recommendations to prevent further urban riotsConcluded that the problems lied within white
society and white racismRecommendation: 2 million new jobs and 6 million
new units of public housingDue to concerns over Vietnam President
Johnson never endorses the recommendation
Shift to Economic RightsDr. King begins to shift his focus onto improving
economic conditions for African AmericansChicago Movement – effort to call attention to
the deplorable housing conditions in ChicagoDr. King moves into the slums of Chicago with
his familyKing marched through the white suburbs and
was protected with police from Mayor Richard Daley
Daley and King propose new program to clean up the slums
Black Power Many African Americans sought out new strategies of self
defense and living free from whites Black Power – 2 meanings:
Physical self-defense and violenceStokely Carmichael – control the economic, social, and
political direction of their struggle for equality Opposed assimilation – popular in poor neighborhoods – Dr.
King and others were very critical of black power Malcolm X – symbol of black power movement – part of the
Nation of Islam (believed that African Americans should separate themselves from whites and form their own self-governing communities)
Malcolm X later breaks away from the Nation of Islam and begins to believe in an integrated society
1965 – 3 members of the Nation of Islam assassinate Malcolm X Victimized by the past, but don’t need to be victimized now by
racism Formation of the Black Panthers
New generation of militant black youth Black power, black nationalism, and economic self-sufficiency Black Panthers believed that a revolution was necessary to gain
equal rights.
Assassination of Dr. KingLate 1960s – Civil Rights movement
fragmented into many competing organizations
Assassination of Dr. King led to national mourning as well as riots in over 100 cities
After Dr. King’s death, Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1968 which contained provisions for fair and equitable housing