The Civil Rights Movement

chapter 21, sections 1, 2, and 3

Rise in African American Influence• The Great

Migration – Blacks moved to the cities in large numbers, developing political power and concentrated community leadership.

• The New Deal – FDR began to court black voters to gather support for his new deal.

• WWII – Largely fought against racism

Organizations

• NAACP - Organized, well led group that sought to bring an end to legalized segregation (de jure).

• CORE - sought to bring about change through peaceful confrontation.

• National Urban League - assisted poor blacks moving into major urban areas.

Organizations

• SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conf.)– Formed by clergymen

to protest racial inequality. MLK was the most famous member.

Two Major Things That Made the Civil Rights Movement Successful

• SNCC (Student Non-violent Coor. Comm.)– Formed by students who felt the SCLC did not meet the

needs of young blacks (particularly students)

• Non-violence – No matter what happened to you, you would not react to your aggressor. This technique showed the hatefulness and aggression of the segregationists.

• Sit-ins and Boycotts – both were very effective forms of non-violent protest used by the SCLC and SNCC.

Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education 1954

• Headed by the NAACP

• Sought to overturn Plessey v. Ferguson, (1896) which established “separate but equal”.– Desegregate

elementary schools in Topeka, Kansas

• Went all the way to the Supreme Court– NAACP lawyer

was Thurgood Marshall

• Plaintiffs won, ending de jure segregation– All schools in

America must now integrate

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Headed by the NAACP– looking for someone

like Rosa Parks, who was of spotless character

-Dec. 1955– Parks had trouble with

the same driver before

• Boycott that lasted 382 days (13 mos)– Black Churches raised money for new shoes, cab

fare, and car pools– This is the first time we see MLK in a large scale

leadership role. This job puts him in the forefront of the Civil Rights Moment

Montgomery Bus Boycott cont.

• City tried to break the strike– Cab fines– Revoke insurance– violence

• Bus Companies wouldn’t change policies, the case went to the Supreme Court– Ruled in favor of

plaintiffs

• Ended de jure segregation in all public facilities

“The Little Rock 9”• Arkansas Governor

barred the door of a white schoolhouse with the national guard.

• Eisenhower places the national guard under federal command, and allowed the students to attend Little Rock’s Central High School.

Integration at Ole Miss• James Meredith wanted to transfer from Jackson

State to Ole Miss, and was denied.• The Case went to the Supreme Court, and

Jackson was admitted.

Integration at Ole Miss cont.• The Governor of Mississippi personally “barred the schoolhouse door” to

prevent James Meredith from entering.

• Riots followed and 160 marshals were wounded and 2 bystanders killed.• Meredith stayed, graduating in 1964.

• In 1966 on a solitary March Against Fear, he was shot with a shotgun (bird shot). MLK Jr and others continued the march while Meredith recovered.

Two Major Things That Made the Civil Rights Movement Successful

Freedom Rides• SNCC wants to

test the Supreme Courts ruling over segregation in public facilities

• Organized bus ride from Washington D.C. to through the South to New Orleans.

• Ride died out in Jackson, Mississippi when all of the riders were arrested.

• The “Freedom Riders” were met with extreme violence at every turn.– Americans were alarmed at the images from the ride.

Two Major Things That Made the Civil Rights Movement Successful

Lynching

• One of the great risks that protestors brought upon themselves and their families was that of lynching, which was a very real threat in the South.

• The people that were guilty of the lynching were never punished

Birmingham Protest• MLK called Birmingham “the most segregated city

in America”.– Police Commissioner Bull Connor was completely

against integration

• King called for a series of marches and sit-ins that would bring about change.

• King (and others) were arrested for conducting a “parade” without a permit. King was criticized by local ministers for his civil disobedience.

• King Responds with his “Letter from A Birmingham Jail”.

• As the marches continued, Connor had firemen blast protestors with water hoses, and had his policemen use police dogs to break up the unarmed protestors, many of whom were young people, and the elderly.

• The nation was shocked to see these images of widespread violence against the protestors.

• The protest worked, and the city of Birmingham was desegregated.

Two Major Things That Made the Civil Rights Movement Successful