1962 – First Black student at Ole Miss (University of Mississippi)

A veteran, Meredith sued in Federal Court to attend Ole Miss and won

Governor Barnett, a segregationist, refused to enroll him

Barnett threatened to shut down Ole Barnett threatened to shut down Ole Miss but… that would mean no Football Miss but… that would mean no Football season!season!

Meredith’s attorney was Medgar Evers, NAACP activist

President Kennedy ordered federal marshals to take Meredith to register

On Sept. 30, riots broke out that took thousands of soldiers 15 hours to stop› 2 deaths› 200 arrests

Meredith was accompanied by federal troops to class for the entire year

Formed by King and other ministers in 1957

Goal to work for civil rights

Organized through churches for ordinary

Used nonviolent action for change

A “Grassroots” movement

Formed 1960 at Shaw University

Student activist movement spread throughout college campuses

Wanted to aggressively target segregation

Led successful sit-ins

Formed in 1942 in Chicago

Brought blacks and whites together to combat racism

In 1960’s led by James Farmer, Jr. (from the Great Debaters)

Freedom Riders of 1961 – major accomplishment

Students from SNCC targeted lunch counters throughout the South at chain stores like Woolworth

Practiced non-violence, just sat until arrested or even attacked.

National retail chains first said that “local customs” would be followed.

The US was shocked by the footage of sit-ins

Boycotts nationwide made the stores integrate their lunch counters.

1961 – CORE activists, black and white, take bus trips across the south to test Supreme Court ruling banning segregation on interstate bus routes

Organized by James Farmer, Jr., CORE director (the young kid in the Great Debaters)

Busses were attacked and exploded by angry mobs in Alabama.

Local law enforcement not only let this happen, they beat some Freedom Riders in Birmingham.

Freedom Riders on other busses who made it to Mississippi were arrested and sent to jail.

Attorney General Bobby Kennedy insisted riders be taken to Montgomery where they were attacked again.

President Kennedy sent in US Marshals to accompany them.

Kennedy administration affirms Supreme Court decision and bans segregation in all interstate travel facilities.

Dr. King, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and the SCLC targeted segregation in Birmingham, the most racially divided city in the South.

The campaign took place before Easter when boycotting stores would have a huge impact.

The SCLC wanted to show that Public Safety Commissioner and Mayoral Candidate Bull Connor would do anything to keep segregation.

Non-Violent sit-ins were held that led to mass arrests.

Every time people were arrested, more came in their place.

King finally was arrested on Good Friday.

The nation noticed how harsh Birminigham was on protesters.

In jail at Easter, Dr. King write the famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” outlining the purposes of the non-violent Civil Rights Movement. He was denied the right to see his attorney at first.

President Kennedy and the nation were upset and called for change in Birmingham.

Running low on demonstrators, Dr. King turned to schoolchildren, including elementary, to be trained in non-violence and march on downtown Birmingham.

May 2, thousands skipped school to march and 600 were arrested.

May 3, Bull Connor turned the dogs and hoses on the kids, creating a violent situation reporters saw as worse than any war.

Birmingham was desegregated

Kennedy saw the need for a new Civil Rights law that would desegregate public accomodations nationwide.

The “March on Washington” was planned.

March on Washington

August 28, 1963 250,000 people, including 75,000 whites

“I have a dream that one day the State of Alabama will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and walk together as sisters and brothers.”

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned Discrimination in Public Accommodations

Expanded Federal power to protect voting rights and speed up school desegregation

Established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to ensure fair treatment in employment

Signed by President Johnson after Kennedy’s assassination in order to continue his legacy

Freedom Summer

Focus of Civil Rights Movement turns to Voting Rights

Blacks still subject to voter literacy tests

College students went south to register voters and encourage passage of Civil Rights Act

Subject to racial beatings and murders

Civil Rights Act of 1965-

Eliminated Voter Literacy Tests Enabled federal examiners to register

voters

Johnson signs after seeing violence in Selma and realizing Federal support is critical