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Background to the Civil Rights Era

Key Events

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End Of Slavery

• In 1787, most black people in America were slaves. A slave is someone who is owned by someone else.

• As time went by, more people thought that slavery was wrong. Most of the people who wanted to end slavery were from the states in the north.

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The Civil War

• President Lincoln was elected- the South was angry because Lincoln had said he didn't like slavery.

• Many Southern states decided to break away from the United States to create their own country. It was called the Confederate States of America.

• The Northern states did not agree that the states of the CSA could break away. The Civil War followed. The North won that war and kept the USA together. It was a terrible war. Many people died. Many buildings were destroyed.

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END OF SLAVERY

• Something good did happen, though. Slavery ended. With the 13th Amendment, slavery was made illegal.

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14th Amendment

• The 14th Amendment said that every person born in the United States was a full citizen. Even former slaves were full citizens.

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15th amendment

• The 15th Amendment made sure that black people could vote.

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Plessy Vs. Ferguson

• But in 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court decided blacks and whites could have separate public places, buildings, and transportation as long as they were equal in quality.

• We call this “separate but equal.” • Plessy Vs. Ferguson was the name of

the case that made separate but equal legal.

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Jim Crow Laws

• After the Plessy case, many states passed laws that made sure that black and white people stayed separated.

• For example: Different restaurants, buses, water fountains, and schools.