Civil Rights Movement

Civil Rights MovementBrown v. Board of Education (1954) Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Established the separate but equal principleSchools and other public facilities can be segregated as long as they are equalNAACP National Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleTry to desegregate schools Thurgood Marshall was lead attorney4 cases tried starting in 1952, go before Supreme Court collectively Brown v. Board of Education (Kansas)Court decided unanimously that segregation of schools was unconstitutional. Southern states still resisted this for many years

James Meredith First African American to enroll at Ole MissLittle Rock 9 Little Rock Nine nine black students attempted to enroll at Central HS in Little Rock, 1957 Protests blocked the students from entering the school for 3 weeks. President Eisenhower called in 10,000 National Guardsmen to escort the students into the school.http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement/videos/little-rock-nine-rev?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false

The Montgomery Bus BoycottRosa Parks Refused to give up her seat to a white person when the bus filled She was arrested, civil rights leaders posted her bail.Boycott of the public buses in Montgomery was organized (blacks made up 75% of all bus riders)Bus companies nearly go bankrupt.Boycott lasted almost a yearSupreme Court ruled an end to bus segregation in 1956.

Martin Luther King Jr.Reverend at a Baptist church in MontgomeryBegan speaking publicly during the bus boycottStyle quickly put him at the forefront of the movement.2 main points of philosophyNon-violent protest of injustices Base arguments on Christian laws and the Constitution (equality).Southern Christian Leadership Conference SCLC Led the civil rights movement in the South

Sit-In MovementBegan in Greensboro, NC in 1960College students held a sit-in at the whites only lunch counter at Woolworths.Peaceful protestPolice dont know how to respond. Sometimes allowed it, sometimes responded with violence.Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee SNCC pronounced snick Used this tactic repeatedly throughout the South

Freedom RidesProtesters rode on buses throughout the South, many of which still refused to desegregate Freedom riders were white and blackoften got arrested but continued to board segregated bus lines.A few cases of buses being firebombed, or whites storming buses and beating the riders

Birmingham King leads protests and rallies in Birmingham Most segregated city in America Gets arrested Writes famous Letter from a Birmingham JailPolice use powerful fire hoses on protesters, many of whom were childrenPresident Kennedy sends mediators to end the conflict16th Street Baptist Church Bombed by KKK September 19634 little girls killed during Sunday school

March on WashingtonCivil Rights leaders wanted harsher laws passedOver 250,000 protesters from across the nation came to DCMartin Luther King, Jr. delivers famous I Have a Dream speech.

Civil Rights Act of 1964Provisions:Enforce school desegregation and ensure fair voting practicesBanned the use of different voter registration standards for blacks and whitesProhibited discrimination in public placesBanned discrimination in hiring based on gender, race, religion, or national originhttp://www.history.com/videos/civil-rights-act-of-1964#civil-rights-act-of-1964

Voter Registration DrivesSNCC organizes Freedom Summer Lead registration of black voters in southern cities.Martin Luther King, Jr. goes to Selma, Alabama to lead protests Arrested, police beat protesters. 25,000 march through Selma.http://www.history.com/videos/freedom-march#freedom-march

Additional Civil Rights Laws24th Amendment1964Outlawed poll taxes in federal elections. These had been used to keep poor African-Americans from votingVoting Rights Act of 1965 Provisions:Allowed federal officials to register voters in places that still used discriminatory practicesEliminated literacy tests and other voting barriers

Urban AreasDe Facto Segregation Racial segregation that happens voluntarily Groups choosing to live in one area producing schools dominated by that group De Jure Segregation Segregation that is imposed by law

Nation of IslamLed by Elijah Muhammad Preached separatism and black nationalism Wanted blacks to set up their own schools, churches and support networksMalcolm XMost visible memberSpokesperson Promoted a separate state for African AmericansViolence was justified in self-defense

Black Power MovementStarted by Stokely Carmichael Joined SNCC; was jailed for his work with Freedom RidersMoved away from nonviolent approachBlack PanthersFounded by Bobby Seale and Huey NewtonHad four desires: Equality in education, housing, employment and civil rightsWilling to use violenceConsidered the greatest threat to the internal security of the country by the FBI