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 founder.

• SNCC (Student Non-violent Coor. Comm.)– Formed by students who felt the SLCS 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

• Headed by the NAACP

• Sought to overturn Plessey v. Ferguson, 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

– 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

Meredith was admitted.

Integration at Ole Miss cont.• The Governor of Mississippi personally “barred

the schoolhouse door”• Riots and 2 deaths followed his admission.

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.

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 (Bombingham) 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.

Chapter 21sections 4 and 5

MLK

• Fourth generation Minister

• Rose to prominence during the Montgomery Bus Boycott

• The most important Civil Rights Movement leader

• Sought to awaken moderate Americans

• Lived with constant death threats and physical intimidation

Kennedy and Civil Rights

• Actively courted black votes

• Proposed Civil Rights legislation, but was blocked by Southern Congressmen

• Was accused to have moved slowing on Civil Rights issues– Kennedy did not want

to lose Congressional Support.

March on Washington - 1963

• “March for Jobs and Freedom”• Opposed by Kennedy, who didn’t want to

alienate southern congressmen

• Scorned by many Black Nationalist Groups

• Became a very powerful symbol

“I Have a Dream” speech

Johnson and Civil rights• Picked up where Kennedy

left off• Johnson did MUCH further

than Kennedy did on Civil Rights legislation

• CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964– Banned different

voting standards– Banned

discriminations in public places

– Banned discrimination on the base of race, sex, age, religion or nation of origin

“We have lost the south for a generation”. - LBJ

Freedom Summer - 1964

• Mostly college students (white and black)• Sought to register voters

• Subject to extreme violence

• Churches and houses were burned and bombed

• James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerman were murdered

Selma• Protest led by MLK• Violence against protestors• LBJ supports with federal troops

• Led to important legislation:• Voting Rights Act of 1965

– Federal officials could register voters

• 24th Amendment– Banned Poll taxes

The Rise of Black Nationalism

The Rise of Black Nationalism• Many

disavowed non-violence, felt it did not work, or took too long.

• “We shall overcome” became “We shall overrun”

• Sought to build up black pride and black communities

• Members were almost exclusively black

Black Panthers

• Most influential Black Nationalist group– Originally created to

monitor police in California

• Members sought to– Rebuild communities– Set up “Survival

Programs”

• Clashed with police, violence was not uncommon

Malcolm X

• Born to activist parents

• Outstanding student in Junior High, dropped out

• Turned to a life of “hustling”

• Joins Nation of Islam in Prison

• Emerges from prison with a purpose

• Very critical of MLK and non-violence, very distrusting of white society.

• "At one time the whites in the United States called him a racialist, and extremist, and a Communist. Then the Black Muslims came along and the whites thanked the Lord for Martin Luther King."

• Prominent leader of Nation of Islam, then splits from group

• Goes on Hajj (pilgrimage)

• Returns a different man– More inclusive to whites,

and other groups– Blacks still have the right

to defend themselves

• 1965 – Allegedly Assassinated by the Nation of Islam

1968• Assassinations of MLK leads to widespread

rioting and disillusionment. • The Civil Rights movement is robbed of its most

prominent leaders

• LBJ does not run for re-election• RFK assassinated

• Tensions run high throughout the country; minor incidents set off riots that last for days, and destroy black neighborhoods.

• Stalls after 1968

• Black officials up 90%

• Black Mayors in many cities

• Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress

Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement

• Barbara Jordan (Texas) 1st Black Senator in Texas since Reconstruction, later US Congresswoman

• Thurgood Marshall – 1st Black Supreme Court Justice