Ch.21.2--Civil Rights Strategies & Leaders

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Civil Rights Leaders & Strategies

Chapter 21.2

pp. 704-708

Civil Rights Leaders & Strategies

Civil Rights Group Features & Leaders

NAACP WEB DuBoisFocused on legal equalityAppealed to middle & upper-class

National Urban League

CORE

SCLC

SNCC

Early Events

1945—WWII ends1947—Jackie Robinson breaks color barrier in MLB1948—President Truman begins process of integrating

the armed forces1954—Brown v. Board of Education begins process of

integrating public schools1955—Emmett Till is murdered/Montgomery Bus

Boycott begins1956—Browder v. Gayle ends segregation on public

transportation

Emmett Till

14 year old African American boy was murdered for whistling at a white grocery store owner.

Till's murder helped give a cause to the Civil Rights movement in the U.S.

Laying the Groundwork

Civil rights movement was a grassroots movement; no central organization

Carried out by ordinary citizensGoals & tactics varied from group to group

− NAACP; National Urban League; CORE; SCLC; SNCC

NAACP

Est. in 1909; WEB DuBois=one of the original founders

Focused on challenging laws that prevented African Americans from exercising their full rights as citizens

Du Bois on the NAACP

“The main object of this association is to secure for colored people, and particularly for Americans of Negro descent, free and equal participation in the democracy of modern culture. This means the clearing away of obstructions to such participation…and it also means the making of a world democracy in which all men may participate.”

NAACP

Focused on lynching in 1920s & 1930s− Limited success due to southern senators

Later shifted focus towards ending segregation− Influential in areas of housing & education (Brown v.

Board)

Made up of educated, middle & upper class African Americans & liberal whites

Accused of being out of touch w/ socioeconomic troubles of African Americans

National Urban League

Est. in 1911Focused on economic issuesHelped people moving to major citiesFinding homes & landing jobsWorkers’ rightsHelped African Americans, other

minorities, immigrantsStill exist today, located in 35 states

CORE

Congress of Racial EqualityEst. in 1942 by pacifistsHoped to end segregation through

peaceful confrontationDemonstrations against segregation

during WWII− Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, &

Detroit

Led by James Farmer Jr.

SCLC

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Est. in 1957 by MLK & other clergymenAdvocated nonviolent protests“To understand that nonviolence is not a

symbol of weakness or cowardice, but as Jesus demonstrated, nonviolent resistance transforms weakness into strength and breeds courage in the face of danger.”

Made up of southerners; previous civil rights organizations were dominated by northerners

MLK Leads the Way

Baptist preacherQuick rise to forefront of civil rights movementBecame a symbol of nonviolence to the worldWon Nobel Peace prize in 1964Influenced by Gandhi of India & also Thoreau

(objected Mexican-American War of 1846-1848)− Civil disobedience=nonviolent refusal to obey a

law in an effort to change a law

MLK Leads the Way

Advised other activists17 rules to follow; nonviolent

approach “Be loving enough to absorb

evil & understanding enough to turn an enemy into a friend”

“If cursed, do not curse back. If pushed, do not push back.”

MLK Leads the Way

Nonviolent protests were a practical strategyQuotes from King:“To accept passively an unjust system is to

cooperate with that system; thereby oppressed become as evil as the oppressor.”

“Non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.”

SNCC

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, “Snick”

Student organizationEst. in 1960; Raleigh, NC Ella Baker at SNCC meeting: “They are asking us

to forget our laziness and doubt and fear, and follow our dedication to the truth to the bitter end.”

SNCC

MLK at SNCC meeting in regards to civil rights movement: “a revolt against the apathy and complacency of adults in the Negro community…”

Remained a permanent & separate organizationShifted focus away from church leadersDemanded immediate change

-Ella Baker helped found and run the SNCC

Robert Moses

SNCC leaderHarvard gradMath teacher in Harlem, NYSoft-spokenWorked in Atlanta, then MississippiHelped SNCC become a powerful force

• While Dr. King spoke with passion and eloquence, Moses was viewed as humble, ordinary, and accessible.