American Civil Rights MovementAmerican Civil Rights Movement1950s & 1960s1950s & 1960s

US History

Who was Linda Brown?Who was Linda Brown?

• Brown v. Board of Education (Topeka, Kansas) 1954– Facts

• Linda Brown = 8 year old African American student

• Nearest elementary school = 4 blocks from the Brown home (all white)

• Linda Brown’s school (all black) = 21 blocks from the Brown home

• NAACP sues Bd of Education challenging the separate but equal

Brown v. Board of EdBrown v. Board of Ed

• Supreme Court orders desegregation be implemented with all ‘possible’ speed

BECAUSE:

• “Separate but equal inherently unequal”

The Civil Rights MovementThe Civil Rights MovementTrue or False?True or False?

True or False?True or False?

AnswersAnswers

1. True2. True3. True4. False – there were more than 30 sit ins in 7 states

within a month5. False – children as young as 6 were arrested6. False – over 250,000 people traveled to

Washington, D.C.7. False – over 30 homes were firebombed, 80

demonstrators beaten and 3 killed

Historical BackgroundHistorical Background

1. Slavery– Property vs. Human beings– Slave codes

• No education, marriage, separate church, freedom of movement

2. Legal and Social Segregation– Jim Crow laws – legal separation

• Plessy v. Ferguson – Supreme Court upholds separate but equal facilities or services is protected by the Constitution

Historical BackgroundHistorical Background2. Legal and Social Segregation (continued)

– Limit voting rights, property rights (Poll tax, literacy test, grandfather clause)

– Limit economic opportunity

– Maintain status quo through violence (KKK, lynching) or laws

3. Economic and Social Competition• Jobs

• Housing

• Education

Methods to Maintain Segregation Methods to Maintain Segregation and the Status Quoand the Status Quo

Early Civil Rights ActionsEarly Civil Rights Actions

Early ActionsEarly Actions

• 1948 – President Truman orders the desegregation of the Armed Forces– First large scale desegregation effort

Playing for the DodgersPlaying for the DodgersBranch Rickey, president and General Branch Rickey, president and General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, noticed Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, noticed Robinson’s exceptional talent.Robinson’s exceptional talent.In 1946 Branch Rickey signed Jackie In 1946 Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson.Robinson.Jackie Robinson, at the age of 27, became Jackie Robinson, at the age of 27, became the first Black Baseball player in Major the first Black Baseball player in Major League history. He played his first game on League history. He played his first game on April 15April 15thth 1947. (64 years ago) 1947. (64 years ago)

Jackie and Civil RightsJackie and Civil RightsJackie Robinson’s Actions affected the world far beyond Major League Baseball.

His courage and discipline in standing up against racism were a preview of the actions taken by many members of the Civil Rights Movement.

The success of the Jackie Robinson experiment was a testament to fact that integration could exist.

Segregated City Bus - Segregated City Bus - 19561956

Events Leading Up To Rosa Events Leading Up To Rosa Parks ArrestParks Arrest

In the South, Jim Crow laws segregated African American’s and whites in almost every aspect of life.

– This included a seating policy on buses. White’s sat in the front, Blacks sat in the back.

– Buses also drove White students to school. Black students were forced to walk.

Rosa Parks was an active member of The Civil Rights Movement and joined the Montgomery chapter of NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in 1943.African Americans made up 75% of the passengers in the Bus system but still had to deal with unfair rules.

The ArrestThe Arrest

On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a White man on a bus.

Parks was arrested and charged with the violation of a segregation law in The Montgomery City Code.

50 African American leaders in the community met to discuss what to do about Rosa’s arrest.

“People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” -Rosa Parks Autobiography

Montgomery Bus BoycottMontgomery Bus BoycottOn December 5, 1955, African Americans in Montgomery began to boycott the busses.

40,000 Black commuters walked to work, some as far as twenty miles.

The boycott lasted 382 days.

The boycott ended after the Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional.

King Becomes a National FigureKing Becomes a National Figure

• His start as a Civil Rights leader came during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

• Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)– Civil Rights group

organized by King

– Included over 100 African-American ministers

Montgomery, AlabamaMontgomery, Alabama

• Martin Luther King Jr. • Studied tactics of Thoreau, Gandhi, and others

• Preached about soul force—non-violent resistance

• “We will not hate you, but we cannot . . . obey your unjust laws”

• NONVIOLENCE IS THE KEY TO CHANGE!!!

Non-Violent TacticsNon-Violent Tactics

• Boycott

• Sit-in

• March

• Refusing to buy a good or service

• Sitting in segregated areas and refusing to move

• Marching with a large group to draw attention to a cause

Civil DisobedienceCivil Disobedience

• In 1957 King helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). A group that used the authority and

power of Black churches to organize non-violent protest to support the Civil Rights Movement.

The civil disobedience led to media coverage of the daily inequalities suffered by Southern Blacks.

The televised violence led to mass public sympathy. The Civil Rights Movement became the most important political topic during the early 60’s.

Important Court VictoriesImportant Court Victories

• Desegregated interstate buses

• Desegregated law schools

• Desegregated graduate schools

Little Rock High School Little Rock High School 19571957

Little Rock, Arkansas—1957Little Rock, Arkansas—1957

• Nine African-American students were to integrate Central High School

• Governor ordered Arkansas National Guard to turn the students away

• Federal judge ordered the governor to allow the students entry

• Governor refused—African-American students were turned away

Little Rock, Arkansas—1957Little Rock, Arkansas—1957

• Eisenhower responds • Put 1,000 paratroopers in Little Rock

• Stationed in the High School—escorted students to class, maintained order

U-46 SchoolsU-46 Schools

• Try to guess the % by race / group for the five U-46 high schools:– White– Hispanic– Black– Asian

The Movement GrowsThe Movement Grows

• Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

• Group of African-American college students in North Carolina

In the summers and over school-holidays volunteers came south to join the fight for freedom and justice. Most — but certainly not all — were college students or recent grads. Most — but certainly not all — were from the North. Most — but certainly not all — were white. Most returned to their campuses and jobs, but some stayed on as full time freedom fighters.

Greensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro, North Carolina

• SNCC used sit-ins to protest segregated lunch counters

• Media coverage showed racism to the entire country

Separate EverythingSeparate Everything

Colored Fountain

Lunch Counter Sit-in 1960Lunch Counter Sit-in 1960

Notice thearm band?

Success!Success!

• By 1960, 48 cities had desegregated lunch counters

Freedom RidersFreedom Riders

• Wanted to test enforcement of Supreme Courts decision to desegregate interstate buses.

• Blacks and Whites rode through the South

Freedom RidersFreedom Riders• Peck (a civil rights activist) rode on Bus One.

At the Alabama state line, a half dozen white racists got on the bus, carrying chains, brass knuckles, and pistols. They yanked the young African-American riders from their seats and shoved them into the aisle. Peck and a 60-year-old white freedom rider tried to intervene. The thugs knocked Peck unconscious and kicked the old man repeatedly in the head until his brain hemorrhaged.

Freedom RidersFreedom Riders• When Bus One got to Birmingham,

Alabama, a mob was waiting at the bus terminal, many holding iron bars and pipes. As they entered the white waiting room, they were dragged into the alley and beaten with the pipes. Peck was again knocked unconscious, this time he needed 53 stitches in his head and face.

Getting Ready to Meet the Bus!!

Name the gender?

Freedom RidersFreedom Riders

• In Anniston, Alabama, 200 whites attacked Bus Two and slashed its tires. Six miles out of town, the bus was crippled. The mob barricaded the door, smashed a window, and tossed a fire bomb into the bus. The freedom riders were barely able to force the door open and escape before the bus exploded.

Freedom RidersFreedom Riders• Another group of freedom riders rode from

Tennessee into Alabama. When they reached Birmingham, the Police Chief had them pulled off the bus, beaten and driven back to Tennessee. The freedom riders returned to Birmingham. When they proceeded to Montgomery, a white mob had formed and no police were present. The freedom riders were again beaten. John F. Kennedy finally sent 400 U. S. Marshals to protect the riders as they continued to Mississippi

Ole MissOle Miss

• James Meredith won a court case that would make him the first African-American student at the University of Mississippi.

Ole MissOle Miss• Federal Marshals escorted Meredith to

register

• Riots ensued – 2 dead, 200 arrested, 5000 soldiers needed to stop the rioters

• 1966 Meredith was shot during a freedom march in Mississippi – he survived

Ole MissOle Miss

• Mascot – Rebels• Symbol – Confederate

Flag

No Segregation!!No Segregation!!

Hotel owner pouring muratic acid in his pool

Police ‘escorting’ swimmers froma white only beach

Jackson, Mississippi – 1963Jackson, Mississippi – 1963

• Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers was killed in his driveway

• The killer, Byron de la Beckwith was released after two trials (hung jury)

Birmingham, Alabama – 1963Birmingham, Alabama – 1963

• Demonstrations to protest segregation

• King was arrested – released

• Children’s March- 959 were arrested

• 2nd Children’s March – police used fire hoses, attack dogs against the marchers

• Finally, negative media attention, boycotts, and protests led to desegregation

March on Washington March on Washington 19631963

Washington, D. C. – 1963Washington, D. C. – 1963

• March organized to persuade Congress to pass Civil Rights Bill

• 250,000 met to hear speeches, music• “I Have a Dream” speech – Martin Luther

King, Jr.• After Kennedy was shot, Civil Rights Act

of 1964 passed – ending segregation in Public places (schools, restaurants, etc.)

March On WashingtonMarch On Washington

• More than 200,000 Black and White Americans celebrated in a joyous day of song, prayer and speeches.

• The march was lead by a group of important clergy, civil rights leaders, and politicians.

• Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech was the climax of the day.

I Have A Dream SpeechI Have A Dream Speech

• In a powerful speech, Martin Luther King Jr. stated eloquently that he desired a world where Black and Whites could coexist equally.

• King’s speech was a rhetoric example of the Black Baptist sermon style.

• The speech used The Bible, The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution and The Emancipation Proclamation as sources.

I Have A Dream Speech I Have A Dream Speech • The powerful words of Martin Luther King Jr.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

“Black men and White men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Mississippi – 1964Mississippi – 1964

• Freedom Summer – 1000 college students went to Mississippi to register African-Americans voters

• Met violent resistance—4 dead many wounded, churches and businesses burned

Mississippi BurningMississippi Burning

Selma, Alabama – 1965Selma, Alabama – 1965• Voter registration drive – 2,000 African-

Americans arrested, police beatings

• Police killed a demonstrator

• King announced a protest March from Selma to Montgomery

• State police beat marchers, used tear gas

• Federal government stepped in protected marchers

• 25,000 marchers reached Selma

Selma, Alabama – 1965Selma, Alabama – 1965

• Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed—eliminated the literacy test

• Allowed federal government to enroll voters who were denied suffrage

• Twenty-Fourth Amendment—eliminated the poll tax

Waiting to Vote 1966Waiting to Vote 1966

Changes in PhilosophyChanges in Philosophy

What wasthe goal?

What wasthe strategy?

Changes in PhilosophyChanges in Philosophy

What was the goal?

What was the strategy?

Black PowerBlack Power

• Slogan coined by Stokely Carmichael (SNCC)

• African-Americans should separate from whites, define their own goals, and lead their own organizations

• Signaled a shift away from non-violent resistance

Black PowerBlack Power

Mexico City, 1968Mexico City, 1968

Black Panther PartyBlack Panther Party

• U.S. African American Militant group.• Founded in 1966 in Oakland.• Led by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.• Believed violent revolution was the only way to

receive freedom.• Urged African Americans to arm themselves.

Black PanthersBlack Panthers

• Sold copies of Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book to raise money so they could purchase shotguns

• Attended protests and rallies with shotguns and law books!

Black PanthersBlack Panthers

• Black Power

• Black Militancy—suggested armed revolt– “Power flows out of the barrel of a gun”

• Communist

• Got into shootouts with police

Black PanthersBlack Panthers

• Started free daycare and free breakfast program in urban ghetto

• Made them popular in Northern cities

Black PanthersBlack Panthers

Black PanthersBlack Panthers

Black PanthersBlack Panthers

• J. Edgar Hoover (head of the F. B. I.) declares that the Black Panthers were the "greatest threat to the internal security of the country."

Black PanthersBlack Panthers

• Begin to unravel

• Leaders are sent to jail, flee the country, killed by police

Malcolm XMalcolm X

X His father was killed by White Supremacist in Michigan, in 1931.

X After time, Malcolm moved to Harlem where he became involved in gambling, drug dealing and robbery.

X Malcolm was arrested at the age of 20 for armed robbery. In jail he studied the teaching of Elijah Muhammad.

Elijah MuhammadElijah MuhammadX Elijah Muhammad was the leader of the

mostly Black political and religious group, The Nation Of Islam.

His teachings, often perceived as racist, preached complete separation from Whites in society.

He often expressed the idea the Blacks were the first people to rule the world and that the Whites tricked them out of power and oppressed them.

Young Malcolm X developed his adept speaking skills and political ideas under the direction of Elijah Muhammad.

Nation Of IslamNation Of IslamX The Nation Of Islam

(NOI) was an activist group that believed that most African slaves were originally Muslim.

X The NOI urged African Americans to reconvert to Islam in effort to restore the heritage that was stolen from them.

X The NOI wanted to create a second Black nation within the United States.

X The “X” in Malcolm’s name symbolizes the rejection of his slave name.

Malcolm X: The ActivistMalcolm X: The ActivistX Malcolm X made constant

accusations of racism and demanded violent actions of self defense.

X He constantly retold the injustices his people suffered in the past.

X Malcolm X gathered wide spread admiration from African American’s and wide spread fear from Whites.

Malcolm X Speaks, 1965Malcolm X Speaks, 1965X “Be peaceful, be courteous,

obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.”

X “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it.”

X “You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.”

Malcolm X Quotes (On King)Malcolm X Quotes (On King)X He got the peace prize, we got the problem.... If I'm

following a general, and he's leading me into a battle, and the enemy tends to give him rewards, or awards, I get suspicious of him. Especially if he gets a peace award before the war is over.

X I'll say nothing against him. At one time the whites in the United States called him a racist, and extremist, and a Communist. Then the Black Muslims came along and the whites thanked the Lord for Martin Luther King.

X I want Dr. King to know that I didn't come to Selma to make his job difficult. I really did come thinking I could make it easier. If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King.

X Dr. King wants the same thing I want -- freedom!

End of XEnd of X

• After a pilgrimage to Mecca X changed his philosophy to promote change without violence (if possible) and equality of races

• Assassinated 1965 – allegedly by members of the Nation of Islam – unsolved today!

Last Testament?Last Testament?

• "Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

•  — The final words from Martin Luther King's last speech, given in Memphis Tennessee the night before he was assassinated on April 4, 1968

Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Assassinated in April, 1968

James Earl RayJames Earl Ray

Died 1998

Conspiracy Theory??Conspiracy Theory??

• A racist petty criminal looking to make a name for himself stalks a well-protected black civil rights leader and finally slays him, then manages to make an almost-clean getaway – but not before dropping the murder weapon (with prints) and his personal radio with his prison ID engraved on it.

• It’s almost too perfect because nobody would be that stupid. It must be a CIA-FBI-White House plot. Has to be. There is no way that James Earl Ray, the high-school dropout, Army throw-away, petty thief could stalk Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., kill the most influential civil rights leader of the era and evade an international manhunt for more than two months, only to be busted by Scotland Yard going through a customs checkpoint he wasn’t supposed to be at.

Violence EruptsViolence Erupts

• 125 cities experience rioting

WattsWatts

DetroitDetroit

Washington, D. C.Washington, D. C.

Kerner CommissionKerner Commission

• Appointed by President Johnson after urban riots

• Decides that the main cause of urban violence is white racism

Civil Rights Act of 1968Civil Rights Act of 1968

• Banned segregation in housing (this wasn’t included in the 1964 Act)

De Jure SegregationDe Jure Segregation

• Defined as: segregation that is imposed by law – Outlawed by Civil Rights Acts, Voting Rights

Act, and amendments

• Different from de facto = segregation imposed by practice or choice