Come up with a detailed mind map as a table of what makes someone significant?

Think about what significant means..

Think about individual people that you would regard as significant and think about why you think that

WHAT MAKES AN INDIVIDUAL

SIGNIFICANT?

Challenging Question!

Oxford English Dictionary:1. Sufficiently great or important to be

worthy of attention2. having a large or major effect3. important, notable or momentous

Significant?

Use features from our criteria Are your reasons for each being significant very similar

or are they significant for very different reasons

Create a list of 5 significant people you know of and be able to justify why?

Who have been some of the most significant figures in History?

Who is the most significant figure in History

Is the criteria for a historically significant figure different to other significant figures?

What makes someone significant in/to History? (why do we study certain figures in history?)

Hitler –Why is he significant? - Who is most significant to? - Who is he less significant to?

Lenin –Why is he significant? - Who is most significant to? - Who is he less significant to?

Jesus –Why is he significant? - Who is most significant to?

- Who is he less significant to?

Lets compare some significant Historical figures that we know of …..

POLITICS, CULTURAL, MILITARY, SOCIAL REFORMERS,RELIGIONECONOMICSSPORTSCIENCE EXPLORATIONTECHNOLOGICAL

What areas can you be significant in?

Can you explain how you can be significant in each of these categories?

Can their be overlap between these groups? (Can you be significant in more than one of the groups at the same time?)

Can you figure it out?:Which is the most significant category to be significant in?

If we argue that what makes someone significant is due to their impact or the changes/development they have caused over time….

HOW CAN WE MEASURE CHANGE, PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT OVER TIME? (IS IT ACTUALLY POSSIBLE?)

Choose any of the significant figures we have looked at and explain how we can measure their impact over time

Is change different to progress or development?

Is progress always positive?

For someone/something to progress does someone/something else have to suffer?

Can change itself be interpreted differently?

Progress definition:

Forward and onward movement towards a goal

Write down what you already know about Martin Luther King Jr

From the limited knowledge you have about Martin Luther King – summarise him in one word

Also try and give your opinions on his significance as a historical figure

Dr Martin Luther King Junior

Born: in Atlanta, Georgia 1929Died: assassinated in Memphis,

Tennessee 1968Wife: Coretta Scott King Profession: Pastor of Dexter Avenue

Baptist Church. Montgomery, Alabama Famous for: Being the unofficial leader

of the Civil Rights movement in the USA during the 1950s and 60s. Delivered his ‘I have a Dream’ speech in Washington in 1963

Awards: awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964

Dr Martin Luther King Jr

‘All of US knew that if we got involved in the

Civil Rights Movement, We could be beaten, or

shot, or killed, but we faced the dogs and the

fire hoses because we were longing to be free,

and because Dr King made us believe that it

could happen.’

John Lewis explaining the importance of Martin

Luther King’s ‘I have a dream speech’

Was Martin Luther King Significant?

‘If King had never Lived, the black struggle would have followed a course of development similar to the one it did. The Montgomery Bus Boycott would have occurred, because King did not initiate it. Black Students…..had sources of tactical and ideological inspiration besides King.’ Professor Clayborne Carson

‘There was a revolution in Southern Race Relations due to the Civil Rights Movement, in which there was no person more important than King.’Professor Anthony Badger

As you can probably tell there is divided opinion over the role played by Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights Movement

Some believing he was the most instrumental figure in the Movement during its key developments of the 1950s and 60s,

Whilst others believe that his role was not as great as some argue and that the movement would have succeeded with or without King.

Divided Opinion on King

The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement (But mainly refers to the USA) for equality of oppressed minorities (mainly on racial grounds) occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of Civil Resistance aimed at achieving change through non violent acts.

Some activists used violent methods.

The process was long and tenuous in many countries, and many of these movements did not fully achieve their goals although, the efforts of these movements did lead to improvements in the legal rights of previously oppressed groups of people.

What was the Civil Rights Movement?

What had happened to African Americans before the 1950s?

When Did the Civil Rights Movement begin? (Page 76 of A level Book)

Who was influential in starting the Civil Rights Movement?

Was King involved in starting the movement?What role did King play in leading the movement?What role did King play in getting reforms? Civil

rights, Social and economic reforms for Blacks. How important were other individuals?What impact did he have after his death?

Key Issues/debates

Reasons for tensions – page 3US Government structure and reasons why

the South wanted slavery – page 6 and 7 Map of where black people were located –

page 9

The first white settlers in American was White British and Europeans.

Those in the southern states liked slavery and those on the north didn’t.

When whites moved westward to new land the question of whether to allow slavery in these lands was raised.

The Republican Party and its leader Abraham Lincoln were opposed to the expansion of slavery whilst the south were in favour of it. The South in Protest to Lincoln becoming President set up their own nation called the Confederation States of America (the Confederacy)

Lincoln sent northern armies to bring the south back to the United States which caused the Civil War.

Lincoln introduced the Emancipation Act in 1962 and was passed by Congress after his death in 1865 – this abolished slavery.

The American Civil War 1861-5

Passing of Civil Rights bills in the 19th Century - Page 12 of A level book

No real change, still subordinate and live in poverty – page 13

Introduction of Jim Crow Laws and KKK – page 15

Supreme court upholds Jim Crow Laws in Plessy Vs Ferguson 1896 - page 16

First signs of black protestors/campaigners – page 17

W.E.B DuBois – First Black Civil Rights Activist? – do your own research into his significance

After the Civil War

Once Blacks were freed from slavery, whites were looking for ways to assert their dominance and keep their lives separate from those of blacks.

By separating blacks in all forms of life such as schooling, housing, bars, work, public spaces, transport – whites could still discriminate and victimise black people.

De Facto Segregation – Segregation in fact rather than in the law

De Jure Segregation – Segregation set out in the Laws

Segregation

Between the years of 1910 and 1970 – over 6 million Blacks moved from the southern states to the northern states

The Great Migration

Black groups and A. Phillip Rudolph - Page 28

The NAACP start to push changes – page 29 and 31

Blacks start to realise their power

Truman – first president since Lincoln to help Blacks – page 48-9

Truman’s stance required considerable courage. In the face of threats on his life. It was a political gamble to show support for blacks in the South especially as Truman’s ideas were deliberately misrepresented

Truman told his sister that he really beleived that such changes were essential for the USA’s national well being, in respect of law and order, economic advancement and its proclaimed leadership of the free world against Communism.

Page 53 - his importance overallConclusions - page 54-6

President’s Influence (Key Figures)

Page 57,8,9

Brown 1954

‘This Decision was more important for our

democracy than the atomic Bomb.’

Extract from the Chicago Defender, May

1954

High Court Bans Segregation in Public Schools!

Good summary of change so far on page 62

Change by 1955

LincolnTruman The NAACPRandolphW.E.B DuboisThe Supreme Court

Who has been instrumental so far?

Put this title in the middle of a mind map and put these important figures/institutions around them and see if you can explain/give examples of what they have done so far for the Civil Rights movement

Rosa Parks was on a bus and there was a white man standing up as there was no seats left.

The Bus driver ordered her to stand up for the white man – she refused. She was arrested and charged with violation of the Montgomery city bus segregation ordinance.

Parks was an NAACP member and had been looking for a chance to challenge the laws.

The NAACP wanted the church on their side to increase black support so asked Martin Luther King if they could use his church for meetings

The Montgomery Bus Boycott 1956

The community agreed that King would be the best leader ( a compromise candidate) as the National NAACP didn’t want to get involved

King now became the leader of the MIA (Montgomery Improvement Association)

Page 140-1 of GCSE book – summarises what happens

Significance? Page 65-6 of A level book

King’s Role

Importance of individuals – melba pattillo p69Eisenhower doesn’t want to help but has to -

70Very Significance – 71

Little Rock 1957

Page 74 – Importance of Brown and

importance of Black individuals, and NAACP

Eisenhower’s years - conclusions

King was criticised by his friend for giving the “impression that everything depended on you” during the Montgomery bus boycott

NAACP leader Roy Wilkins described King as “presumptuous and self-promoting”

However, King felt he needed to publicise the cause to get people behind it

Eg. In 1958 he chose a jail sentence rather than pay a $10 fine – initially he denied it was a ‘publicity stunt’ but later said…

King Starts to take over….

‘sometimes it is necessary to dramatize an issue because many people are not aware of what is happening.’

Some blacks disliked King’s anti-Vietnam stance as they felt it damaged the movement and alienated President Johnson

73% of whites and 48% of blacks disagreed with his opposition to war

60% believed this had hurt the civil rights movement.

King on Vietnam!

I know it can hurt the SCLC but I cant ignore Vietnam.!

King didn’t believe he was the leader of Montgomery -85

Importance of setting up the SCLC Sit ins – Did he lead? No! page 86-7

King the Leader?

I hate Vietnam!

CORE director James Farmer explained

Significance – although CORE initiated the Freedom Rides, King used them to unite CORE, the SCLC and SCNC and to work together. It worked to get Attorney General Bobby Kennedy (JFK’s brother) to enforce the Supreme rulings on Interstate travel desegregation

Freedom Rides 1961

“we planned the freedom rides to create a crisis. We were counting on the bigots in the south to do the work for us. We figured the government would have to respond if we created a situation that was headline news all over the world.”

King described Birmingham as ‘by far’ America’s ‘worst big city’ for racism – he knew that the city’s Public safety commissioner Bull O’Connor was a hot-tempered, determined segregationist who had clashed with Eleanor Roosevelt years before.

Birmingham 1963

‘to cure injustices you must expose them before the light of human conscience and the bar of public opinion.’

The SCLC’s actions in Birmingham were carefully planned – King was leading rather than being led.

As Police and their dogs turned on protestors, King continued to march knowing his arrest would gain national attention and inspire others. This was where he wrote his inspirational ‘Letter from a Birmingham jail.’

Birmingham was headline news – Connors water hoses tore clothes off student’s backs. The SCLC succeeded its aims of ‘filling the jails’

Birmingham was the first time King really led the movement

‘there was never a more skilful manipulation of the news media than in Birmingham.’ SCLC Staff member

The Kennedy administration admitted that Birmingham was crucial in persuading them to pass the Civil Rights act of 1964.

Significance?

‘we are on the threshold of a significant breakthrough and the greatest weapon is mass demonstrations.’

Page 94-5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V57lotnKGF8

March on Washington 1963

I have a Dream!

Despite the success of Washington King’s Leadership was still criticised

King was indecisive in deciding whether the SCLC should concentrate on educational programmes or more glamorous direct action.

Harlem blacks called King an ‘Uncle Tom’King admitted in 1965 he and the others had

failed to assert the leadership the movement needed.

What to do next for King?

a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities, and women. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the general public

Civil Rights Act 1964

King had fought for ‘Freedom’ in the traditional sense of a right to vote – this had been achieved by the 1964 Civil Rights Act

Now he now began to define ‘freedom’ in the form of economic equality. – he now called for a better distribution of wealth in the USA. He now embarked on his ‘Poor People Campaign.’

King moves away from just fighting for Black Rights

“I got these people the right to eat hamburgers …and now I’ve got to help them get the money

to buy it.”

King was finding it very hard to keep Blacks from rioting and causing violence in their frustration

People were also beginning to be influenced by the growing influence of the Black Panthers/Black Power Movement.

There were huge divisions between the SCLC, SNCC, CORE and NAACP as they disagreed about tactics - led to failed protest campaigns in Chicago and Meredith in 1966

Leadership of the movement was slipping from king and going towards more extremist leaders like Stokely Carmichael

King Struggles to keep Control

“Maybe we just have to admit, the day of violence is here, and

we just have to give up……Blacks are very, very close to a public

Split.”

King is Assassinated!In March 1968, King went to Memphis to campaign for the rights of black sanitation workers. On March 28, he led a March that turned violent, a sign of the increasing militancy of black rights movements, which contrasted to King’s nonviolent teachings.

He returned to Memphis on April 3 and delivered a speech now called “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple. In it, he expressed that he was not afraid of death.

“Well, I don't know what will happen now; we've got some difficult days ahead,” he said. “But it really doesn't matter to 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.”

The following evening, King stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel and spoke with Jesse Jackson, who was standing in the courtyard below. Ralph Abernathy, another friend and civil rights leader, was stepping out of the room to join them when a single shot from 100 yards away hit King in the neck.

King collapsed and was taken to nearby St. Joseph’s Hospital, where emergency surgery failed to save his life. He was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m., an hour after being shot.

Robert F. Kennedy, speaking at a campaign rally that night, echoed the ideals that King had lived and died for: “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.”

The aftermath of King’s shooting was characterized by widespread outrage and violence, with riots breaking out in more than 100 cities across the U.S. While civil rights leaders close to King advocated unity, militant black leaders called for a violent struggle.

Page 105-9

The role of Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights movement?

Impact – page 127-8

Black Power Movement – Mexico Olympics 1968

President Johnson - passed the 1964 Civil Rights Bill page 143 – 7

Conclusions -153-4

Who Else Helped Civil Rights?

http://www.core-online.org/History/martin_luther_king.htm - CORE’s website

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/heroesvillains/g6/ - Primary Sources on Civil Rights

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/21/martin-luther-king-jr-speeches_n_2476512.html - MLK speeches

http://www.theholidayspot.com/martin_luther_king_day/meaning.htm

Useful Sites

How has the Importance of Martin Luther King been exaggerated?

What were the Key incidents in the Civil Rights Movement?Lets look at your table you did

for Homework

Which are the 5 key incidents in the Civil Rights Movement?

Who do you think were the 5 most significant people/groups in the Civil Rights movement?

These are what need to be discussed in your Coursework

What was he like as a leader?What role did his speeches play?

How did his fame help Movement? What was the significance of his ‘Non-

Violent’ approach?

What mistakes did he make?

What factors hindered MLK from achieving more?

What was achieved that wouldn’t have been achieved without him?

 

 

 

What was achieved that would have been achieved without him?

 

MLK’s Significance

Has the importance of

MLK been exaggerated?