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The Civil Rights Movement
Mr. WilliamsonSomerville High School
IdentifyAfter WWII, African-Americans increasingly dissatisfied
with second-class status
South – Jim Crow laws enforced segregationSegregation imposed by law is de jure segregation1896 – Plessy v. Fergusson, Supreme Ct. ruled facilities for
black and whites can be “separate but equal”Extended to schools, hospitals, transportation, restaurants
North – African-Americans faced similar segregation & discriminationNo explicit laws, known as de facto segregationSegregation by unwritten custom/tradition
IdentifyImpact of segregation
Many denied housing in specific neighborhoodsDiscrimination in priority jobs/only could get low-paying
jobsHigher rates of illiteracy/povertyLower rates of home ownership/life expectancy Inability to vote, specifically in the South
Literacy tests/poll taxes, etc.
WWII sets stage for Civil Rights Movement1941-FDR bans discrimination in defense industries1944 – Gunnar Myrdal’s publication An American Dilemma,
brought issue of prejudice to public’s attentionReturning Vets who defended freedom abroad, unwilling to
accept status quo
Identify1940s – Movement Grows
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) – founded by James Farmer, believed in non-violent methods of protest for Civil RightsInfluenced by Henry David Thoreau/Gandhi
1947 – Jackie RobinsonJoined Brooklyn Dodgers becoming first African-American to
play major league baseball
1948 – President Truman used executive power to desegregate the armed forces
“42” ScenesAnswer the following on the index card provided.
We will share as a class:
Of the 4-5 Scenes/Clips shown:Which one best demonstrates Robinson’s ability
to hold back and not fight back?
What individual do you think helped him the most during his time as a professional athlete? Explain your decisionWife (Rachel), Teammates (Pee Wee), General
Manager (Branch Rickey)What do you think was his biggest challenge he
faced as a prominent athlete? Can be anything, think about the COUNTLESS issues he encountered.
The woman on the right is Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock 9. The woman on the left is Hazel Bryan. Ms. Bryan came to regret her actions, called Eckford to apologize and since has devoted her time to fighting racism.1. Why do you think Ms. Bryan changed her opinion? Do you think the picture
had anything to do with her new perspective?2. Compose a small script on what may have been said during the
reconciliation phone call between Bryan/Eckford.
IdentifyRosa Parks – 12/1/55, refused to give up her seat on a
Montgomery, Alabama bus
Montgomery Bus Boycott – Began 4 days laterOrganized by the Montgomery Improvement Association
(MIA)Lasted for over a year, used elaborate carpool systems,
walked to both work/school
MLK Jr. – led the boycott, pastor of the Dexter Ave. Baptist church.
SCLCSouthern Christian Leadership Conference, formed
in 1957 led by MLK Jr. with Ralph Abernathy and Bayard Ruskin
Goal – to pursue justice in Civil Rights
Tactic – Nonviolent resistance, peaceful protest or noncooperation with authorities to achieve its goals
Central High School (CHS)1957 – Federal judge ordered public schools to
desegregate
District started at CHS with 9 black students (Little Rock 9). State governor vowed he would not support desegregation and called in the State Guard to prevent students from entering.
President Eisenhower sent federal troops to protect the Little Rock 9, governor closed schools to prevent integration
Sit-In/SNCCA protest technique used by students that challenged
segregation by sitting at “whites only” facilities and refused to moveFirst staged in Greensboro, NC then to Nashville, TN
Also used wade-ins at public beaches, read-ins at libraries that were segregated
Sparks new waves of demonstrations, specifically from young African-Americans
Acronym – SNCC, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Led by Ella Baker
Freedom RidersSpring 1961 – CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)
organized direct action to ensure the desegregation of interstate buses
Riders board 2 buses from DC to New OrleansDefied segregationist codes: sit @ front of bus/”white”
restrooms at bus stationsResults: 1 bus firebombed, 2nd attacked by white mob both
in Alabama
Att. General Robert Kennedy sent federal marshals to protect buses.
1962 – Interstate Commerce Commission ruled buses and terminals to be integrated.
President Kennedy-James Meredith
John F. Kennedy elected president in 1960, becomes involved with movementAids in MLK release from Georgia prisonAssists with protection of Freedom Riders
James Meredith, African-American Korean War veteran applied to the Univ. of MississippiRejected because of his color
NAACP fights in federal court, university ordered to desegregate
JFK sends federal marshals to protect Meredith; he enrolled and graduated in 1963
Birmingham AlabamaMLK – “America’s most segregated city”
1956-1963 – 18 unsolved bombings in black neighborhoods
Sit-Ins and protests were used and protesters were arrested (MLK Jr. himself).
MLK Jr. wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” describing life for African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama
The Public’s ViewSaw how protesters were treated; shocked and
sympathized with them
City was forced to desegregate all public facilities
KKK later held a rally and bombed motel where black leaders were staying
16th St. Baptist Church9/15/1963 – Bomb exploded during Church services – 4
young girls were killed
March on WashingtonAugust 28, 1963 – more than 250k gathered in front of
the Lincoln Memorial
MLK Jr.’s famous “I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH”
Of the 250k, 60k were white
Remaining IssuesNew laws did not affect the right to vote
Use of poll tax, literacy tests, intimidation still occurring
RESPONSE: Freedom Summer – CORE/SNCC organized a campaign to register black voters in MississippiWould also form the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
(MFDP), the alternative to the state’s all-white Democratic Party
MLK’s March on Selma1965 – new campaign to enact voting rights legislationMarch from Selma to Montgomery (state capital)On the Edmund Pettus Bridge, confrontation took place
resulting in significant violence
IdentifyResponse to Selma: Pres. Johnson calls for strong
federal voting rights law
Voting Rights Act – passed in 1965 that outlawed literacy testsFederal government could supervise voter registration
Passage of the 24th AmendmentBanned poll tax
Impact: African-American voter participation skyrockets
The ResponseDespite passage, many African-Americans felt little had
changed1965 – Los Angeles, section called Watts. Lasted for 6 days1967 – Detroit/Newark
Kerner Commission – President Johnson orders research on race issues in the USConcluded racial discrimination the single most important
cause of violenceCalled for expanding federal programs in inner cities
The ResponseStokely Carmichael – SNCC leader, developed the idea
of “black power”Grew frustrated with Dr. King and nonviolence
Bobby Seale, with Huey Newton founded the Black Panther PartyOrganized armed patrols of urban areas to protect from
police abuseThey provided services to blacks in their communities
Free breakfast for students, medical clinicsViewed as dangerous because they carried weapons,
frequent confrontations with police
Malcolm XBorn Malcolm Little, endured a difficult childhood,
imprisoned at 21 for armed robbery in NYC In prison, encountered the teachings of Nation of Islam
leader Elijah MohammedAppealed to him with rich black history/culture, rejecting
white society/values
Travels to Mecca, holy city of IslamSaw individuals of all colors/languages praying together,
reconsiders his position against whitesBreaks ties with Mohammed, creates his own organization
Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU)
He’s assassinated in NYC, 1965, 3 members of the Nation of Islam are convicted
TermsBlack Nationalism – called for complete separation from
white society. Black Muslims would set up their own businesses, schools, etc. Rejected nonviolence
Black power – introduced in 1966, meant many things: political power, economic power, pride in being African American.
Political Gains# of Southern blacks registered to vote spiked from 1
mil to 3.1 mil
Black candidates were successful1966 – Edward Brooke – Massachusetts Senator1968 – Shirley Chisholm – first black congresswoman, from
NYThurgood Marshall – now a US Supreme Court Justice
Afro centrismA focus on African history, culture, achievements of the
African People and their descendants
Balanced Euro centrism
Example, “Roots”
Afr. Amer. Cultural Achievements
College courses – African-American studies
Museums – African-American history, art
Black writers – Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison
April 4, 1968MLK Jr. in Memphis, TN to support a sanitation worker
strike
Assassinated from a rooftop by James Earl Ray who was caught, tried, found guilty and later died in jail
As a result, riots erupted in more than 100 cities
Civil Rights Act of 1968Added to the original act of 1964
Included a clause on fair housing
Banned discrimination in housing sales & rentals
School Integration1964 Civil Rights Law aimed to speed things up in
schools
If not, the US government threatened to cut off federal funds that were not integrated
Racial BalanceFederal judge ordered school districts to bus students
to schools outside their neighborhoods to achieve integration
Controversy – parents weren’t happy. Long bus rides, safety
Affirmative ActionPolicy created to hire minorities in jobs in order to
create a more diverse workforce
This policy favored minorities to counteract past discrimination
DefinePreferential treatment – affirmative action gave
preference to minorities because of their ethnicity or gender
Reverse discrimination – affirmative action was discriminatory against white males
UCAL vs. BakkeAllan Bakke sued UCAL because he was rejected 2X for
admission to its medical school.
Minority candidates with lower scores and grades were admitted.
1977 – Court upheld affirmative action – but race couldn’t be admission’s only criterion. Bakke was later admitted.