Transcript Ch 21 – The Civil Rights Movement

Demands for Civil Rights
Leaders and Strategies
The Struggle Intensifies
The Political Response
The Movement Takes a New Turn
 1947
– Branch Rickey chose to break the color line in Major
League Baseball by bringing Jackie Robinson up to the big
leagues. Despite facing horrible discrimination, bigotry and
hatred, Robinson played great (Rookie of the Year) and led with
dignity. Robinson fostered pride in other African Americans. This
encouraged others to take a stand
 The
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Rise of African American Influence
Before, during and after WW2, African Americans NOT
treated as equals in the US
 Migration after Civil War and WW1
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The New Deal
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Massive move into cities in the north
Politicians courted African American votes
Rise of the NAACP
After Plessey v. Ferguson
 Used the system to try to change the system
 “Legal Defense Fund” – Thurgood Marshall
 Took many schools, businesses, etc to court for equal rights
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Brown v. Board of Education
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1951 – Linda Brown sued for the right to go to the closer, better
white school in Topeka, Kansas
Thurgood Marshall argued before the Supreme Court 9-0
Separate was INHERENTLY UNEQUAL
Reaction to Brown v. Board of Education
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Mixed reaction to ruling
Most hoped, even if they did not agree, that the ruling would
peacefully settle the issue
Many in the SOUTH resisted, vocally and violently
State governors announced they would not “mix races”
KuKluxKlan grew in strength
Many believed the Supreme Court had overstepped its bounds
and interfered in a “States’ Rights” issue
Most southern states refused to enforce the rulings
 The
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Montgomery Bus Boycott – 1955
Rosa Parks sparked the 1st major Civil Rights demonstration
Took a seat reserved for “Whites Only”, refused to move
Arrested and ordered to stand trial
This set off a city wide demonstration against the bus co.
A new pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, led the boycott
Supreme Court ruled segregation on buses illegal
381 days later, the bus company gave in to demands
A new generation of Civil Rights protesters was born
 Resistance
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in Little Rock
Despite the SC ruling, Gov. Faubus of Ark. refused to integrate
stating he did not believe he could keep order
Faubus posted national guards at school to deny African American
students access to white schools
Eisenhower sent federal soldiers to protect/escort the students
(saw as a direct challenge to the Constitution)
 Other
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LULAC – League of United Latin American Citizens
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Voices of Protest
Funeral home refused to bury veteran of WW2 Felix
Longoria – LULAC protested, got him buried in
Arlington National Cemetery with honors
Schools in California were denying access to Latino
students – LULAC protested and got rules changed
Native Americans
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Plan to eliminate reservations met with resistance
BIA mismanaged terribly
Small gains, still many problems
 Laying
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the Groundwork
Early on, no central organizing group
 NAACP (National Assoc. for the Advancement of Colored People)
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1909 – An interracial group focused on challenging the laws that
prevented African Americans from exercising their full rights as
citizens
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National Urban League
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Worked to overturn “Jim Crow” laws & on anti-lynching laws
Was successful in many suits against states, but had minimal success on
the federal level until Brown v. Board of Education
Helped African Americans move out of the South and into cities
They helped find jobs, apartments, etc
CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)
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Determined to bring change through peaceful confrontation
Played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement (Freedom Riders)
 Philosophy
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Dr Martin Luther King Jr (quick bio)
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Followed the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi
Asked all to resist using violence out of hate or fear
SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference)
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A
of Non-violence
Organized protests throughout the South
Non-violent protests used as a peaceful way of protesting
against restrictive racial policies
Will concentrate mostly in the South
New Voice for Students
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SCLC leaders protected the young by keeping them out of
protests
SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) created to give
students a more upfront role in the movement
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Shifted movement away from churches and gave young activists a
voice in policies and tactics
 Sit
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Ins Challenge Segregation (CORE)
If refused service, they would just sit there
Owners had to decide between not serving and losing business or
serving them and breaking their own rules
Protesters would be arrested and taken to jail “Badge of Honor”
“Fill the Jails” used
 Freedom
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To test if Southern states would obey the SC rulings and to
allow African Americans to exercise their new rights
Violence got worse the further south they got
In Alabama, the bus was met by angry mobs
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Rides (CORE & SNCC)
Blocked, slashed the tires, firebombed, beaten
National reaction to violence – people horrified at pictures
Violence intensified as they continued on (“can’t let them stop
us”)
AG Kennedy sent federal marshals, sued if they did not
comply
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Integration of “Ole Miss”
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James Meredith applied to go to grad school at Ole Miss
When denied, with help from NAACP, he sued to go
SC ruled in favor of Meredith, Kennedy sent fed. marshals
Violence erupted on campus (2 will die)
Marshals will continue to escort Meredith. He will be the first African
American graduate from Old Miss
Clash in Birmingham
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Dr. King invited to visit “the most segregated city I America”
Protests planned
City Police Chief “Bull” Connor vowed to stop King
King & protestors violated city rules and were arrested
While others let go, King kept in jail. Wrote letters in response to ???”s
After King was released, he decided (with difficulty) to allow children to
participate in the protests
Connor arrested 900+ children, dogs & fire hoses used to break up the
protests
In the end, the protestors won (public opinion, city facilities desegregated,
an interracial committee set up to aid communications)
 Kennedy
on Civil Rights
Bold rhetoric when running for president
 As President, he moved slowly, trying not to anger the southern block
 As protests & violence began to spread, Kennedy had to take a stand
 Kennedy; modest civil rights bills, but they never came up for vote
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 The
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March on Washington
To call attention to legislation, King planned march in Washington
Kennedy invited to speak, but as numbers grew, fear was that the
crowd (for and against) could not be controlled
Many African American leaders spoke, then King stepped up to speak
King’s words echoed across the country
Still the Civil Rights legislation stalled in Congress
 Civil
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Johnson’s Role (now president after Kennedy assassination
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Rights Act of 1964
Senate “FILIBUSTER” used; cloture used to end
Used his political skills to get the bill passed
Provisions of the Act
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Title
Title
Title
Title
 Fighting
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I – banned different voter registration requirements
II – prohibited discrimination in public facilities
VI – blocked federal funding for those who discriminate
VII – banned discrimination in hiring, created EEOC
for the Vote
Freedom Summer – 1964 – Voter Registration push in Miss.
KKK held rallies to block
3 Civil Rights workers from NYC killed; FBI will find their
bodies 3 months later
80 mob attacks, 1000+ arrested, churches and homes
firebombed
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The Selma March
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In Selma, people were arrested for standing in line to register to vote
King chose to march to Selma from across the state to call attention to
the injustice
Police and mobs attacked the peaceful marchers with TV cameras
rolling; it horrified the rest of the country
Voting Rights Act of 1965
In reaction to Selma, Congress passed this act
 Federal officials could monitor
 It eliminated literacy tests and poll taxes
 Within a year, 400,000+ had registered to vote
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Legal Landmarks
24th Amendment: Outlawed poll taxes
 More needed to be done
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 Malcolm
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X and Black Nationalism
Background:
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Troubled Youth
Father killed by KKK, Mother went insane
 Dropped out of school
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Poor Choices
Drugs drove him to life of crime
 Prison for stealing
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His Teachings:
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Nation of Islam
White people are the enemy (devils on earth)
 Must press/take rights, they won’t be given
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“Ah Ha” Moment at Mecca
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Assassination
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Saw Islam not a “black” religion, white people believed too
Killed by members of the Nation of Islam
Legacy
 The
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Black Panther Party
After assassination of Malcolm X, young angry black men had
no leader to follow
SNCC changes directions (leader S. Carmichael tired of being beaten
and jailed)
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“Black Power” becomes the motto
Teachings: Rights would have to be taken, by force if necessary
10 Point Program
 Riots
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in the Streets
DeJure v. DeFacto Segregation
Ghetto’s were festering with anger, unemployment, lack of hope
Police viewed as the enemy (occupying army)
Watt, CA 1965 “Watts Riots” DUI pullover sparked outpouring of
pent up anger. 1000’s fill the streets, buildings burned, 34 died
before National Guard and police regain control
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WE WANT FREEDOM. WE WANT POWER TO DETERMINE THE DESTINY OF OUR BLACK AND
OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES.
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WE WANT FULL EMPLOYMENT FOR OUR PEOPLE.
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WE WANT AN END TO THE ROBBERY BY THE CAPITALISTS OF OUR BLACK AND
OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES.
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WE WANT DECENT HOUSING, FIT FOR THE SHELTER OF HUMAN BEINGS.
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WE WANT DECENT EDUCATION FOR OUR PEOPLE THAT EXPOSES THE TRUE NATURE OF
THIS DECADENT AMERICAN SOCIETY. WE WANT EDUCATION THAT TEACHES US OUR TRUE
HISTORY AND OUR ROLE IN THE PRESENT-DAY SOCIETY.
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WE WANT COMPLETELY FREE HEALTH CARE FOR All BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE.
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WE WANT AN IMMEDIATE END TO POLICE BRUTALITY AND MURDER OF BLACK PEOPLE,
OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR, All OPPRESSED PEOPLE INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.
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WE WANT AN IMMEDIATE END TO ALL WARS OF AGGRESSION.
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WE WANT FREEDOM FOR ALL BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE NOW HELD IN U. S.
FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, CITY AND MILITARY PRISONS AND JAILS. WE WANT TRIALS BY
A JURY OF PEERS FOR All PERSONS CHARGED WITH SO-CALLED CRIMES UNDER THE
LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY.
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WE WANT LAND, BREAD, HOUSING, EDUCATION, CLOTHING, JUSTICE, PEACE AND
PEOPLE'S COMMUNITY CONTROL OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY.
 Tragedy
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Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr
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Strikes in 1968
Movement changed to “Poor Persons”
Memphis Strike brings MLK jr
Assassination sparks nationwide riots
Assassination of Robert “Bobby” Kennedy
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Running for President supporting Civil Rights and end of the war in
Vietnam
Criticized LBJ for funding war not people in need in US
Killed after winning CA primary
Hope for a leader who could heal nation’s wounds died too
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Legacy of the Movement
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Slowly, progress being made, but it was too slow for many
The power to vote will change the political landscape and the US
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b/t 1970 and 1975, the number of AA elected officials rose by 88%
Government power used to enforce rights not limit them
Other groups follow the lead
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Women (CRA of 1964)
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Native Americans (Indian CRA of 1968)
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National Organization of Women
American Indian Movement (AIM)
Disabled Americans (Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990)
People of Color (CRA of 1964)
etc
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Who: President Obama
What: 1st African Amerian Elected President
Where: Washington DC/America
When: November 4, 2008
Why: America believed he was the best person to lead our country in the
coming years.
On November 4, 2008, something happened in
this country that had never happened before.
America elected an African American
president. He defeated John McCain not
because he is African American, but because
the people of America believed he was the
best person to lead our country in the coming
years. American finally saw beyond the race of
the candidate.
1.
Compare and contrast the 3 major
leaders/groups of the Civil Rights
Movement.
a. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
b. Malcolm X
c. The Black Panther Party
2.
Explain how the following kept the Civil
Rights Movement non-violent
* Passive Resistance
* Civil Disobedience
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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KN
Montgomery Bus Boycott
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Little Rock Nine
Other Voices of Protest
NAACP, National Urban League, CORE, SNCC
Sit-Ins & Freedom Rides
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Passive Resistance & Civil Disobedience
Malcolm X & the Black Panther Party
Major Legislation
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr & Rosa Parks
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Voting Rights Act of 1965
24th Amendment
Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement
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Other groups follow