Transcript Visual History of the Civil Rights Movement

Visual History of the Civil Rights
Movement
Montgomery Bus Boycott- 1955
Rosa Parks was arrested on Dec. 1, 1955. She spent 2 hours in jail and was fined $100.
Civil rights leaders organized a bus boycott. Blacks were ¾ of bus passengers in
Montgomery. It lasted almost a year. Some residents walked 34 miles a day to avoid
the bus. In 1956 the Supreme Court ordered an end to segregated buses.
The Sit-in Movement- Greensboro 1960
Four freshmen sat at a “whites only” Woolworth’s lunch counter to protest segregation. They
were joined by 19 other students and later over 400 students conducted “sit-ins” or “sitdowns” at various Greensboro stores. SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)
was formed to organize student protests. Gradually lunch counters were integrated.
Freedom Rides- 1961
CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)sent freedom riders on a bus trip from
Washington DC to New Orleans to protest segregated buses. One bus was firebombed
in Alabama. Riders were beaten when they exited the bus. When violence became
extreme in Mississippi, federal troops were called in to escort them.
Birmingham: Demonstrations 1963
Martin Luther King Jr. planned massive demonstrations in Birmingham because its police
commissioner was an extremist. He knew Eugene “Bull” Conner would violently attack
protesters. Over 150 protesters were arrested the first week. He hoped to get JFK to publically
support the Civil Rights Movement. King’s violent arrest resulted in vocalized federal support.
Birmingham:The Children’s Marches- 1963
Children, aged 6 to 16 marched singing “ We Shall Overcome”. Over 600 were thrown
into jail. Fire hoses and dogs were let loose on the children. Hollywood stars and JFK
supported the protesters. Ultimately, Birmingham was integrated.
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing- 1963
A few months after the Children’s Marches a KKK member planted a bomb in
the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, killing four girls. The killings sparked
violence throughout the city.
March on Washington-1963
Civil rights leaders organized protesters to march on Washington to support the passage of
civil rights legislation. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech at this
event.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
1964 Civil Rights Act
On June 10, 1964, civil rights supporters in the United States
Senate successfully overcame a Southerner filibuster and set
the stage for Congress to enact the most significant civil
rights bill in American history. The Civil Rights Act of 1964
integrated restaurants, hotels, motels, swimming pools and
other public places. It provided for equal opportunities in the
workplace, for women as well as racial, religious and ethnic
minorities.
Freedom Summer- 1964
Around 1000 volunteers spent the summer holding classes and going door-todoor to help residents learn how to register to vote. Volunteers were beaten,
shot and thrown in jail. Three workers were killed. Their story was depicted in
the movie Mississippi Burning. Over 63,000 black voters were registered.
“Bloody Sunday”: Selma to Montgomery-1965
Only 300 of 15,000 blacks were registered to vote in Selma, Alabama. The SCLC (Southern
Christian Leadership Conference) organized a 50 mile march from Selma to Montgomery to
protest. As the 600 marchers crossed the Edmund Pettis Bridge, police used billy clubs and tear gas
against the marchers. Viewed on TV, the march was repeated successfully with the support of the
FBI and National Guard.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
1965 Voters Rights Act
After many acts of violence against voting- rights activists,
including the recent attacks on marchers in Selma, President
Johnson and Congress passed effective voting rights
legislation. The act ended literacy tests and allowed voter
registration by federal officers. By 1968 nearly 60 percent of
eligible blacks in Mississippi were registered to vote. Between
1965 and 1990, black members of Congress rose from 2 to
160.