Birmingham Campaign SCLC chose to confront segregation in

Birmingham Campaign • SCLC chose to confront segregation in Birmingham in the spring of 1963. • Birmingham was one of the most racially divided cities in the U. S. • Black citizens faced legal and economic inequalities as well as violence.

Goals of Campaign • Desegregate downtown stores Through store boycotts, puts economic pressure on city. • Get media attention on their cause by forcing violent reactions Achieved through Sit-Ins & Demonstrations, Mass Arrests

Rationale for Campaign • "My theory was that if we mounted a strong nonviolent movement, the opposition would surely do something to attract the media, and in turn induce national sympathy and attention to the everyday segregated circumstance of a person living in the Deep South, " Wyatt Tee Walker, leader of SCLC Birmingham Campaign.

• "The purpose of. . . direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. " Dr. King, 1963 • "You can rest assured that I will fill the jail full of any persons violating the law as long as I'm at City Hall. “ Bull Connor, 1963

Eugene “Bull” Connor • Birmingham’s Public Safety Commissioner, Connor was notorious for violent & brutal actions against CR activists. • Widely publicized confrontations between black youth and white civic authorities. • "The Civil Rights movement should thank God for Bull Connor. He's helped it as much as Abraham Lincoln. " JFK

Dr. King arrested in Birmingham

Letter from Birmingham Jail • Dr. King arrested in a mass demonstration, as well. • From jail, he writes a letter in response to whites who say CR tactics are wrong.

Children’s Crusade • The Children's Crusade in May 1963 used black youth from area schools as demonstrators. • Bull Connor arrested 100 s of children and sent them to jail. • He used fire hoses and police dogs to stop nonviolent protests.

Effect • Front-page photographs in newspapers convinced Kennedy to force an end to violence. • "The events in Birmingham and elsewhere have so increased cries for equality that no city or state or legislative body can prudently choose to ignore them. " JFK • The Soviet Union devoted up to 25 percent of its news broadcast to the demonstrations, sending much of it to Africa, where Soviet and U. S. interests clashed.

Impact • Pressured Birmingham government to change the city's discrimination laws. • Brought national (and international) attention to CR issues. • Ultimately led to passing of the CR Act of 1964.