Civil Rights Movement The goals of the civil

Civil Rights Movement The goals of the civil rights movement. The goals were to: n desegregate schools, restaurants, buses and other public accommodations nto freely exercise the right to vote; nand to win protection against intimidation, harassment and violence — in general, to gain full and equal rights for African Americans

Civil Rights Movement – The Sit In n Sit-in - In addition to leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. , numerous individuals, particularly students, helped lead the struggle for African Americans’ civil rights. n n n On February 1, 1960, four Black freshmen at North Carolina A&T College walked into a Woolworth’s department store in Greensboro, NC and proceeded to sit down at the “whites only’ lunch counter. Even though they were refused service they still set there for the rest of the afternoon. They promised to return and the next day they came back with 19 additional students, both white and black, joining there protest. Although store owners threatened to have them forcibly removed, the police usually paced the store, too baffled to arrest such calm protesters. The sit-in movement took off as thousands of students organized sit-ins in other cities across the south.

Civil Rights Movement – The Sit In

Civil Rights Movement – SNCC n SNCC – 1960 -1966 n n In April 1961 a new organization was formed to lead student protest: the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC (snick). SNCC’s statement of purpose sought to demonstrate “Justice permeated by Love” to appeal to city officials. The group created rigorous training sessions for all demonstrators in the art of non-violent protest. Many of these students too part in sit-ns at lunch counter throughout the south. Demonstrators endured white crowds’ racial slurs, while some onlookers poured food and drinks over the demonstrator’s heads, or burned their skin with cigarette butts. By August of 1961 over 70, 000 demonstrators had conducted sit-ins at segregated lunch counters. Gradually lunch counter-operators sought desegregation laws so that they would not lose more business, and facilities became integrated.

Civil Rights Movement – Freedom Rides n Freedom rides and CORE – n n Despite gradual integration in various areas of the South, many states refused to comply with the Supreme Court order to desegregate buses. They maintained segregated interstate buses and bus terminals, including ticket counters, waiting rooms, and drinking fountains. Then, in 1961, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), led by James Farmer, sent “freedom riders”, both black and white, on a focused bus trip from Washington D. C. through the south to New Orleans as a protest against the segregated buses.

Civil Rights Movement – Freedom Rides n n n These riders were high with optimism and the conviction of the correctness of their protests. Many freedom riders wee arrested a soon as they rolled into bus terminals. Still they laughed and they sang while serving 15 -day jail sentences. On the tenth day of the trip as one of the buses drove through Alabama, a bomb was thrown into a bus. The freedom riders aboard were forced to exit the bus into a waiting mob of whites, who brutally beat them. When the beating and bombing reach an extreme level in Mississippi, the Federal government sent armed troops to protect the protesters, and effectively supported bus desegregation.

Background Map: 1961 Freedom Rides Two Freedom Riders beaten up by a white mob in Montgomery, Alabama

In 1961, a white mob attacked a bus load of white and black "Freedom Riders" in Montgomery, Ala.

Civil Rights Movement – The Marches n Dr. King and his marches – Throughout the early 1960’s Martin Luther King Jr. led various marches against segregationist and discriminatory laws throughout the south. n Birmingham - In 1963 Martin Luther King JR and his fellow civil rights leaders target Birmingham, Alabama for protest because its was notorious for being stubbornly segregationist under city police commissioner “Bull” Conner. The protesters were met with fire hoses and police attack dogs. King himself was arrested as were 150 demonstrators. The brutality of police actions in Birmingham showed on TV's in living rooms throughout the country alarmed many Americans.

In 1963, a pivotal civil rights campaign was fought in Birmingham, Alabama, the most segregated city in the US.

Civil Rights Movement – The Marches n March on Washington - In an attempt to put political pressure on politicians within the Federal government to pass a Civil rights bill, leaders from the SLCC, NAACP, SNCC, and CORE planned an enormous march on Washington D. C. Despite rivalries among some of the organizing leaders, the March on Washington was a great success, gathering 250, 000 marchers from across the nation. Assembling below the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 3, 1963, the crowd listened to three hours of speeches from various leaders of the civil rights movement. The most positive and memorable speech of the day came from King. He looked forward to the day when Americans of all races would freely share rights of citizenship.

This wide shot taken from the Lincoln Memorial shows the huge crowd that gathered for the March on Washington for jobs and freedom In August 1963, 250, 000 people gathered in Washington DC to demand jobs and freedom for millions of black Americans.

Civil Rights Movement – The Marches n March on Selma – In Selma Alabama only 300 of the 15, 000 eligible black voters had dared registered to vote. n n n On March 7, 1965 600 marchers, without King present, made a march out of Selma to demand voting rights. When the protesters crossed Edmund Pettis Bridge State troopers attacked with clubs and tear gas, chasing them back over the Bridge. The day became known as “Bloody Sunday” Thousands of Black and White people across the country saw this on TV and began to go to Selma to support the freedom fighters. A Second March attended by king became know as “Turnaround Tuesday” because King stopped the marchers on the bridge and walked back to Selma. A Final march, with FBI and National Guard Protection made the march from Selma to Montgomery. King gave a speech to 25, 000 people in Montgomery

Civil rights marchers are shown here on their way from Selma to Montgomery below ominous skies. State troopers attack civil rights marchers with clubs during their attempted march to Montgomery on March 7, 1965. In the foreground, SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) leader John Lewis cringes as a burly state trooper swings his club at Lewis' head.

In March 1965, deputies and troopers attacked voting rights activists with clubs and tear gas, on a march from the Alabama town of Selma to Montgomery.

The Civil Rights Movement – Success? n The Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965, 24 th amendment to the Constitution – n n n In the spring of 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil rights Act of 1964. The act allowed the federal government to sue city school boards who refused to integrate schools and to mandate the end to segregation in all public facilities. T he Voting rights act of 1965 abolished the existing registration literacy test and the list of 24 obscure questions on the Constitution that were used to prevent blacks from voting. Finally the 24 th amendment of the Constitution was ratified in 1963 and made the poll tax or any tax needed to vote unconstitutional and therefore illegal.

LBJ Signing Civil Rights Act.

Why did the movement succeed? n The movement succeeded because it was based on the fundamental constitutional principles that all people are created equal and every citizen has a say in the democratic process. The movement had a great leader and a large, committed following. The contrast between the nonviolence of the protesters and the injustice that they had to endure generated support for the movement. Most important, it succeeded because of individual commitment: The activists' willingness to risk their lives dramatized the importance of their cause and won them support from citizens throughout the country.