The Modern Civil Rights Movement 1954 1965 By

The Modern Civil Rights Movement (1954 -1965)

By 1950, the United States was a segregated society: Jim Crow laws White flight throughout the to the suburbs left South created African Americans a segregated society in poor inner cities (de jure segregation) (de facto segregation)

But after WWII, African Americans gained success in civil rights In 1948, Truman became the 1 st president to attack segregation Truman issued Executive Order 9986 to integrate the military He outlawed discrimination in the hiring of government employees

In 1947, Jackie Robinson was the 1 st black major league baseball player Jackie Robinson signing his professional contract with Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey in 1945 Robinsonmade won. National Rookie his MLB League of debut the Year MVP in 1947 inin 1947 1949

The modern Civil Rights movement began in 1954 with the Supreme Court decision Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas The NAACP took the lead Their strategy was to in civil rights; Segregated use lawsuits to challenge schools became their that segregation violated primary target the 14 th Amendment

Brown v Board of Education in 1954 The Topeka school district denied Linda Brown from attending a white school 4 blocks from her house NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall used the 14 th Amendment to attack public school segregation Marshall argued that even “equal” schools, if separate, imply that black children are inferior to whites

The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Brown v Board of Education (1954) ruled “separate facilities are inherently unequal” Chief Justice Earl Warren stated that segregation violated the “equal protection clause” of the 14 th Amendment

The decision overturned the Plessy v Ferguson (1896) “separate but equal” precedent

The Brown decision was divisive: Schools integrated in But Southern state leaders Baltimore, St Louis, & vowed to resist integration Washington DC & the KKK returned to block integration At first, President Eisenhower left enforcement of Brown up to states & did not enforce the decision

Resistance to Brown “The people of Georgia will not comply with the decision of the court… We're going to do whatever is necessary in Georgia to keep white children in white schools and colored children in colored schools. "

In 1957, President Eisenhower was forced to support integration Arkansas governor Orval Faubus called the National Guard to keep black students from enrolling in Little Rock’s Central High School Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus

Eisenhower sent the Army to force integration for the black students (the “Little Rock Nine”)

Conclusions ■ The Brown v BOE decision was the first major step towards ending Jim Crow segregation in America –The NAACP provided a model for other civil rights leaders to follow by using the 14 th Amendment –Resistance to Brown revealed that civil rights leaders could not rely on the gov’t to protect rights ■ New leaders would soon emerge to take charge of the movement

In 1955, Rosa Parks’ arrest for disobeying an Alabama law requiring segregation on city buses sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. organized a 381 -day boycott of the bus system to protest segregation The boycott led to the integration of city buses & to the rise of MLK as the leader of black civil rights

The success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott led MLK to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957 The to The SCLC wasformed based on usepeaceful activismresistance & non-violent & protest to bringlove: an end to Christian “We willsegregation meet your physical force with soul force. We will. SCLC not hate but we The soon you, overtook the will not obey evil laws. NAACP as theyour leading civil We will group wear you down by rights in America pure capacity to suffer. ”

Martin Luther King’s non-violent approach inspired other groups to act In 1960, students from NC A&T led a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, NC

The “sit-in” movement led to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Stokely Carmichael was the leader of SNCC Non-violent resistance training, Atlanta 1960

Stokely Carmichael became the “Honorary Prime Minister” of the Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party was part of the Black Power movement Became known for their violent actions against police

In 1961 “Freedom Riders” rode buses throughout the South to test whether integration orders were being enforced Freedom riders faced arrest & violence but exposed the lack of enforcement of desegregation laws in the Deep South

In 1963, MLK organized a march to integrate Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham was MLK’s strategy was to confront segregation through peaceful considered the marches, rallies, & boycotts “most segregated city in America” Dr. King called Birmingham “the most segregated big city in the South”

Birmingham Police commissioner Bull Connor used violence to suppress the demonstrations “Bloody Sunday” was one of the worst attacks on African American protestors by police

During the march in Birmingham, MLK was arrested While in jail, MLK wrote an open letter called “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in response to white leaders who believed King was pushing too fast towards civil rights

Hand out and read as a class King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” Work with a partner to answer the questions on the back of your notes

The Birmingham march was a turning point in the Civil Rights movement TV reports of the violence in Birmingham made it difficult for average Americans to ignore segregation Public outrage over police brutality forced Birmingham officials to end segregation Events in Birmingham revealed the need for greater action by the national government

Among those watching the violence on TV was President John F Kennedy who committed to a national civil rights act to end discrimination

In 1963, civil rights leaders led a March on Washington to pressure Congress to pass a civil rights bill 250, 000 people assembled Click here for a video on March on Washington in Washington DC to hear speakers including MLK delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech about a future without prejudice or segregation

By 1963, the momentum of the civil rights movement caused President Kennedy to draft a civil rights bill that would outlaw all segregation But, before the law could VP Lyndon Johnson be written, President assumed the presidency Kennedy was assassinated & pushed the bill in November 1963 through Congress

President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 The law outlawed discrimination based on race, religion, & gender & ended most Jim Crow laws The law integrated restaurants & hotels & gave the Justice Dept power to sue businesses that failed to comply with the law

Despite the success of the Civil Rights Act, African American leaders were not satisfied because the law did not protect voting rights Southern state governments In most Southern states, used literacy tests & poll less than half of eligible taxes to restrict black African Americans were citizens from voting registered to vote

Civil rights leaders responded with new initiatives to bring voting rights In 1964, white & black college students took part in Freedom Summer to help register African American voters in Mississippi Freedom Summer volunteers faced resistance; 3 volunteers were murdered by the KKK & local police

In 1965, MLK organized a march in Selma, Alabama to protest voting restrictions Police violence at Selma convinced President Johnson to push for a new federal voting law

After the Selma march, LBJ signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Banned literacy Voter turnout African Americans & registration tests & sent elected black increased federal voting politicians for the among black officials into the 1 st time since citizens South to protect Reconstruction voters

Malcolm X Leader of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960 s Became member of the Nation of Islam and advocated for the separation of Black and White Americans In 1965, after repudiating the Nation of Islam, he was assassinated by three of its members

The Civil Rights movement of the 1950 s & 1960 s finally brought an end to segregation African Americans The Civil Rights brought an end to movement inspired segregation and gained other minority groups true voting rights to demand equality