NEW CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES25.3

REVIEW

Many African Americans had moved to the big cities of the North during the Great Migration of the 1920s and 1940s

Examples of racism and prejudice: Low paying jobs High unemployment rates Poor neighborhoods, overcrowded High crime rates Juvenile delinquency Rise in single parent households

WATTS RIOTWHERE WAS IT? WHEN DID IT HAPPEN? WHAT HAPPENED?

Occurred in an African American neighborhood Los Angeles

Occurred right after LBJ signed the Voting Rights Act

Allegations of police brutality led to an uprising that lasted for 6 days National Guard was required to restore order Rioters burned and looted neighborhoods 34 people killed

Riots continued in other cities

KERNER COMMISSIONWHY WAS IT FORMED? WHAT WERE THEIR FINDINGS? WHAT DID THEY RECOMMEND?

Formed to study the causes of the urban riots and to make recommendations to prevent them from happening again

Blamed racism for most of the problems in the cities

Recommended: created of 2 million inner city jobs, construction of 6 million new units of public housing, and a new commitment to fighting de facto segregation

WHY WERE MANY LEADERS BECOMING FRUSTRATED WITH MLK’S NONVIOLENT STRATEGY?

Felt it had failed to improve the economic position of African Americans

WHAT DID MLK AND HIS WIFE CORETTA DO TO CALL ATTENTION TO TERRIBLE HOUSING CONDITIONS?

They moved into a slum apartments in an African American neighborhood in Chicago

CHICAGO MOVEMENTWAS IT SUCCESSFUL? WHO WAS RICHARD DALEY AND WHAT ROLE DID HE PLAY?

Made little headway MLK led a march through an all white suburb

to demonstrate the need for open housing and he was met with angry mobs

Mayor Daley ordered the Chicago police to protect marchers- determined to prevent violence

Met with MLK and proposed a new program to clean up the slums

However, little changed

WHAT DOES THE TERM BLACK POWER REFER TO? WHAT IDEAS DID IT STRESS?

Some interpreted it to mean that physical self defense and even violence were acceptable- a rejection of MLK’s philosophies

To most, it meant that African Americans should control the social, political, and economic direction of their struggle

Stressed pride in the African American cultural group (took on new hairstyles, clothing)

Emphasized racial distinctiveness, rather than assimilation

Some leaders criticized black power, but it was popular in poorer neighborhoods

MALCOLM XDESCRIBE THE BELIEFS OF THE BLACK MUSLIMS. WHAT DID THEY ENCOURAGE MEMBERS TO DO?

Malcolm X joined Nation of Islam, aka Black Muslims

Preached black nationalism- should separate themselves from whites and form their own self-governing communities

Black Muslims attempted to be as self sufficient as possible- ran their own schools, businesses…

Advocated self defense

MALCOLM XWHY DID MALCOLM X CHANGE HIS NAME?

He changed his name so “X” could symbolize the family name of his ancestors who had been enslaved Rejected the name white society had given him

MALCOLM XWHO WERE THE BLACK PANTHERS? WHAT DID THEY BELIEVE?

Black Panthers- believed a revolution was necessary in the US and urged African Americans to arm themselves and prepare to force whites to grant them equal rights

WHAT WAS DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING DOING IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE IN 1968?

He went there to support a strike of African American sanitation workers

Planned on lobbying the government to commit billions of dollars to end poverty and unemployment

WHAT HAPPENED ON APRIL 4, 1968?

Dr. King was assassinated by a sniper Death touched off national mourning- and

riots

WHAT DID THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1968 STATE?

Act contained a fair housing provision outlawing discrimination in housing sales and rentals and gave the Justice Department authority to bring suits against such discrimination