The Civil Rights The Civil Rights MovementMovement

1954 - 19681954 - 1968

Montgomery Bus Boycott Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)(1955)

► Rosa Parks – arrested Rosa Parks – arrested for refusing to give up for refusing to give up her seat on the busher seat on the bus

► Martin Luther King Martin Luther King organized a boycott of organized a boycott of city busses until policy city busses until policy of segregation was of segregation was changedchanged

► Boycott lasted 381 days Boycott lasted 381 days until the courts ordered until the courts ordered an end to segregation in an end to segregation in public transportationpublic transportation

Martin Luther King, Jr. leads a Martin Luther King, Jr. leads a movementmovement

►Civil DisobedienceCivil Disobedience Violate a law considered to be unjustViolate a law considered to be unjust Be willing to accept the consequencesBe willing to accept the consequences

►Non-violenceNon-violence Don’t strike backDon’t strike back ““rivers of blood will be shed…”rivers of blood will be shed…”

Crisis at Little Rock (1957)Crisis at Little Rock (1957)

► Attempt to integrate Attempt to integrate Little Rock’s Central Little Rock’s Central High School by 9 African High School by 9 African American studentsAmerican students

► Governor Orval Faubus Governor Orval Faubus sent National Guard to sent National Guard to prevent students from prevent students from enteringentering

► President Eisenhower President Eisenhower sent federal troops to sent federal troops to enforce the integration enforce the integration orderorder

Sit-insSit-ins

► To challenge local To challenge local laws throughout the laws throughout the South that required South that required separate separate restaurants & lunch restaurants & lunch counterscounters

►Demonstrators sat Demonstrators sat at the counter until at the counter until they were served or they were served or forcibly removedforcibly removed

Freedom RidesFreedom Rides

► To test the To test the integration of busses integration of busses on interstate routes, on interstate routes, college students college students volunteered to ride volunteered to ride in an integrated in an integrated fashionfashion

► These “freedom These “freedom riders” were often riders” were often met with extreme met with extreme violenceviolence

Birmingham, Alabama (1963)Birmingham, Alabama (1963)

►Birmingham MarchesBirmingham Marches Use of non-violent, civil disobedience in Use of non-violent, civil disobedience in

one of the most segregated cities in the one of the most segregated cities in the countrycountry

Public attention to problem with pictures Public attention to problem with pictures of fire hoses and police dogs used on of fire hoses and police dogs used on demonstratorsdemonstrators

(The Childrens’ March Video)(The Childrens’ March Video)

Marches in BirminghamMarches in Birmingham

March on Washington (1963)March on Washington (1963)

►March on WashingtonMarch on Washington Peaceful demonstration for the support of Peaceful demonstration for the support of

major civil rights legislationmajor civil rights legislation MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speechMLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech (Video clip)(Video clip)

March on WashingtonMarch on Washington

Civil Rights Civil Rights LegislationLegislation

Civil Rights Act of 1964Civil Rights Act of 1964

►No discrimination in public facilitiesNo discrimination in public facilities►Established Equal Employment Established Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission to end Opportunity Commission to end discrimination in hiring, firing and discrimination in hiring, firing and promotions (Title VII – included gender promotions (Title VII – included gender as well as race)as well as race)

►Strengthened voting rights lawsStrengthened voting rights laws►Federal funds would be withheld from Federal funds would be withheld from

school districts that violated integration school districts that violated integration ordersorders

Voting Rights Act of 1965Voting Rights Act of 1965

►Suspended the literacy tests as Suspended the literacy tests as requirement to voterequirement to vote

►Appointed “federal examiners” to Appointed “federal examiners” to register votersregister voters

► (Selma, Alabama video clip)(Selma, Alabama video clip)

March 1965 November 1988

Black White Gap Black White Gap

Alabama 19.3 69.2 49.9 68.4 75.0 6.6

Georgia 27.4 62.6 35.2 56.8 63.9 7.1

Louisiana 31.6 80.5 48.9 77.1 75.1 -2.0

Mississippi 6.7 69.9 63.2 74.2 80.5 6.3

North Carolina 46.8 96.8 50.0 58.2 65.6 7.4

South Carolina 37.3 75.7 38.4 56.7 61.8 5.1

Virginia 38.3 61.1 22.8 63.8 68.5 4.7

Effect of Voting Rights Act of Effect of Voting Rights Act of 19651965

(voter registration rates)(voter registration rates)

Amendment #24 - 1964Amendment #24 - 1964

►Abolished the poll taxAbolished the poll tax►(took reserved power from the state (took reserved power from the state

government)government)

Civil Rights OrganizationsCivil Rights Organizations

NAACPNAACP

National National Association for Association for the the Advancement Advancement of Colored of Colored PeoplePeople

WEB DuBoisWEB DuBois

Thurgood Thurgood MarshallMarshall

Use the legal Use the legal system to system to promote promote lasting change lasting change (court cases, (court cases, lobby for lobby for legislation)legislation)

SCLCSCLC

Southern Southern Christian Christian Leadership Leadership ConferenceConference

Martin Luther Martin Luther KingKing

Coretta Scott Coretta Scott KingKing

Ralph AbernathyRalph Abernathy

Charles Steele Jr.Charles Steele Jr.

Use of non-Use of non-violent protest violent protest

& civil & civil disobediencedisobedience

Close Close connection connection with churches with churches in the South-in the South-leaders in leaders in African African American American communitycommunity

CORECORE

Congress on Congress on Racial EqualityRacial Equality

Roy InnisRoy Innis

James FarmerJames FarmerNon-violent Non-violent direct action direct action to end racial to end racial discriminationdiscrimination

Recruited Recruited college college students to students to participate in participate in sit-ins & sit-ins & freedom ridesfreedom rides

SNCCSNCC

Student Non-Student Non-violent violent Coordinating Coordinating CommitteeCommittee

Stokely Stokely CarmichaelCarmichael

H. Rap BrownH. Rap Brown

Trained people Trained people for non-violent for non-violent protests – protests – freedom rides, freedom rides, sit-inssit-ins

Turned to Turned to more militant more militant forms of forms of protest – protest – “Black Power”“Black Power”

Nation of IslamNation of Islam

Black MuslimsBlack Muslims Elijah Elijah MuhammadMuhammad

Black Black Nationalist or Nationalist or Black Black Separatism- Separatism- supported a supported a separate Black separate Black gov’t. & gov’t. & economyeconomy

Rejected Rejected integrationintegration

Organization Organization for Afro-for Afro-American American UnityUnity

Malcolm XMalcolm X

(assassinated (assassinated in 1965)in 1965)

Split from Split from Nation of Nation of IslamIslam

Expressed Expressed ideas more ideas more relevant to relevant to urban African urban African AmericansAmericans

Hatred of Hatred of White injusticeWhite injustice

Black Black PanthersPanthers

Huey NewtonHuey Newton

Bobby SealeBobby SealeArmed to Armed to resist police resist police brutality – brutality – meet violence meet violence with violence with violence “Burn baby “Burn baby burn”burn”

Community Community based self-based self-help help programs programs (free clinics, (free clinics, breakfast)breakfast)

Long Hot Summers (1964 – Long Hot Summers (1964 – 1967)1967)

►Civil UnrestCivil Unrest Watts in LAWatts in LA DetroitDetroit NewarkNewark Over 100 cities, over 100 deaths, Millions Over 100 cities, over 100 deaths, Millions

of $ in property damage of $ in property damage

(Promised Land Video clip)(Promised Land Video clip)

National Commission on Civil National Commission on Civil DisordersDisorders

►Headed by Governor Otto Kerner of IllinoisHeaded by Governor Otto Kerner of Illinois► FindingsFindings

Riots caused by white racism Riots caused by white racism → → discrimination in discrimination in employment, education, and housingemployment, education, and housing

““Our nation is moving toward two societies – one Our nation is moving toward two societies – one black, one white – separate and unequal” – that black, one white – separate and unequal” – that threatens our democratic valuesthreatens our democratic values

US must enrich ghetto life and work to integrate US must enrich ghetto life and work to integrate blacks into society outside of the ghettoblacks into society outside of the ghetto

Recommendations of theRecommendations of the Kerner Commission Kerner Commission

► Creation of jobs – in both public & private sectorsCreation of jobs – in both public & private sectors► Job training and On-the-Job training for “hard Job training and On-the-Job training for “hard

core” unemployedcore” unemployed► Increase efforts to eliminate Increase efforts to eliminate de facto segregationde facto segregation► Improve schools that serve disadvantaged Improve schools that serve disadvantaged

studentsstudents► Increased welfare payments to the needy to Increased welfare payments to the needy to

encourage families to stay togetherencourage families to stay together► Additional public housing for low- & moderate- Additional public housing for low- & moderate-

income familiesincome families

Fate of these programsFate of these programs

►Raised expectations only to bring Raised expectations only to bring disappointmentdisappointment

►Many programs were cut or never Many programs were cut or never implemented because of increased implemented because of increased costs associated with the War in costs associated with the War in VietnamVietnam

►Economic principle: Opportunity CostEconomic principle: Opportunity Cost Even the gov’t can’t afford everythingEven the gov’t can’t afford everything Item rejected becomes “opportunity cost”Item rejected becomes “opportunity cost”