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The Modern Civil Rights Movement (1954-1965)

The Modern Civil Rights Movement (1954-1965). By 1950, the United States was a segregated society:. Jim Crow laws throughout the South created a segregated society ( de jure segregation ). White flight to the suburbs left African Americans in poor inner cities ( de facto segregation ).

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The Modern Civil Rights Movement (1954-1965)

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  1. The Modern Civil Rights Movement (1954-1965)

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

  3. But after WWII, African Americans gained success in civil rights In 1948, Truman became the 1st president to attack segregation Truman issued an executive order to integrate the military • He outlawed discrimination in the hiring of government employees

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

  5. 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 in civil rights; Segregated schools became their primary target Their strategy was to use lawsuits to challenge that segregation violated the 14th Amendment

  6. 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 14th Amendment to attack public school segregation Marshall argued that even “equal” schools, if separate, imply that black children are inferior to whites

  7. 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 14th Amendment

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

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

  10. 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."

  11. 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

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

  13. 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 14th 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

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

  15. Minister 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 riseof MLK as the leaderof black civil rights

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

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. 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

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

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

  22. Birmingham Police commissioner Bull Connor used violence to suppress the demonstrations

  23. 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

  24. 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

  25. 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

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

  27. In1963,civilrightsleadersled aMarchonWashington to pressure Congress to pass a civil rights bill Click here for a video on March on Washington 250,000 people assembled in Washington DC to hear speakers including MLK MLK delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech about a future without prejudice or segregation

  28. 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 be written, President Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963 VP Lyndon Johnson assumed the presidency & pushed the bill through Congress

  29. 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

  30. 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 used literacy tests & poll taxes to restrict black citizens from voting In most Southern states, less than half of eligible African Americans were registered to vote

  31. 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

  32. 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

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

  34. Malcolm X Leader of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s 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

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

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