Civil Rights Era (1954-1975): A Synopsis of Events

1. Civil Rights Era 1954 – 1975A Brief Synopsis

2. Jim Crow Laws

3. Brown vs. Board of Ed • Linda Brown was not allowed to attend an all-white school • Case challenged 1896 Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy vs. Ferguson which upheld constitutionality of “separate but equal”

4. Brown vs. Board of Ed. (Continued) • Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that segregation in schools was unconstitutional Thurgood Marshall with James Nabrit Jr. and George E.C. Hayes

5. Rosa Parks • December 1955, Montgomery Alabama, she was arrested for failing to give up seat on bus • Boycott supported by African Americans and organized by Martin Luther King Jr.

6. Rosa Parks (continued) • Bus boycott lasted 381 days • Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public transportation was illegal in 1956 • Started Civil Rights movement with an inspirational leader

7. Non-violent Resistance • King drew from teachings of Gandhi • Peaceful means to effect change • Founded the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) • Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his non-violent leadership

8. Crisis in Little Rock • Nine African American students were not admitted to the all-white Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas • Orval Faubus authorized National Guard to prevent students from entering

9. Crisis in Little Rock (Continued) • Faubus recalled National Guard but angry mob was threatening students • Eisenhower sent in 1,000 paratroopers and federalized National Guard so the students could enter safely

10. Students Stage Sit-ins • In 1960, Greensboro, NC Four African-Americans sit at segregated lunch counter • The sit-in becomes a popular way to protest

11. The Freedom Riders • “Freedom Riders” rode buses into Southern segregated bus terminals • Many “Freedom Riders” were met with violence in the South • Freedom Rides took place in 1961 and 1963

12. Violence in Birmingham • 1963 –MLK led a demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama • fire hoses and dogs on demonstrators • Kennedy sent in 3,000 troops to keep order and proposed new legislation

13. Civil Disobedience (Where else is U.S. history have you Civil Disobedience?) "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." • Letter from a Birmingham Jail” • “Never before have written so long a letter. I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers? “

14. The March on Washington • 1963, 100th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation • 200,00 demonstrators merged at the Lincoln Memorial • MLK delivered “I Have a Dream”speech

15. Civil Rights Act • Only one-half of one percent of African American children in the 11 former Confederate states were attending desegregated schools • Kennedy was assassinated and Johnson was able to get Civil Rights Act passed and Voting Rights Act passed

16. Black Muslims • Founded in the 1930’s by Elijah Muhammad • Embraced Islam • Preached black nationalism • Separatist

17. Malcolm X

18. Black Panthers • Militant group, started as a self defense group. Used their 2nd amendment rights. • Helped to perpetuate the black power movement • Used confrontations to force equal rights • Leaders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale

19. Assassination of MLK • MLK assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968 • James Earl Ray

20. Riots in Response • One week of riots in response to this assassination

21. Other Civil Rights and Activist Groups • SDS- Students for a Democratic Society • CORE- Congress for Racial Equality • NAACP- 1909 (National Assoc. for the Advancement of Colored People) • AIM- American Indian Movement • NOW- National Organization of Women