Civil Rights and Women’s Rights

1. Civil Rights and Women’s Rights Day 1: March 10, 2014

2. Setting the Stage Q: What problems led up to the Civil Rights Movements from the late 1950s until late 1960s? A: Years of racial tensions had been building in the South. Public services had been segregated since Plessy v. Ferguson and violence against African Americans had been escalating.

3. Desegregation of schools Brown v. Board of Education (1954) stated that segregated schools were not equal, and forced the desegregation of schools. Not all states did. This case proved that separate was NOT equal, and segregation violated the 14th Amendment.

4. Voting in the South • The 15th Amendment gave African Americans the right to vote, but Southern states found loopholes in the law that prevented African Americans from voting. • Literacy Tests • Poll tax • Violence

5. Gender Discrimination • Women were encouraged to support the family, but increasingly began to work outside the home. • Women were restricted to lower ranking positions and paid less than men.

6. Latin American Discrimination • 1943: “Zoot Suit Riots” break out in Los Angeles, CA. Worst race riots in the city, to date. Mexican Americans were targeted and beaten by white military men. • Latin American immigration increased in the 1960s, which led to tensions over job competition.

7. Native American Discrimination • Native Americans were placed in boarding schools that attempted to take away their culture. • 1924: Native Americans were granted U.S. citizenship. • Despite citizenship, Native Americans were not given equal opportunities.

8. Asian American Discrimination • Japanese Americans had been unfairly incarcerated in internment camps during WWII. • During the 1960s, Asian immigrants increased. • China was a communist nation. Americans believed Asian Americans to be communist, despite their nationality.