The Civil Rights Movement

1. Ryan Snell and Drake Allen The Civil Rights Movement

2. Beginning of the Civil Rights Movement • After hearing of the lynching of African American war veterans, Truman ended segregation in federal civil service in 1948, and began desegregation of the armed forces. • Chief Justice Earl Warren ruled the segregation of schools was unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson’s “separate but equal” ruling.

3. Beginning of the Civil Rights Movement • In September 1957, President Eisenhower had 9 African American students escorted to their classes in Little Rock Central High School, after being blocked by the National Guard under the Governor of Arkansas’ control. This is the first action the federal government takes in the civil rights movement. • 1957 Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, to investigate civil rights violations, and protected voting rights via federal intervention.

4. The Sit-in Movement • African Americans all over the South began the “sit-in movement”, where they went to whites-only restaurants, transportation, employment, housing, and voter registration, and sat down until their presence was recognized. • These protesters then formed the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), to seek further legal rights.

5. John F. Kennedy • Kennedy campaigned with a platform focusing on civil rights. • He dispatched federal troops to end attacks on desegregated buses. • He began a Voter Education Project to register African Americans. • Kennedy financially backed Martin Luther King, Jr. and the SCLC. • He sent federal troops to protect African Americans who faced heavy opposition when enrolling in universities.

6. Rosa Parks • After a full day of working, Parks decided to sit at the front of a public transportation bus, which was usually reserved for white people. • The bus driver informed her that if she did not leave the front, she would be arrested. She responded, “You may do that”. • After asking why the bus driver was threatening her, the bus driver responded, “I do not know, but the law is the law and you’re under arrest”. • This was one of the first major acts of civil disobedience in the Civil Rights Movement.

7. Birmingham • His first big campaign- Birmingham, Alabama, the most segregated city in America, featuring many cross burnings and bombings during civil rights protests. Civil rights protesters were met with attack dogs and hoses. • This led to Kennedy addressing the nation on June 11, 1963, calling the situation a “moral issue”. He committed to finding a solution. • Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a letter after being arrested to that day, known as the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, in response to several clergymen who criticized his protests as unwise and wrong. This letter explained the importance of protesting for civil rights. This was one of the most influential doctrines on nonviolent protest ever made.

8. Martin Luther King, Jr. • Martin Luther King, Jr. began the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957 to organize the already well established African American churches towards protesting for African American rights. • His strategy was nonviolent passive resistance. • King was more realistic and practical than optimistic.

9. March on Washington • August 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. led 200,000 African American and white demonstrators to the Mall in Washington, D.C. • Here, he made is “I Have a Dream” speech. • The protesters were advocating a civil rights bill Kennedy had recently proposed.

10. Civil Rights Act • Kennedy proposed the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed major forms of discrimination, such as segregation. It was passed in 1964. • Kennedy was assassinated before he could see the bill pass. • The next goal of the Civil Rights Movement was to get more African American voters. In states like Mississippi, only 5% of eligible African Americans were registered to vote. • Activists for increasing the number of African American voters were met with tear gas and whips.

11. Civil Rights Act • President Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed literacy tests and sent federal voting registrars to the South. This marked the point where African Americans could officially vote and change the laws for their benefit. • The Voting Rights Act of 1965 marked the end of the Civil Rights Movement.

12. Black Power • Malcolm X, a major Black Power movement leader, supported separation of African Americans and whites, to get away from the “white devils”, inspired by the Nation of Islam group. • The Black Panther party openly displayed weapons in Oakland, while the SNCC abandoned its non-violent views in favor of “Black Power” • While the Black Power movement promoted violence, many African Americans increased African American stature in America peacefully, by registering to vote, running for office, attending integrated schools and increasing their economic stature.

13. Bibliography • Boxill, Bernard. "King, Martin Luther (1929–1968)." Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Donald M. Borchert. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. 73-74. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. • Fire hoses being used on civil rights demonstrators. Digital image. The Society of Publication Designers. 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.spd.org/2010/03/photojournalist-charles-moore.php>. • Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. "The Eisenhower Era, 1952-1960." The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. 11th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print. • Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. ”The Stormy Sixties, 1960-1968." The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. 11th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print. • Malcom X. Digital image. Modern American Poetry. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/s_z/smith/malcolmx.htm>. • Martin Luther King, Jr. Digital image. The Seattle Times. 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/special/mlk/>. • Miller, Laura M. "The Arrest of Rosa Parks (1 December 1955)." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 9. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 445-446. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. • "Letter From a Birmingham Jail." Government, Politics, and Protest: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 71-74. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. • Pringle III, Percy. John F. Kennedy. Digital image. Percy's Posts. 22 Nov. 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://percysposts.blogspot.com/2011/11/remembering-president-john-f-kennedy.html>. • Rosa Parks. Digital image. News One. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://newsone.com/nation/associatedpress4/rosa-parks-rape-white-man/>. • Sit-in Movement. Digital image. U.S. History. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/54d.asp>. • United States. Cong. An Act to Authorize the President to Award a Gold Medal on Behalf of the Congress to Rosa Parks in Recognition of Her Contributions to the Nation. Cong. Bill. Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 1999. Print. • U.S. Troops escort African American students from Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas. Digital image. Digital Docs in a Box. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://digitaldocsinabox.org/images/CivilRights/central_high.html>.