Civil Rights Movement

Plessy v. Ferguson 1896- est. “separate but equal”

De facto Segregation- unwritten segregation based on custom and tradition

1909- NAACP National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

1935 Norris v. Alabama- Ruling: Alabama’s exclusion of African Americans unconstitutional

1947- Morgan v. Virginia – ruling: segregation on interstate buses was unconstitutional

1950- Sweatt v. Painter ruling: state Law Schools had to admit qualified African American applicants, even if parallel black Law Schools existed

Thurgood Marshall- African American attorney that lead the legal charge against discrimination after World War II

Thurgood Marshall

Brown v Board of Education

Linda Brown was denied admission to her neighborhood school in Topeka, Kansas because she was African American. She was told to attend and all-black school. With the help of the NAACP she and her parents sued the Topeka school board.

May 17, 1954 Supreme Court ruled unanimously that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment.

Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote: “ In the field of public education, the doctrine of separate but equal has no place.”

The legal team that argued Brown v Board of Education.LtoR: George E.C. Hayes, James Nabrit II, Jack Greenberg, Spottswood Robinson, Thurgood Marshall,  Oliver Hill, Robert Carter, and Louis Redding.Photo courtesy Afro-American Newspapers.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Rosa Parks- Dec. 1, 1955 Montgomery Alabama. Rosa Parks sat in a seat right behind the all white section that was reserved for blacks. The bus driver noticed a white man standing and told Parks and 3 other African Americans to move and let the white man sit down. Rosa Parks refused.

26 year old Martin Luther King Jr. led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For over a year African Americans refused to ride the buses.

1956- Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional.

President Eisenhower on Civil Rights-

Crisis in Little Rock Arkansas

1957 Little Rock, Arkansas School Board won a court order to admit 9 African American Students to Central High School that had an enrollment of 2000 white students.

Gov. of Arkansas- Orval Faubus was determined to win re-election. Ordered troops from Arkansas National Guard to prevent 9 students from entering

Eisenhower enraged and Federal Law must be upheld. Order Gov. Faubus to remove National Guard

National Attention- Riots at school

Eisenhower had enough and sent 1000 elite 101st airborne of the US Army to encircle the school and uphold Federal law. By 5:00 a.m. They had surrounded school with bayonets ready and the 9 students were allowed in the school. Army had to remain there until the end of that school year.

Orval Faubus

Mike Wallace interview: Orval Faubus

http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/multimedia/video/2008/wallace/faubus_orval.html

The same year of the Little Rock crisis Congress passed its first Civil Rights Legislation since Reconstruction after the Civil War.

Civil Rights Act of 1957 was designed to protect African Americans right to vote.

Many in Congress tried to stop the bill but Senate Majority leader Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson worked out a compromise and the bill passed

Freedom Riders-Team of African Americans and whites that organized and boarded buses heading south to challenge the south’s refusal to integrate bus terminals

Beaten

Attacked by the KKK who was advised by “Bull” Conner the Police Chief in Birmingham, Alabama to beat the Freedom Riders until “it looked like a bulldog had gotten a hold of them”.

Bus bombings

John F. Kennedy Presidential Campaign of 1960 promised to promote Civil Rights and his brother Robert Kennedy used his influence to get Martin Luther King Jr. out of jail after being arrested in Georgia because of peaceful Civil Rights march.

Violence in Birmingham, Alabama.

“Bull” Conner was now running for Mayor in Birmingham.

MLK jr and followers organized a Civil Rights protest. King was arrested and sent to solitary confinement for 8 days. King wrote “ Letters From a Birmingham Jail.”

Gov. of Alabama, George Wallace inaugural speech on segregation

Prompted Kennedy to address the nation regarding the new Civil Rights Bill of 1964.

March on Washington 1963, MLK and 20,000 marched on Washington in support the bill

MLK “I have a Dream” speech

http://www1.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=20916

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, as his limousine was driven by the Texas School Book Depository

JFK’s Funeral Procession

Black Power- differed from MLK Jrs. Non-violence ideas of protesting African American’s civil rights. Used more aggressive tactics believing that violence was acceptable in defense of one’s freedom

Malcom X and the Nation of Islam- he became a symbol of the black power movement and the beliefs of the nation of Islam differed from mainstream Muslims. Instead they promoted Black Nationalism. Promoted their own ideologies and school, businesses, etc. Did not promote violence but did promote self-defense

Malcom X

Black Panthers- extreme group influenced by Malcolm X that promoted a more violent revolutionary idea to promote Civil Rights.

MLK jr. Assassinated- April 4, 1968 stood in hotel balcony in Memphis Tx and was killed by a sniper. The night before his death King said, “I’ve been to the mountaintop… I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get the Promised Land.”

http://www.mlkonline.net/video-martin-luther-king-last-speech.html

http://www.history.com/photos/martin-luther-king-jr/photo14