Introduction Challenge to segregation Laws Customs Debates vary
on the time period 1955-1965 (Montgomery Bus Boycott to the Voting
Rights Act) Begin? Has it ended? Other names Black Freedom Movement
The Negro Revolution The Second Reconstruction
Slide 4
Segregation Attempt by southern whites to separate the races in
every aspect of life. Jim Crow Laws were created to insure this.
(named after a minstrel show character who embodied multiple
negative stereotypes) During Reconstruction, Blacks had made
advancements and were represented in government. As soon as
Reconstruction ended, S. Whites moved to regain control, and end
any positive steps made.
Slide 5
Between 1890-1910, Southern States passed laws making it harder
for African Americans to participate in government. Literacy tests
Property ownership Poll taxes Primaries only open to white
voters
Slide 6
Jim Crow laws established separate facilities for whites and
colored citizens. Schools, transportation, restaurants, parks, etc.
Many facilities were inferior For 75 years--new laws were added,
separating the races, and pounding in the message that whites
believed the African Americans to be inferior.
Slide 7
Jim Crow: a name taken from an 1830s minstrel show, depicting
negative stereotypes of American slaves
Slide 8
Early resistance to segregation Frequent protests were made
about segregation 1896, Supreme Court ruled that Separate but Equal
was legal in Plessy v. Ferguson in a case over rail car travel.
Case would provide constitutional protection for segregation laws
for 50 years.
Slide 9
Many organizations began to form 1890: National Afro-American
League 1905: Niagara Movement 1909: National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 1910: Urban League WEB
Dubois, was the leader of the NAACP, which became the leader in
fighting against segregation. Challenged laws through legal action
1935, Charles H. Houston won the first Supreme Court battle for the
NAACP, giving it strength and momentum. 1939, Houstons chief aide,
Thurgood Marshall became the head of NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Slide 10
W.E.B. Debois Charles H. Houston Early leaders of the
NAACP
Slide 11
WWI Many African Americans joined to fight for the countrybut
were segregated, and could not become officers Many others migrated
to the north, temporarily taking vacated jobs, and forming African
American communities in northern cities. Political pressure was
placed on northern politicians
Slide 12
1930s The depression was particularly hard on African Americans
White business owners often didnt employ them in large African
American communities. 1 st Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt was big
influence on FDR, and in 1937, he appointed Hugo Black to the S.C.
(big supporter of equal rights). 1938, courts demand Missouri
provide first public law school for blacks. Hugo Black
Slide 13
WWII 1939-40, editors demand better treatment than WWI offered.
1941, A. Philip Randolph organized a march on D.C. To stop the
march, FDR passed legislation to help African Americans Fair
Employment Practices Committee Did little, but effect of protest
was big. A. Phillip Randolph: Head of Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters
Slide 14
Segregation in the armed forces continued Some advancements
were made at home. Pay for jobs improved White primaries were
outlawed. The experience of fighting racism in Europe would form a
lasting impression on many when they returned home.
Slide 15
Last segregated troops
Slide 16
School Desegregation Following WWII, Thurgood Marshall and the
NAACP legal defense fund, tried and won many cases against
segregation, but their focus was on schools. 1950: Sweat v. Painter
declared that the University of Texas had to integrate its Law
School. 1954: Issued the landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of
Education, that stated that segregated education was
unconstitutional
Slide 17
Thurgood Marshall: NAACP Defense Fund lawyer in Brown v. Board
of Education The Warren Court: Led by Justice Warren, they voted
unanimously to end segregated schools
Slide 18
Reaction to Brown v. Board of Education South reacts negatively
to the Supreme Court decision Public Schools were closed African
American employees that favored integration were fired from their
jobs All white private schools were formed Virtually no schools
were desegregated in the first years, and one dist. In VA close
completely.
Slide 19
Central High School: Little Rock, Arkansas 1957, Governor Orval
Faubus defied a Federal Court Order to allow nine African American
Students. President Eisenhower sent the National Guard to insure
that they were allowed to go to school. Covered by National media,
which showed many Americans how dramatic the situation was in many
places.
Slide 20
National Guard assists students into Central High School
Slide 21
Thurgood Marshall on the steps of Central High School with
seven of the Central Nine.
Slide 22
KKK has a rise in membership in south killing of young Emmett
Till for flirting w/ a white woman, and the subsequent acquittal of
those involved, highlighted the racism in the south to the rest of
the nation
Slide 23
Montgomery Bus Boycott December 1, 1955, NAACP member Rosa
Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a
Montgomery, AL bus. Almost overnight, a boycott of Montgomery buses
was organized, and for a year, African Americans refused to ride
the bus. Nov. 1956, a federal court ordered Montgomery buses to be
desegregated.
Slide 24
Martin Luther King Jr. Speaking on the virtues of non-violent
protest
Slide 25
MLK Jr. was the president of the organization that organized
the boycott, making him a national figure 1957, he becomes the
president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
Wanted to complement the NAACP, through the use of non-violent,
direct protest to segregation Used demonstrations, marches, and
boycotts. White reaction to these protests led to federal attention
of segregation laws
Slide 26
Sit-ins Feb. 1, 1960, 4 N.C A&T Univ. students sat at a
white only lunch counter in a local restaurant. Within weeks, the
sit-ins were spread throughout the south Displayed the dedication
of young African Americans to all of America
Slide 27
Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), was
supported by MLK Jr., but its real leader was Ella Baker Baker
favored focusing more on individual communities, and less on
national change. This caused occasional tensions between the groups
SNCC President: Ella Baker
Slide 28
Freedom Riders In 1961, SNCC members decided to test Supreme
Ct. decision that forbid segregation on interstate bus
transportation. The rides began in WA. D.C., and went South. Once
the buses reached Alabama, riders were beaten, and buses were
burned. Violence brought sharp criticism to the South and its
refusal to protect the riders
Slide 29
Freedom rides helped to desegregate some bus stations, but was
most successful in bringing the issue to the front of peoples
thoughts in the United States. Also shows the struggles that the
young African Americans are willing to go through to get their
point across.
Slide 30
SCLC Campaigns Early 1960s they plan a series of protests Plan
to utterly disrupt life Force an end to segregation laws Required
1000s of protesters, willing to go to jail if necessary. 1961,
protests in Albany, GA failed to make changes 1963, Birmingham,
Mississippi proved to be a different story.
Slide 31
Birmingham protests There was a belief that the Birmingham
police commissioner, Eugene, Bull Connor would meet protests with
force SCLC invited teenagers and school children to join the
protests to up the ante Connor responded to protests with police
dogs and fire hoses to scatter the protesters. Scenes were shown
throughout the country.
Slide 32
In Birmingham, white politicians agreed to end some segregation
Employers agreed to hire more African Americans to jobs and to
desegregate some public accommodations. Most importantly, national
legislation against segregation was begun.
Slide 33
Desegregating Universities 1962, James Meredith applied to
University of Mississippi. UM attempted to block his admission
After legal battle, he was admitted, but Gov. Ross Barnett, refused
to obey the court order. JFK sent Federal Marshals to see that he
was allowed to attend Riots broke out on his first night as
marshals were attacked2 people were killed, several 100 were
wounded.
Slide 34
Gov. George Wallace of Alabama attempted to do the same. JFK
sent full force of US Army to force the issue, and prevent
violence. Pushed JFK to initiate a commitment to end segregation
with legislation. 1963, Kennedy initiated Civil Rights legislation
in Congress. Notorious governor of Alabama: George Wallace
Slide 35
March on Washington In August of 1963, a march was planned to
keep the pressure on the Kennedy administration. Purposefully, it
kept in mind the plan of A. Philip Randolph, who was in attendance
along with members of all the major groups. In front of an audience
of 200,000 and the Lincoln statue, MLK Jr. delivered his famous, I
have a dream speech.
Slide 36
Slide 37
After the assassination of Kennedy in 1963, new president,
Lyndon B. Johnson pushed the legislation through as a tribute to
JFK. Civil Rights act passed in 1964, despite fierce opposition by
southern states. It provided the following : Desegregation of all
public accommodations An end to discrimination in education and
employment And granted the executive branch of the govt. permission
to enforce these laws.
Slide 38
Voter Registration Also in the early 60s, groups like the SNCC
worked to get African Americans registered to vote. Met high
resistance from white supremacist groups. Medgar Evers, a leader in
the NAACP group in Mississippi was shot in front of his home.
Medgar Evers: NAACP field secretary in Mississippi.
Slide 39
1965, a march on Montgomery, AL from Selma, Alabama was
organized and led by MLK Jr. As they left Selma, mounted police
tear gassed and beat marchers. This caused such commotion to lead
LBJ into further legislation, ending all voter registration rules
requiring literacy and other voter qualification tests. 3 years
after the Voting Rights Act of 1965, over a million new African
Americans had become registered voters.
Slide 40
Tougher Tactics After 1965, MLK began to change his tactics,
looking to improve the economic status of impoverished African
Americans, nation-wide. He planned another march on D.C. to tackle
this issue, but was assassinated in 1968. The march took place, but
failed to secure any more attention from Congress.
Slide 41
MLKs tactics began to be questioned by many that felt that
civil disobedience would no longer advance their cause. Main
opponent was the SNCC, led by Stokely Carmichael who popularized
the term Black Power. Black Power advocates were influenced by
Malcolm X. Stokely Carmichael
Slide 42
Malcolm X was a Nation of Islam minister who was assassinated
in 1965. His teachings emphasized self- sufficiency and black
separatism. Emphasized black pride and self-assertion. These ideas
were condemned by many whites as racist and by Civil Rights leaders
as undermining to a process that had made so much progress. Malcolm
X
Slide 43
Carmichael and his successor in the SNCC, H. Rap Brand became
symbols of the new radicalism Opposition grew to their views when
the Black Panther party gained popularity. Advocated violence to
further their cause Battled police in Chicago and Oakland. Several
leaders were killed or imprisoned for battling policemen.
Slide 44
Black Power images.
Slide 45
Bobby Seale, Newtons co- leader of the Black Panther
party.
Slide 46
United States Olympic athletes use Black Power salute instead
of putting hands over their hearts during the playing of the
National Anthem during the award ceremony.
Slide 47
End of the Civil Rights Movement Varying opinions End of the
march on Montgomery Assassination of MLK Jr. Not over yet
Continuing issues from the 70s School bussing Affirmative Action
Charter Schools (my own personal belief )