Ch. 18 The Civil Rights Movement

Ch. 18 The Civil Rights Movement

18.1 The Movement Begins

I. The Origins of the Movement… A. Supreme Court upheld segregation & the Jim Crow Laws in the case Plessyv. Ferguson(1896) 1. “Separate but equal” Editorial cartoon of Plessy v. Ferguson case, which established the "separate but equal" principle. Homer Plessy was 1/8 African American.

I. The Origins of the Movement… B. Two types of segregation 1. De jure- segregation by law 2. De facto- segregation exists by practice & custom

I. The Origins of the Movement… C. The decision in Plessy was finally overturned in 1954 with Brown v. Board of Education 1. Linda Brown’s family challenged the system of segregated schools •Linda Brown, age 7, from Topeka, Kansas •Traveled by foot & bus 21 blocks to her all-black elementary school •Had to walk through a train yard •There was an all-white elementary school 7 blocks away •Her father sued after the principal of the white school wouldn’t allow her to attend •200 plaintiffs from three states and the District of Columbia were represented in the case (5 cases combined into 1)

I. The Origins of the Movement… • Thurgood Marshall from the NAACPclaimed it denied her rights to “equal protection of the laws” under the 14th Amendment “No State shall… deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” - Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution Marshall (center) is pictured with George Hayes and James Nabrit, the lawyers representing the school integration cause. Marshall later became the first African American justice on the Supreme Court.

I. The Origins of the Movement… 3. Chief Justice Earl Warren read the unanimous decision, which called for the integration of the schools “We come to the question presented: Does segregation of public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other tangible factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does…. To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone…. We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” -Earl Warren To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone….

I. The Origins of the Movement… D. Supreme Court didn’t say how or when schools should be integrated 1. Brown II (1955) said they should integrate “with all deliberate speed” Marshall discusses how long it will take Theory on when to start integration Political cartoon from the Chicago Defender, June 12, 1954

I. The Origins of the Movement… E. 80% of the South opposed the decision 1. State legislatures passed laws which resisted integration 2. 96 Southern members of Congress signed the Southern Manifesto, which was a pledge to resist integration “We regard the decisions of the Supreme Court in the school cases as a clear abuse of judicial power…. This unwarranted exercise of power by the Court, contrary to the Constitution, is creating chaos and confusion in the States principally affected…. [we] have declared the intention to resist forced integration by any lawful means….We pledge ourselves to bring about a reversal of this decision….” - Southern Manifesto, 1956

10 years after the decision, only about 380,000 students in the South, less than 11%, were attending integrated schools.

II. The Civil Rights Movement Begins A. In 1955, Rosa Parks took a stand against segregation by refusing to move to the back of the bus Rosa Parks is known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”

II. The Civil Rights Movement Begins… • In response, supporters organized the Montgomery bus boycott 1. Goal was to use economic pressure 2. Organizers elected Martin Luther King, Jr. to lead them “Remember we are fighting for a cause. Do not ride a bus today.” This was one of the posters encouraging the boycott that policemen removed from the bus stops.

Buses remained empty…

II. The Civil Rights Movement Begins… C. Boycott ended when Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional (1956) Picture of Rosa Parks sitting at the front of the bus after the success of the boycott.

II. The Civil Rights Movement Begins… D. Throughout the movement MLK encouraged people to remain nonviolent and to practice civil disobedience – the strategy of causing social change by using nonviolent resistance to unfair laws “I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is a profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time -- the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression. Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts. Negroes of the United States, following the people of India, have demonstrated that nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force which makes for social transformation. Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” -Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Stockholm, Sweden, December 11, 1964

During the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Martin Luther King addressed a meeting saying: “Go into the situations that we confront with a great deal of dignity, sanity, and reasonableness.” What did he mean by this? If people hadn’t acted with “dignity, sanity, and reasonableness,” what might have been the result? -They need to act in a respectful manner – do not become violent. -People would have looked down on the African Americans & their actions & would have made an excuse to downplay or ignore their actions & requests. They would not have “won the respect” of the white people.

Robert Allen said: “For all their bravado, for all their racial epithets… standing up to them with dignity and courage made them fearful.” Who is Robert Allen talking about, and why do you think “standing up to them” in this way made them fearful? -He is talking about the white people and their bravado & racial epithets. During the boycott, the African Americans finally stood up to the white people. It was the white people who were now fearful because they were not used to the African Americans speaking out and taking action. The African Americans had been quiet for over 50 years and were now ready for change. The white people didn’t know what to expect.

Gandhi wrote, “the hardest metal yields to sufficient heat. Even so must the hardest heart melt before the sufficiency of the heat of nonviolence, and there is no limit to the capacity of nonviolence to generate heat.” What does Gandhi mean by this? “Heat” refers to the ability to bring about change. Nonviolence generates “heat” or “change” because it is a respectful tactic; therefore, people are more willing to change or negotiate with the other side. Gandhi means that the oppressor will eventually “change his ways” when people continue to use peaceful methods.

Integrated bus suggestions - list made after the Supreme Court ruled that buses should be integrated For your help and convenience, the following suggestions are made. Will you read, study and memorize them so that our non-violent determination may not be endangered. Pray for guidance and commit yourself to complete non-violence in word and actions as you enter the bus. If cursed, do not curse back. If pushed, do not push back. If struck, do not strike back, but evidence love and goodwill at all times. 9. If you feel you cannot take it, walk for another week or two. We have confidence in our people.

Martin Luther King, Jr. “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become reality. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” “For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.” “It’s not how long you live, but how well you live.”

III. Eisenhower Responds A. Nine African American students wanted to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, but met resistance (Little Rock Nine) 75 African American students in Little Rock filled out applications to enter Central High School. The Board of Education narrowed the number to 9, all of whom had strong academic backgrounds. The Little Rock Nine are pictured here, along with Daisy Bates, head of the local branch of the NAACP.

“For a moment all I could hear was the shuffling of their feet. Then, someone shouted. ‘Here she comes. Get ready…’ The crowd moved in closer and then began to follow me, calling me names. I still wasn’t afraid. Just a bit nervous. Then my knees started to shake all of a sudden and I wondered whether I could make it to the center entrance a block away. It was the longest block I ever walked my whole life.” - Elizabeth Eckford

III. Eisenhower Responds… B. Weeks later, the students were finally admitted after President Eisenhower sent the Army to protect students & enforce the Constitution “Whenever normal agencies prove inadequate to the task and it becomes necessary for the executive branch of the federal government to use its powers and authority to uphold federal courts, the President’s responsibility is inescapable. In accordance with that responsibility, I have today issued an executive order directing the use of troops under federal authority to aid in the execution of federal law at Little Rock, Arkansas…” - President Eisenhower

“And then the whole school was ringed with paratroopers and helicopters hovering around. We marched up the steps in this circle of soldiers with bayonets drawn…. And walking up the steps that day was probably one of the biggest feelings I’ve ever had. I figured I’d finally cracked it.” -Ernest Green

Evaluate the validity of this statement. • “Very little could have been accomplished in mid-century America without the Supreme Court…Brown may be the most important political, social and legal event in America’s twentieth-century history.” • - Legal scholar J. Harvie Wilkinson, III

I. The Origins of the Movement…

II. The Civil Rights Movement Begins…

Ch. 18 The Civil Rights Movement