1950s & Civil Rights

1. 1950s & Civil Rights Purpose: to defy Jim Crow laws, desegregating society and provide equal opportunity to African Americans Blacks had been disenfranchised since the late 1800s, regardless of a Constitutional Amendment allowing them equal rights Abuse of federal and state powers allow the continuation for discrimination against blacks

2. Emmett Till Murder case • 1955, 14 year old Till was murdered for flirting with a white woman • The men indicted for the crime were acquitted on account the jury consisted of all white males • Body was found in the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi • He was kidnapped, shot and tortured

3. Efforts to progress • NAACP was an organization responsible for the legal enforcement of African American rights • Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing her seat on the bus for a white man • This event sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott lead by Martin Luther King Jr. • Civil disobedience became the leading philosophy for black civil rights activists

4. Truman, Congress and Eisenhower • When Truman became aware of the severity of the situation he ended segregation in the military and caused integration within combat units • Congress stubbornly resisted any civil rights legislations • Eisenhower did not show any interest in the social issue

5. Brown v. Board of Education • May 1954, overturned the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision “separate but equal” facilities are not unconstitutional • B v. B of E decision states segregation within schools is unconstitutional • Deep southern states enforced state laws which allowed them to defy federal law • Without federal enforcement, segregation would continue

6. “Little Rock Nine” integrate at Central High School • Eisenhower believed Brown v. Board decision disrupted the “customs and convictions of at least two generations of Americans” • “I do not believe that palpably unjustifiable prejudices will succumb to compulsion” • September 1957, Governor or Arkansas mobilized the National Guard to prevent 9 black students from integrating Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas

7. SCLC & MLK • Southern Christian Leadership Conference established by MLK in 1957 • Purpose: mobilize black churches to enforce civil rights • Why churches? • The largest black organizations in the country

8. Greensboro “sit-in” • Feburary 1, 1960 Greensboro North Carolina • Four black college students from NC tech sat at a counter in Woolworth • Upon being refused for service, they refused to leave the establishment • They returned the next day with 19 other classmates • The movement spread throughout the South

9. SNCC • April 1960, southern black students organized the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee • They organized sit-ins and in the future, would be responsible for more radical approaches towards gaining civil rights • Known for their practice in civil disobedience but will move towards more militant tactics in the future

10. Vietnam • Ho Chi Minh – leader of Communist North Vietnam • 1954, U.S. taxpayers financed 80% of the French colonial Indochinese war • Ngo Dinh Diem – leader of pro-western government South Vietnam • Vietnamese never held promised elections and Vietnam remained divided

11. Vietnam • Eisenhower promised economic and military aid to Diem’s regime if S. Vietnam undertook social reform • Why did the U.S. support the Vietnam War? • The French were involved in the Indochinese War. Therefore, the U.S. supported France in order to gain approval to rearm West Germany.

12. U.S. & European Affairs • West Germany joined NATO and brought 500k troops • Warsaw Pact provided a counter military presence in Europe • Arms-control agreements were signed in May 1955 and Soviets agreed to end the occupation in Austria • U.S. admitted Hungarian refugees after false peace in Europe sprung violent outbreaks • Hungarians protested for their independence and the Soviets crushed them with opposition

13. Coup to crush Communism • CIA organized a coup in Iran 1953, which would allow control over oil interests for the Western world • Installed a young shah as leader of Iran • In future endeavors, U.S. would try to overthrow his regime • Oil consumption had peaked upon discovery and the U.S. has yet another issue: oil resources

14. Eisenhower Doctrine & Space Race • U.S. provides military and economic aid to Middle Eastern countries threatened by Communist aggression • During the Cold War, the U.S. and Soviets had a bitter rivalry with nuclear arms and scientific innovation • October 4th 1957, Soviets successfully deploy a satellite, “Sputnik” which orbits the moon • NASA was established and U.S. becomes first country to have someone land on the moon

15. U.S. vs. the World • Environmental issues plague society and the field of science • May 1960, U2 spy plane shot down in Russia • Fidel Castro started a Cuban revolution in 1959, and U.S. retaliated with an embargo • Cuba becomes a economic and military satellite to Russia • 1961 U.S. breaks diplomatic ties with Cuba

16. Presidential Election • Richard Nixon – R, Vice President to Dwight Eisenhower • John F. Kennedy – D, young, attractive and great communication skills • Kennedy claimed the Soviets had been given the upper had through nuclear threat and the space race • Nixon said the administration had not fallen, but Kennedy was causing it to with unpatriotic rhetoric

17. Presidential Debates on TV • The invention of the TV, for the first time, allowed the America public to be influenced by image • Kennedy was young and attractive. He knew how to speak to the American people • Nixon appeared older and tired. He slipped up during his debates with Kennedy • Vision greatly influenced the outcome of the debate

18. 1960s • Represents a sexual revolution, civil rights revolution, feminist revolution and the emergence of the “youth culture” • Computers were invented, McDonald’s were established, the credit card was made and Disneyland was built • Elvis emerges as a rock and sex icon • Marilyn Monroe was popularized through her overt sexuality • Berlin Wall built in 1961 to divide East Germany and West Germany • Represented post WWI division of Europe

19. U.S. and Foreign Issues • Kennedy reduces tariffs and tries to expand American Markets in Europe • President of France shows opposition to American influence in Europe and pushes decolonization of European nations • Congo gains its independence from Belgium and violence breaks out • Kennedy improves military tactics through Secretary of Defense McNamara, increases tactful military spending and the Green Berets emerge

20. Vietnam War • Original intent: to aid social reform in S. Vietnam • Anti-Diem agitators threatened to overthrow the pro-American govt. Diem established • November 1963, Kennedy encourages a coup against Diem • U.S. provided large sums of financing to S. Vietnam. Kennedy’s decision allowed the disintegration of S. Vietnam. It destroyed the original plan in Vietnam

21. Bay of Pigs Invasion • April 17 1961 • CIA-backed scheme to overthrow Castro’s regime was implemented • 1200 Cuban exiles with weapons supplied by the U.S. invaded Cuba • The coup failed and the exiles were jailed • The failed attempt to assassinate Castro pushed him further onto the Soviet’s side

22. Cuban Missile Crisis • October 1962, spy plane aerial photos show presence of Soviet missiles on Cuban airfields • October 22, 1962 Kennedy orders a naval quarantine of Cuba. Demanded removal of missiles • U.S. tells Soviets any Cuban aggression would be seen as Soviet retaliation and would result in nuclear retaliation • Soviets agree to remove missiles and the U.S. would remove missiles from Turkey and end quarantine

23. Freedom Riders • Civil Rights group organize a trip through the segregated South • Participators would go into segregated bus facilities and defy state segregation laws • Groups were met by angry mobs • Non violent resistance was used against violent protest • Many were brutalized and attacked

24. Kennedy & Civil Rights • In the early days of his administration, Kennedy’s concern was on Soviet Russia, and saw Civil Rights as a nuisance • After violence broke out against protesters in the South, his efforts to relieve racial tension began • Many did not like Kennedy for his efforts in the Civil Rights Movements

25. March on Washington • MLK lead 200k for the March on Washington in 1963 where he gave his famous “I have a Dream” speech • Kennedy called racial violence a “moral issue” • Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers murdered in Mississippi the same night Kennedy gives his Civil Rights speech • September 1963, Baptist Church bombed killing four black girls

26. Assassination of John F. Kennedy