Civil Rights Movement

1. Civil Rights Movement Civil Rights Movement

2. Civil Rights: My Q’s • How did WWII result in many of the civil rights movements that occurred afterwards? • How was the de-segregation of schools and other public facilities legalized? • Describe two of the major African American Civil Rights organizations and describe how they confronted racism. • What struggles did Civil Rights organizations commonly face when attempting to gain equality? Provide an example. • Describe each of the following organizations: UFW, AIM, & NOW. Also, what were there goals?

3. End of a War, Beginning of Many Movements • African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, and women distinguished themselves in the effort to win World War II. • Knowing the vital role they played in WWII, these groups were upset with the discrimination they faced from the country they supported fully. • Therefore, after the war, all of these groups of people began different movements to secure the freedoms and opportunities white, male Americans enjoyed.

4. Brown v. Board of Education • One of the major events that propelled the African American Civil Rights Movement was the Supreme Court Case of Brown v. Board of Education. • Lisa Brown, a third grade black student, was not allowed to attend a segregated white school near her home and was forced to attend a more distant all black school. Her father tried to get his daughter in the closer, superior school. • The NAACP brought the lawsuit all the way to the Supreme Court to be decided.

5. Brown v. Board of Education • The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that segregation in all public places violated the 14th Amendment. • The ruling effectively threw the Plessey v. Ferguson case—”separate but equal”—out the window. • One of the major reasons why judges decided in favor of Brown was because the NAACP proved black girls preferred white dolls because they were supposedly “prettier” and “better.”

6. African American Organizations • Numerous African American Civil Rights organizations formed to protest against discrimination and even filed lawsuits to end legalized racism. • The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led by Martin Luther King Jr., was a group of devoted southern, black pastors. • The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was typically led by black intellectuals and lawyers. • The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was a group of college students—both black and white—who were against racism.

7. Struggles & Successes • Many of these Civil Rights organizations and its members faced severe racism, arrests, police violence, and sometimes even death when protesting or speaking out against discrimination. • For instance, many college students who were part of SNCC attempted to de-segregate lunch counters by conducting “sit-ins” where African Americans would request food despite the fact it was official policy to refuse service to anyone but whites . • As a result of these sit-ins, many participants had food and drink thrown at them or were even brutally beaten. • However, because of their bold actions and media coverage, the President and other government officials felt pressured to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed public segregation.

8. Struggles & Successes Continued • Another reason the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed by government officials was the marches conducted by the SCLC in Birmingham, Alabama—one of the most racist towns in America. • Leading non-violent marches protesting discrimination in Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested by the local police. • Other members of the marches—including elementary aged kids—were sprayed with high pressure water hoses and were attacked by police dogs. • With television and newspapers covering the event live, government officials once again felt pressured to confront racism in the South.

9. Martin Luther King Jr. • Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist preacher, was the primary leader of the Civil Rights Movement. • He modeled his nonviolent, confrontational tactics off of Gandhi, the leader of the Indian Movement for Independence from Great Britain. • With the help of thousands of students from SNCC, King was able to gain notoriety through his shocking nonviolent actions. • Likely due to these actions, King was eventually assassinated in 1968.

10. Malcolm X • Although Malcolm X and MLK shared the goal of helping African Americans with their problems in American society, Malcolm X preached that white Americans were “devils.” • Like Garvey before him, Malcolm X declared that African Americans should be proud of themselves and separate from whites. • He also stated that violence against whites should be used when they get out of line. • Malcolm X’s radical beliefs eventually led to his assassination in 1965.

11. Mexican Americans & The UFW • Mexican American workers had long been discriminated against, primarily in California and the Southwest. • Led by Cesar Chavez, these migrant farmers formed the United Farm Workers of America to fight against bad working conditions on farms. • They boycotted certain farms and crops which forced large farms to bargain with the UFW.

12. The American Indian Movement • American Indians, learning from the Civil Rights Movement in the South, organized to improve conditions on reservations, protect their land rights, and improve Native American education and employment. • Therefore, multiple tribes came together to form the American Indian Movement (AIM), which convinced the federal government to give more financial assistance and rights to Indians on reservations.

13. Women & NOW • Middle class women became increasingly upset with raising children and taking care of the home. • Moreover, women often suffered from job discrimination and significantly lower wages. • In 1966, the National Organization of Women (NOW) began to pressure the government and others for full economic and social equality. • NOW also advocated for greater access to birth control and abortions for women.