American History

1. American History CIVIL RIGHTS ERA: SECTION 3 By: Shalomi, Noorain, Mike, Ambreen, Mohammad, Grace, & Jeff

2. Introduction: • This section is about civil rights movement and their progress in their fight for equal rights in America. Laws were unchanged because prejudice and improvement in there economical state did not change from, bad to good. • The fight for change and equality was taking long for laws to be passed peacefully with the help of whites. Especially unemployment for African Americans was much higher then the national average. • As a result of this many African Americans fell into a new greater approach in solving there problem of racism, prejudice etc. They believed in taking action right away with the help of Great civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Who fought against segregation and racism through integration and non-violence and new theories like boycotts to protect and achieve fair treatment. 

3. The Black Muslim • “The Nation of Islam, known as the Back Muslims, was originally founded in 1930s, and was led by Elijah Muhammad.” • The African Americans not only embraced the Islamic Faith but also preached Black Nationalism – which stated that African Americans should completely separate from whites and form their own self governing communities – their own nation. In addition, they also promoted self-defense. • It was not long after (early 1960s) when they received national attention due to Malcolm X, a popular, talented speaker; who was also a minister. Elijah Muhammad

4. Black Muslims continued… • However, in 1964, Malcolm X had change of views. • He started favoring an integrated society rather than separatism; and therefore he broke of with the Black Muslims. • His public disagreements with the Black Muslims, was actually why he was shot and killed later in February 1965.

5. Black Power • African American singer Paul Robeson used the term “Black Power” as early as 1957 to describe the political potential of blacks, and to assert the African American control on their own affairs. In 1966, during the civil rights march inspired by James Meredith through Mississippi, the slogan “black power" was adopted by African Americans who were associated with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, including its chairman, Stokely Carmichael, and his successor, H. Rap Brown. • They took whites out of leadership positions. • Black power means that leadership, planning, and the execution of policy should understandably be in the control of blacks. In politics, black power came to mean that African Americans should rule wherever they compose a majority. They changed their view to the idea of assimilation-the acceptance of different racial or cultural groups into the dominant society and preached racial individuality, pride and leadership.

6. Black Panther Party • The Black Panther Party (originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was an African American civil rights and self-defense organization • Formed in 1966 in Oakland, California by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. • Establishment was to have self-defense. The party were determined to fight against the government concerning minority Races in United States. • Violent party, their concept on how to gain equality for minority races were not smart and in certain situation that lead them in to lots of problem.  “Love without structural awareness is called “sentimental liberalism” while structural awareness without love is called “Black Power” Bobby Seale and Huey Newton.

7. The Battle in the North • Although the bulk of the civil rights work was done in the South, problems still existed in the North. • King also moved his demonstrations to the North to protest urban poverty. • African Americans in the North tended to live in the ‘inner cities’.

8. Discontent leads to Riots: • Discontent leads to Riots • Race riots were common in American cities. • They were often triggered by the police. • The best known riots occurred in New York, Detroit, and Los Angeles. • An incredible amount of destruction was generated at most of the riots.

9. The Kerner Commission: • The Kerner Commission is a commission which had responsibility for the ghettos at the feet of white society. The commission was given the name by the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. • The commission consisted of 11 members to investigate the cause of the 1067 riots. The Kerner report was said to have said that the riots were taking place because of black frustration at lack of economic opportunity. Its best known for this quote “ Our nation is moving towards two societies, one black, one white- separate and unequal”

10. The Death of Martin Luther King, Jr. • I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal • Martin Luther king jr. had been well known as the civil rights leader. He fought discrimination without any intention of using violence. He led many peace marches including March on Washington for Jobs and Freedoms where he made his famous “I have a dream “speech. • However, many white Americans did not favor Martin Luther king’s influence on civil rights. He escaped death and went thought the hard obstacles in order to bring equality. In the end he had succeeded. Sadly, Martin Luther king’s actions had brought several tension and violence by those who opposed him and thus, as the result of their hatred the great Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4th of 1968. He was shot by a sniper.

11. Civil Rights Movement • After King’s death and Brown decision, Richard Nixon who won the presidency in 1968 had plans to crush the hard won victories from King. To do this Richard he went against the bussing, not allowing White and Black be together in a bus. Still this only delay the civil rights but later on the movement will gain back and influence on other minorities.

12. Thank You!