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Challenging Segregation. The Sit-In Movement. Many African American college students saw the sit-in movement as a way to take things into their own hands. (Jesse Jackson for ex ). The Sit-In Movement. NAACP and SCLC feared the students may not remain peaceful once provoked
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The Sit-In Movement • Many African American college students saw the sit-in movement as a way to take things into their own hands. (Jesse Jackson for ex)
The Sit-In Movement • NAACP and SCLC feared the students may not remain peaceful once provoked • They did stay peaceful though and the sit-ins attracted national attention
SNCC • Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee • An organization formed by Ella Baker to encourage students to be a part of their own organization rather than joining the NAACP or SCLC • Became very instrumental in desegregating public facilities in many communities
SNCChttp://www.history.com/topics/student-non-violent-coordinating-committeeSNCChttp://www.history.com/topics/student-non-violent-coordinating-committee • Began working towards voting rights for African Americans in the rural areas of the Deep South. • 3 member of SNCC were murdered after attempting to register African Americans in Mississippi
Freedom Riders • Group of African Americans (and some whites) who traveled to the South in order to draw attention to segregation of bus terminals.
Freedom Ridershttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/rides • Many members were met with severe beatings when they arrived at bus stations • Became increasingly common
Freedom Riders • JFK recognized that something had to be done to get the violence under control
JFK and Civil Rights • In his campaign, he promised to support the civil rights movement if elected • He named about 40 African Americans to high-level positions in the federal government
JFK and Civil Rights • Kennedy also set up the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity (CEEO). • Formed to stop the federal government from discriminating against African Americans when hiring and promoting people.
The Justice Department Takes Action • After the Freedom Riders were attacked, JFK urged them to stop their rides • They refused • Kennedy made a deal with Southern senators to prevent violence but he wouldn’t object to arresting the Freedom Riders.
The Justice Department Takes Action • JFK ordered the Interstate Commerce Commission to tighten regulations on segregated bus terminals when he realized the Freedom Riders were not going to stop. • By late 1962, segregation on interstate travel had come to an end.
James Meredith • At the time of the Freedom Riders, people continued to work to integrate public schools • James Meredith tried to register at the University of Mississippi. • He was blocked from entering by the governor
James Meredith • President Kennedy sent 500 US marshals to escort Meredith • A riot started • JFK sent army troops to the campus • Meredith attended class under federal guard for the rest of the year
Violence In Birmingham • MLK realized that JFK only got involved in civil rights issues when violence occurred • Ordered demonstrations in Birmingham knowing it would likely lead to violence • MLK believed this was the only way to get Kennedy’s support of civil rights
Violence In Birmingham • Authorities ordered the use of clubs, police dogs, and high-pressure fire hoses on demonstrators • Kennedy became worried that he was losing control, and began preparing a new civil rights bill
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 • In support of the bill MLK and 200,000+ protestors marched on Washington on August 8, 1963 • Here he gave his “I Have a Dream” speech
The Civil Rights Act of 1964http://www.history.com/topics/selma-montgomery-march/videos#brown-vs-board-of-education-separate-is-not-equal • gave Congress the power to outlaw segregation in most public places • gave the attorney general more power to bring lawsuits to force schools to desegregate • also set up the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) • oversees the ban on job discrimination
The Struggle for Voting Rights • There still wasn’t any law that guaranteed the right to vote • The 24thAmendment (1964) abolished poll taxes
The Selma March • Selma, AL was where the campaign for voting rights began • The Sherriff there prevented blacks from registering to vote by deputizing and arming white citizens. • MLK and other SNCC activists organized a march from Selma to Montgomery on March 7, 1965.
The Selma March • Protestors were stopped from crossing the bridge that led out of Selma and beaten by state troopers and deputized citizens • More than 70 African Americans were hospitalized and many more injured • President Johnson was furious and went before Congress to present a new voting rights law.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 • It ordered federal examiners to register qualified voters. • Got rid of discriminatory practices like literacy tests.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 • By the end 1965, almost 250,000 African Americans had registered to vote. • African American elected officials in the South also increased • With the passage of this law, the civil rights movement had achieved its two goals • End segregation • Protect voting rights