The Civil Rights Movement

1. The Civil Rights Movement 1958 - 1968 – Sit Ins People/Groups Involved: College students and North Carolina A&T College students in Oklahoma College students in Kansas College students in Tennessee What happened: College students were impressed and inspired by the Little Rock Nine and wanted to do their part to help end segregation. Protestors adopted Martin Luther King’s idea of non-violent resistance. They simply would walk in to a segregated lunch counter or store and sit down until the store closed or they were served. If it failed the first day, they went back until it succeeded. Whites would dump food and throw things at the protestors while they just sat there. Many times, some Whites would join them. Sometimes, the protestors were physically attacked, and would then be arrested for supposedly starting the trouble. These were very effective however, and led to the desegregation of many businesses before the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

2. The Civil Rights Movement The Freedom Rides – 1960-1961 People/Groups Involved: CORE – Congress on Racial Equality Many White and Black Protestors SNCC – Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee What Happened: Protestors wanted to challenge segregation on interstate buses. They felt desegregation laws were not being followed. They set up a trip to ride a grey hound bus from Washington D.C. to Jackson, Mississippi. They would also travel to California. The protestors were White and Black. When they got to Alabama, just outside Anniston, one of the freedom riders buses was firebombed. As the protestors tried to get off the bus, they were beaten by a White mob and followed to a local hospital to make sure they couldn’t get medical care. The other bus made it to Birmingham, where it was also attacked at the terminal. No police were sent. The riders were replaced by SNCC volunteers and Bobby Kennedy reached a deal with the Governor to grant them protection. When they got to Montgomery, Alabama, they were again attacked. JFK then sent in Federal Marshalls to protect the riders. They got to Jackson and were arrested. By 1963 – there was virtually no interstate segregation.

3. The Civil Rights Movement 1962 - James Meredith and Ole Miss People/Groups involved: NAACP James Meredith Federal Marshalls Ross Barnett – Mississippi Governor What Happened: Trying to integrate colleges as well as other schools, the NAACP got a court order that would force the University of Mississippi to allow James Meredith (A Black Man) to go to college there. When he showed up to Register, Ross Barnett personally prevented him from registering. When word got out Meredith was on campus, a riot broke out and JFK called in the army to put it down. 2 people were killed and 375 were injured. JFK sent in hundreds of Marshalls to protect Meredith and the next day he registered. He graduated in 1963 from Ole Miss.

4. The Civil Rights Movement 1961 – 1963 – Albany and Birmingham Protests People/Groups Involved: SCLC MLK Jr. Police Chief Laurie Pritchett Albany – What Happened: The movement in Albany stalled and was unsuccessful. Police Chief Laurie Pritchett just arrested them, and then released them. He was also non-violent. Civil Rights leaders learned that change can only happen when non-violence is met with Brutality and violence. Birmingham – What Happened: A series of protests, sit-ins, and boycotts were put in place. Many people were arrested and it went on for weeks. Eventually the number of people willing to go to jail decreased. The idea to use young men and women was brought up. They could go to jail, but their families could still work and survive. MLK Jr. didn’t like it, but had no choice. It worked. When people saw kids being attacked by dogs and fire hoses, the movement gained more support.

5. The Civil Rights Movement 1963 – The March on Washington People/Groups Involved: SNCC MLK Jr. A Philip Randolph John Lewis What Happened: Between 200,000 and 300,000 people walked to the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall to hear leaders speak. In order: A Philip Randolph about the long struggle for civil rights, John Lewis the leader of SNCC, Rabbi Joachim Prinz from the American Jewish Congress, and lastly, Martin Luther King Jr. This is the event in which MLK Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream Speech.” After this event, it appeared that victory was in hand. JFK was ready to create a civil rights bill and the tide was turning. Then tragedy strikes.

6. The Civil Rights Movement 1963 – Birmingham Church Bombing People/Groups Involved: KKK 4 young African-American girls Governor Wallace What Happened: To show that the KKK still had power and that there was not that much progress in Civil Rights in the South, a member of the KKK Robert Chambliss set up a bomb under the stairs of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. This church was where leaders met, where kids were trained for the Birmingham protests, and a safe haven. It was a symbolic act of terror. Civil Rights leaders blamed Alabama Governor George Wallace because just before the attacks he said to stop the movement he needed a few “first class funerals.” Chambliss was caught, but only charged for possessing dynamite. A new Attorney General for Alabama would investigate further, and convict him of murder. He died in prison in 1985. three others found to have been involved were dead, convicted, or sent to jail. Overall, this tragedy pushed support for the movement forward.

7. The Civil Rights Movement 1964 – The Civil Rights Act of 1964 People/Groups Involved: All Civil Rights Groups LBJ Congress • What Happened: • After so much work, heavy losses, and violence done against them, this law was finally passed. • Provisions: • Banned discrimination in employment • Outlawed discrimination in public accommodations • Allowed for Justice Department to sue to enforce school desegregation • Ended some registration restrictions