The Civil Rights Movement
 | Despite the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the US constitution (which abolished slavery and gave citizenship and voting rights for all), individual states were able to implement their own segregation laws that made these federal laws useless. |
| These racist state laws were nicknamed 'Jim Crow laws' (because Jim Crow rhymed with Negro) |
| In these southern racist states, the Jim Crow laws ensured that: |
Black people struggled to gain voting rights through literacy requirements and intimidation.
Schools for black people were of a weaker standard
Black hospitals and clinics were poorly staffed and poorly supplied.
Schools, parks, swimming pools, water fountains, public transport, shops and benches were segregated.
| A government investigation found that 18% of whites lived below the poverty line compared to 56% of black people. |
| Millions of black people did not enjoy the prosperity of post-war USA. |
Civil Rights movement part 3 : The 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott.
| On December 1st 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She was arrested but refused to pay her $14 fine. |
| Within 2 days, Martin Luther King organised a 1 year boycott of buses that attracted worldwide attention and public sympathy. |
| In December 1956, the US Supreme Court declared that segregation on buses was illegal. |
Civil Rights movement part 1 : President Truman.
| Truman saw the need for the USA to do something about black civil rights. |
| He got the army to integrate fully by 1950 and demanded that military contracts continue to be awarded to non-racist companies in peacetime. |
| Unfortunately he was unable to introduce a civil rights bill aimed at ending lynching and guaranteeing voting rights for blacks. |
Civil Rights movement part 2 : The 1954 Brown vs Topeka board of education
decision.
| With the assistance of the NAACP, the parents of 8 year old Linda Brown sued the town of Topeka for preventing their daughter from attending the nearby school which was an all white school. |
| On 17th May 1954, the Supreme Court declared that schools in the USA could not be segregated. |
| This was a major moment because it was the first attempt by government in 100 years to outlaw segregation by overriding state laws. |
| Black people all over the USA gained confidence by the court's decision and became more determined to gain freedom and equality. |
| Despite this federal ruling, six states continued to disobey the court's decision. It was not until 1964 that schools were forcibly desegregated. |
Civil Rights Movement part 4 : Little Rock High School 1957.
| In September 1957, nine black students were due to begin their studies at Little Rock High School in Arkansas. The Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, sent thousands of National Guard troops to stop the students entering the school. |
| Once the Federal Government declared this illegal, the Guards were withdrawn and the students were left to defend themselves against a white mob. |
| President Eisenhower sent in 10,000 Federal troops to protect the students throughout the rest of the school year. |
| In September 1958 Governor Faubus tried to close all schools in Arkansas, unless the government agreed to end its ban on segregated schools. |
| The Supreme Court declared segregated schools illegal and ordered the re-opening of all schools on a non-segregated basis. It was not until 1964 that all schools obeyed this decision. |
Black students faced abuse from whites and had to be escorted to school by the National Guard
Back unity and determination was symbolised by Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech about a future free of racial prejudice. It was made on 28th August 1963. More than 250,000 listened to this speech (including 80,000 white Americans). It earned Martin Luther King the Nobel Peace Prize in December 1963.
Civil Rights Movement part 5 : The Kennedy years.
| Kennedy became President in 1960 and was keen to bring about changes for black Americans. |
| In 1961, white and black youths called 'freedom riders' travelled on southern buses and trains, in an attempt to enforce Supreme Court rulings. |
| Despite enormous intimidation, violence and murder, the 'freedom riders' again encouraged sympathy and maintained civil rights as the key political issue in the USA. |
| In 1963 the city authorities in Birmingham, Alabama, attempted to reverse decisions made on desegregation. Parks, swimming pools and other public places were closed to avoid integrating them. As a result, Martin Luther King organised a series of marches and demonstrations in Birmingham. |
| Martin Luther King and 3500 other peaceful protestors (including children) were mauled by police dogs and arrested on the order of Eugene 'Bull' Connor. |
| TV cameras filmed what was going on. Americans were outraged and disgusted that their own police force could treat peaceful protesters in such a brutal manner. |
| As a result, Kennedy submitted his Civil Rights Bill to Congress in June 1963. |
| Martin Luther King organised a mass civil rights march on Washington in 1963. |
Civil Rights Movement part 6 : In Kennedy's memory.
| Kennedy was assassinated in November of 1963 before his Civil Rights bill could be passed. |
| Kennedy's successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, took up Kennedy's proposals for improved civil rights. |
Bull
Connor's tactics caused outrage across America
The successes of the Civil Rights Movement:
| The civil Rights act of 1964 outlawed racial discrimination and segregation in all walks of American life. |
| The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was created to deal with complaints. |
| The voting rights act of 1965 outlawed minimum literacy and wealth levels from being a bar to voting. |
| In 1967 the Supreme Court ruled that state laws which criminalised interracial marriages were illegal. |
| In 1968 the Civil Rights Act was extended to outlaw unfair distribution of welfare housing. |
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The failures of the Civil Rights Movement:
| The Civil Rights Movement revived violent and racist groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) |
| In the late 1960's race riots broke out all over the USA. In the first nine months of 1967, 150 cities reported racially motivated violent disorders. |
| Even by 1966 most blacks lived below the poverty line. in 1966 a black baby was twice as likely to die before the age of five than a white baby. |
| The Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King became increasingly unpopular with sections of the black community who thought his methods too cowardly and achived few benefits. |
| Malcolm X is the best known leader of the Black Muslims. They believed in using force to achieve equal rights. |
| Other people, such as Stokely Carmichael believed in 'Black Power'. He believed that black people should take control of their lives and separate from white people. |
