Unit 10 Notes Civil Rights

Unit 9 1

Unit 9 Notes – Civil Rights + Social Change

Civil Rights Movement

I. Taking on Segregation

The Segregation System

1. Plessy v. Ferguson - 1896 . Supreme Court case that said the separate but equal is legal . What did this case lead to in many states?

2. Segregation Continues into the 20th Century . After the Civil War, many African-Americans tried to escape segregation by moving north; however the still encountered racism and segregation

3. A Developing Civil Rights Movement . In many ways WW II set the stage for the Civil Rights movement (3 reasons)

1. 2. 3.

Challenging Segregation in Court

 The desegregation campaign was led largely by the NAACP

1. The NAACP Legal Strategy . Charles Hamilton (law professor) focused on the inequality in schools and he placed his best law students in a team under Thurgood Marshall – they began arguing and winning many cases

2. Brown v. Board of Education – 1954 . Linda Brown and Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas . Marshall wins this case and segregation was declared unconstitutional, which overturned the Plessy decision.

Reaction to the Brown Decision

 State officials had a variety of responses; no problem, take some time, never!!

1. Resistance to School Desegregation . Within a year, more than 500 school districts had desegregated. . What was the importance of the Brown II ruling in 1955?

2. Crisis in Little Rock . Governor Orval Faubus publicly showed support for segregation . Who were the “Little Rock 9”? Unit 9 2

. President Eisenhower sent troops in to protect the students in school. . Faubus eventually shut down the school rather than allowing integration.

 Civil Rights Act of 1957 – gave the federal government jurisdiction over violations of segregation and voting rights.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

. On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the colored section on the bus to a white passenger and she was arrested. . The Montgomery Improvement Association to organize a boycott of the bus system and Martin Luther King Jr. was selected to lead the boycott . One reason King was selected was his speaking ability . How long did the boycott last and was it successful?

Martin Luther King and the SCLC

 The Montgomery Bus Boycott proved to the world that the African-American community could unite and organize a successful protest movement.

1. Changing the World with Soul Force . King based his ideas on Jesus and Gandhi; and pushed for non-violent resistance which he called “soul force”. . IDENTIFY Emmit Till

2. From the Grassroots Up – Identify and Describe the following . Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

. Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

The Movement Spreads – Demonstrating for Freedom

. Sit-ins were when African-Americans sat down at segregated lunch counters and refused to leave . Most famous was in Greensboro, North Carolina – “The Greensboro 4” . What was the significance of this action?

II. The Triumphs of a Crusade

Riding for Freedom

1. New Volunteers . Freedom Riders attempted to ride in buses across the South to test the Supreme Court ban on segregating buses – What happened? Unit 9 3

2. Arrival of Federal Marshals . When the Riders reached Alabama they were met by an angry white mob that attacked and beat them. . This is exactly what the Riders wanted – why?

Standing Firm

 Civil rights workers encountered much opposition and violence

1. Integrating Ole Miss - September 1962 . James Meredith (Air Force Veteran) won a federal court case that allowed him to enroll in the all-white University of Mississippi . JFK ordered federal marshals to escort Meredith when he registered . What was the result of this action?

2. Heading into Birmingham . Birmingham, Alabama was considered the most segregated city in the US . MLK went there to protest and was arrested . How did the police, led by Bull Connor, deal with the protesters?

3. Kennedy Takes a Stand . JFK sent troops to Alabama to force Gov. George Wallace to honor a court order desegregating the University of Alabama. . JFK called for Congress to pass a Civil Rights bill and the need for this was highlighted by the assassination of Medger Evers – NAACP field secretary

Marching on Washington

 Planned march on Washington to show support for Civil Rights bill.

1. The Dream of Equality . 250,000 people on August 28, 1963 converged on the nation’s capital . MLK gave his famous “I have a dream!” speech.

2. More Violence . 2 weeks after King’s speech, 4 young girls were killed in Birmingham when their church was firebombed . JFK was assassinated and his successor, Lyndon Johnson, passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – What were the key provisions of this bill?

Fighting for Voting Rights

 Next big step for African-Americans was voting rights. Unit 9 4

1. Freedom Summer . Name of the project led by college students who went to Mississippi in the summer of 1964 to get African-Americans registered to vote. . 3 of these workers were killed by the local KKK – Mississippi Burning movie

2. The Selma Campaign . There was a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama and a demonstrator named Jimmy Lee Jackson was shot and killed. . MLK announced there would be a 50-mile protest from Selma to Montgomery, which was met by violence.

3. Voting Rights Act of 1965 . Ten weeks after the march, this major piece of legislation was passed. . What were the provisions of this bill?

III. Challenges and Changes in the Movement

 By 1965, new Civil Rights leaders were taking the movement to new areas

African Americans Seek Greater Equality

1. Northern Segregation . The problems facing Americans in the North was de facto segregation (this exists by practice and custom). How is de jure segregation different?

. Activists wanted white to share economic and social power, besides equal access to lunch counters and buses – this was much more difficult. . De facto segregation was a result of the “white flight” syndrome.

2. Urban Violence Erupts . In the mid 1960’s, clashes between white authority and black civilians spread like wildfire. . DISCUSS the riots in Harlem and Watts.

New Leaders Voice Discontent

 Several African-American leaders urged their followers to take complete control of their communities, livelihoods and culture. EX. Malcolm X

1. African-American Solidarity . Malcolm X was a member of the Nation of Islam or black Muslims. . What was his message to other blacks? Unit 9 5

2. Ballots or Bullets . Malcolm made a pilgrimage to Mecca and changed his thinking; he now began to preach racial equality – he also had broke from the Nation of Islam . Malcolm was assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam – 2-21-65

3. Black Power . Tension was building between the various Civil Rights groups. Many of the younger groups were becoming impatient and wanted quicker results. . Who coined the phrase Black Power?

4. Black Panthers . In Oakland, CA – Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded a political party known as the Black Panthers to fight police brutality in the ghettos. . What were some of the goals of this group?

1968 – A Turning Point in Civil Rights

 MLK objected to Black Power movement; he believed that preaching violence could only end in grief. King was planning to lead a Poor People’s March on DC

1. King’s Death . King was in Memphis to support the city’s striking garbage workers . King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 – by who?

2. Reactions to King’s Death . Led to the worst urban rioting in US history – 100 cities exploded in flames

Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement

1. Civil Rights Gains . Civil Rights Act of 1968 ended discrimination in housing . Other gains included: pride in racial identity, political, increased schooling

2. Unfinished Work . Need to equalize education – white flight led to segregation again . Need to equalize job opportunities – DEFINE affirmative action Unit 9 6

An Era of Social Change

I. Latinos and Native Americans Seek Equality

The Latino Presence Grows

 During the 1960’s, the Latino population in the US grew from 3 to 9 million.

1. Latinos of Varied Origins . Mexican = largest group; southwest and California . Puerto Ricans = began migrating in 1898; east coast cities (New York) . Cubans = New York City, New Jersey, Miami; fled Communist rule  Encountered racism; most lived in segregated barrios or neighborhoods.

II. Women Fight for Equality

 Betty Friedan wrote a book, the Feminine Mystique, that talked about how many women were not satisfied with their place in society.

New Women’s Movement Arises

 Feminism = the belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men.

1. Women in the Workplace . The jobs available to women – mostly clerical work, domestic service, retail sales, social work, teaching, and nursing – paid poorly. . Were also not paid the same or promoted as frequent.

2. Women and Activism . Ironically, where were women discriminated in the 60’s?

. These experiences led women to organize themselves.

3. The Women’s Movement Emerges . The Feminine Mystique became a best seller and helped to galvanize women across the country – by the late 1960’s women were working together for change

The Movement Experiences Gains and Losses

1. The Creation of NOW . Betty Friedan created the National Organization for Women in 1966 to pursue women’s goals . IDENTIFY some of these goals.

2. A Diverse Movement . 175,000 women joined NOW in the first 3 years. Unit 9 7

. One group, New York Radical Women, demonstrated at the Miss America pageant – dressed a sheep up and declared it Miss America. . Gloria Steinem founded a liberal group that encouraged women to seek political office

3. Legal and Social Gains . Excluding girls from male sports was questioned, gender discrimination in education programs was banned, etc.

4. Roe v. Wade - 1973 . NOW supported a woman’s choice to have an abortion. . The Supreme Court agreed and made abortion legal in 1973.

5. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) . Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972 . What did this amendment propose?

. Who was Phyllis Schlafly?

6. The New Right Emerges . In order to combat the ERA and pro-abortion supporters, conservatives built what they called a new “pro-family” movement. . They were able to block the ERA from passing.

The Movement’s Legacy

 Despite ERA’s defeat, the women’s movement altered society in countless ways, such as transforming women’s conventional roles and their attitudes towards career and family.  The movement also succeeded in expanding career opportunities for women Unit 9 8

III. Culture and Counterculture

 Counterculture – a movement made up mostly of white middle-class college youths who had grown disillusioned with the war in Vietnam and injustices in America during the 1960’s.  They turned their backs on Traditional American society.

The Counterculture

1. “Tune in, Turn on, Drop Out” . Members of the counterculture were known as hippies. . Did not like the materialism, technology and war of American society. . What did many youths attempt to create?

2. Hippie Culture . Marked by rock-n-roll music, outrageous clothing, sexual freedom, and illegal drugs. Who promoted LSD? . Also rejected conventional home life and joined communes . Where was the so-called hippie “capital”?

3. Decline in the Movement . After only a few years, the counterculture’s peace and harmony gave way to violence and disillusionment. LIST examples

A Changing Culture

 Although short-lived, some aspects of the counterculture left a more lasting imprint on the world.

1. Art . The 1960’s saw a rise in pop art (popular art) . IDENTIFY Andy Warhol

2. Rock Music . The band that, perhaps more than any other, helped propel rock music into the mainstream was the Beatles . One example of rock’s popularity occurred in August 1969 on a farm in upstate New York – it was called “Woodstock”

3. Changing Attitudes . While the counterculture movement faded, its casual “do your own thing” philosophy left its mark. . The prime example of this was the sexual revolution