1. Unit 8: Civil Rights The Civil Rights Struggle: 1896-1965

2. Jim Crow and “Separate but Equal” In the late 19 th century, in the South, after Reconstruction ended, white southern Democrats successfully passed black codes known as “Jim Crow” laws that kept whites and blacks separate in every aspect of life – Separate schools, restrooms, theatres, buses, etc. The Supreme Court even upheld these laws in the case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) where the court said segregation could stand, as long as facilities were “separate, but equal” The court used the equal protection clause of the 14 th amendment to justify their decision

3. Booker T. Washington and WEB DuBois Two men emerged within the black community and had different theories about how blacks should relate to white society during this time Booker T Washington: said blacks should be satisfied living separately from whites, and should concentrate on learning farming and trade jobs that could improve their lives economically – Started the Tuskegee Institute (1881) to train blacks in these types of jobs/vocations WEB DuBois: was Harvard educated, said that blacks should push for immediate inclusion in white society, also advocated blacks getting a college education, said blacks should use their power at the ballot box to improve their lives – Started the civil rights activist group, the NAACP in 1909 to push for the inclusion of blacks, into white society

4. Garvey, Harlem Renaissance, A. Philip Randolph In the 1920’s a man by the name of Marcus Garvey advocated a philosophy of “black nationalism” and believed that blacks should return to Africa to “redeem” the continent Also in the 1920’s there was an explosion of black literature and poetry in Harlem, New York City—a literary movement known as the “Harlem Renaissance” – Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston were notable authors The early Civil Rights movement continued in the 1940s under leader A. Philip Randolph, who threatened a march on Washington if President Roosevelt didn’t address discrimination in government jobs and the military – Roosevelt satisfied Randolph by issuing executive order 8802 (1941), banning discrimination in receiving government jobs and the military

5. Truman desegregates the military and Civil Rights gains steam Civil Rights for blacks received a boost in 1948 when President Truman desegregated the military The movement then gained strength when the Supreme Court reversed Plessy v. Ferguson in the Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education (May, 1954) – The court said in Brown v. Board that separate but equal facilities were “inherently unequal” Southern states resisted the decision of the court, and refused to integrate

6. Rosa Parks, Little Rock 9, and SNCC In 1955 Rosa Parks, a seamstress, refused to give up her seat to a white man, and was jailed This inspired Martin Luther King Jr. to start the Montgomery bus boycott (1955-56), protesting segregation on Montgomery’s city buses By 1957 black students began to try to integrate public schools in the south The “Little Rock 9” (1958) were 9 students who tried to attend school, but were blocked by the Arkansas National Guard Eventually President Eisenhower used the army to allow the students to go to school Martin Luther King also harnessed the power of young people by getting them to join an activist group called SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) – SNCC conducted “sit-ins” in segregated businesses across the south to draw attention to the problem

7. Freedom Rides-Voting Rights Act of 1965 Civil Rights activists in 1961 staged “freedom rides” which drew attention to segregation on interstate buses – This drew the attention of President Kennedy, as one of his officials was beaten, along with Freedom Riders he was with By August of 1963, Martin Luther King organized the March on Washington, which drew over 200k attendees, who advocated for a landmark Civil Rights bill In 1964 the work of the Civil Rights movement paid off, as President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, banning segregation in all public places In 1965 civil rights activists flooded Mississippi to register blacks to vote, in an effort known as “Freedom Summer Blacks then saw their right to vote solidified by the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which banned literacy tests

8. The Civil Rights Movement Radicalizes Many younger Civil Rights activists thought that Martin Luther King wasn’t doing enough for blacks, and they advocated gaining rights by force Malcolm X was a young black preacher who converted Islam, and was a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, which advocated blacks living separately from whites Stokely Carmichael was a former member of SNCC who coined the “black power,” which advocated blacks using their economic and political muscle to gain change Finally the Black Panther Party advocated militant resistance to whites, and armed themselves This radicalization of the Civil Rights movement, along with the assassination of Dr. King in 1968 led many people to give up their support for the movement

9. Comprehension Questions Question 1: Describe the difference in philosophy of how blacks should relate to whites, between Booker T. Washington and WEB DuBois; and what was one thing that each man did that reflected his philosophy? Question 2: Explain the factors and events that led to people refusing to support the Civil Rights movement, by 1968