The Civil Rights Movement The Fight for Equality

Overview  Time Period: 1950s-1970s  This is the generally accepted timeline.  Many believe the fight for equal rights started long before this and is still taking place.  Goal: Gain rights for minority populations (Still going on)  African Americans  People with Disabilities  Homosexual Rights  Etc.

What are Civil Rights?  civil rights  pl.n.  The rights belonging to an individual by virtue of citizenship, especially the fundamental freedoms and privileges guaranteed by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and by subsequent acts of Congress, including civil liberties, due process, equal protection of the laws, and freedom from discrimination.  adj. or civ·il-rights (svl-rts)  1. Of or relating to such rights or privileges: civil rights legislation.  2. Of or relating to a political movement, especially during the 1950s and 1960s, devoted to securing equal opportunity and treatment for members of minority groups.

Over-arching  The fight for equality and the Civil Rights Movement was not just a political or historical event.  The effects spilled into:  Sports  Music  Television  Other forms of popular culture  Education  Work  Etc.

History  1600: Slavery begins  1850: Slave Trade stops  1861: Civil War begins  1863: Slaves are free  Now what? No job, no money, many people still racist.  1865: 13 th Amendment ends slavery  1868: 14 th Amendment makes all US-born people citizens  1870: 15 th Amendment gives African Americans the right to vote.  1896: “separate but equal” is constitutional (Plessy v. Ferguson)

History Continued  1954: Brown v. Board- Public school segregation is unconstitutional  1964: Civil Rights Act- Everyone has equal access to public places  1967: Loving v. Virginia  1968: MLK shot

Vocabulary  Racism: Deeply rooted prejudice which may be expressed in the idea that one race is superior to another  Segregate: Separating one group of people from another group of people  Integrate: Removing all barriers and placing all groups of people together  Lynching: Murdering of a person by a group or mob  Solidarity: Unity or agreement of feeling of action  Civil Disobedience: Refusal to obey laws to incite change  Boycott: To act together to ban