Civil Rights

In the Supreme Court In the Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson… “Separate but Equal” is unconstitutional

42 Jackie Robinson Broke the “color barrier” in MLB in 1947 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Robinson determined to change the game Became the symbol of civil rights and equality 42

Montgomery, AL (1955) Little Rock, AK (1957) Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white passenger Bus Boycott Led by Martin Luther King, Jr. Black passengers refused to ride bus until policies changed Little Rock, AK (1957) Governor Orval Faubus refused to allow 9 black students to attend Central High School Eisenhower sent in 101st Airborne to force the desegregation

Civil Rights Organizations “Ole Miss” (1962) James Meredith denied admission JFK sent in troops to restore order Civil Rights Organizations National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (1910) Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE) (1942) Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) (1957) Formed after the success of the Montgomery bus boycott (MLK) Encouraged non-violent protest Church leaders moved to the forefront of the struggle Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (“SNCC”) (1960)

Civil Disobedience SIT-INS FREEDOM RIDES Blacks sat in a segregated establishment and refused to move Many arrested FREEDOM RIDES Blacks rode buses into segregated areas to see if Southerners would obey the Supreme Court First Bus met with violence in Alabama

Additional Protests Albany Movement, 1961 Birmingham, 1963 Georgia protesters began a year long struggle MLK went to help Birmingham, 1963 MLK and others protested MLK arrested and released MLK got children to join protest 900+ people got arrested Protesters injured Shot with fire hoses Attacked by dogs Beaten with clubs

Washington, D.C., August 28th 1963 MLK marched on Washington MLK made “I have a dream…” speech

Malcolm X Militant approach to civil rights Joined nation of Islam Supported “black nationalism” Believed equality could come by any means necessary

Cesar Chavez Latino Activist Labor Leader The voice of migrant farm workers United Farm Workers (UFW) Strikes & boycotts Leads to Chicano Movement

Legislation Civil Rights Act of 1964 Voting Rights Act of 1965 Ended voting restrictions Prohibited discrimination based on Race Gender Religion Voting Rights Act of 1965 Ended voting restrictions Ended literacy tests

Political Assassinations Martin Luther King Jr. Pushing & working on “Poor People’s Campaign” Goes to Memphis Tenn. In April of 1968 April 3 gives a speech where he states: “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life, but I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will” April 4: Assassinated by James Earl Ray on his hotel balcony 39 years old

Robert F. Kennedy Campaigning for President in 1968 Addressed a crowd during a campaign speech about MLK’s death. Pleaded for peace, riots broke out across the country. 2 months later he was assassinated at a campaign speech