Civil Rights in America

Vocabulary Unconstitutional – breaks the rules of the constitution. Segregation – separation of different groups of people from each other. Precedent – a rule created by a Supreme Court decision that future courts must use. Integration – the opposite of segregation; bringing two or more groups together. Boycott – refusal to buy, ride or attend something, usually to make a political statement. Bill – The draft of a law before it passes congress. Act – A law (can be called this before or after passage)

Civil Rights Background 1776 – Declaration of Independence said “all men are created equal” Despite this declaration of equality, slavery and racism in America continued 1857- In the Dred Scott v. Stanford Case, the Supreme Court declared that a slave is property and does not have citizenship or full human status in the United States.

1861 – The Civil war was fought over whether states had the right to allow slavery The Union was victorious and… 1865 – Slavery was made unconstitutional because of the 13th Amendment to the constitution. 1868 – The 14th Amendment said that all states must give citizens “the equal protection of the laws”

Segregation After Slavery Even though slavery had ended, black people in the south still faced harsh treatment. Southern States made it almost impossible for black people to vote Black and white people were treated very differently by the legal system White and black people were forced to have different schools, restrooms, train cars, etc.

Plessy v. Ferguson Important Pro-segregation Supreme Court decision. In 1896 Homer Plessy, a man who was 1/8 black, was forced to move out of a “white only” train car in Louisiana. Plessy claimed it was unconstitutional to treat him differently than a white passenger because of the “equal protection” clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court The Supreme Court said that if facilities were “separate but equal” than segregation was constitutional. The precedent was used for the next 60+ years to give a constitutional protection to segregation/Jim Crow Laws.

Jim Crow Laws With the decision of Plessy v. Ferguson Southern states began passing even more racist segregation laws. These laws were considered constitutional because of the “separate but equal” precedent in the Plessy case. Segregation dominated the south including drinking fountains, schools, building entrances, restaurants and buses.

Quick Quiz What happened in 1776? 1857? 1861? 1865? 1868? How were black people treated when slavery was abolished? What is a precedent? Explain the Plessy v. Ferguson case and its importance (Paragraph) What are Jim Crow laws? Why were they considered “constitutional”?

Brown v. Board of Education In 1954 in the Brown v Board case, The Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional This reversed the Plessy v. Ferguson precedent allowing legalized segregation. The lawyer on the side of ending segregation was Thurgood Marshall, who would later become the first black Supreme Court Justice.

The Little Rock Nine Even though segregation was ruled unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Ed, many people resisted integration At the all white Central High School In little rock Arkansas, 9 black students were not allowed to enter in September of 1957 The Governor of Arkansas ordered the Arkansas National Guard to deny them entry. President Eisenhower ordered in Federal Troops to protect the students and force the school to let them in.

Montgomery Bus Boycott In December 1955 Rosa Parks refused to move to the “colored” section of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama and was arrested. She was an member of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) The NAACP organized a boycott of all Montgomery buses. The boycott lasted for 381 days and in 1956 the Supreme Court outlawed bus segregation.

Dr. King and the SCLC In 1957 Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and more than 100 ministers and civil rights leaders created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. King became leader of the conference The conference worked to further civil rights, and encourage full integration

Sit-Ins & Freedom Riders CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) Organized many “sit-ins” Sit ins involved black people sitting in places they were not allowed and refusing to leave until they were served By 1960 Many cities had integrated their diners and restaurants, although many still had not Even though the Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional, many buses in the south still had segregation Freedom riders rode from north to south to demand the segrgated buses be integrated They often faced violence and physical abuse from local police

Brutality in Birmingham In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. went to Birmingham, Alabama to try and end the city’s notoriously racist segregation laws He and other SCLC leaders were arrested, but later released. After their release they organized a peaceful march in favor of equality. The all white police force of Birmingham reacted violently, releasing attack dogs and beating the marchers The images of the shocking brutality were captured by television cameras.

Quick Quiz Explain the precedent set by Brown v. Board. Who was Thurgood Marshall? Explain the events of the Little Rock Nine. Who was Rosa Parks? What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott? What was the SCLC? It’s purpose? Its leader? Explain THREE facts EACH about Sit-Ins and Freedom Riders Explain FOUR facts about the events in Birmingham in 1963

President Kennedy & Civil Rights President Kennedy was moved by the police brutality in Birmingham In 1963 He ordered federal troops to force Governor Wallace of Alabama to integrate the University of Alabama He wanted to pass laws to end segregation once and for all and allow black people full equality. He was assassinated two months after MLKs “Dream” Speech and never got to see his goal realized.

March on Washington President Kennedy wanted to pass a Civil Rights Bill In order to make sure the bill became a law the SCLC organized a March on Washington August 28, 1963 More than a quarter million people including 75,000 white people came to Washington DC Dr. King gave his famous “I have a dream Speech”

Fighting for Voting Rights At the start of 1965 the SCLC began a major voting rights campaign in Selma, AL. In February of the same year the Sherriff of Selma shot and killed one of the demonstrators Dr. King and SCLC responded by organizing a march from Selma to Montgomery Alabama Many of the marchers were brutally beaten by police and again, the images were captured on television.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 President Lyndon Johnson, who became President when Kennedy was killed, pushed for passage of the Civil Rights Act. The Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination because of race, religion, national origin, and gender. It allowed all groups equal access to libraries, parks, washrooms, restaurants, theatres and all other places open to the public.

Voting Rights Act of 1965 Ten weeks after the Selma-Montgomery march, President Johnson was able to get Congress to pass the new law. The law ensured that black people would not be denied the right to vote by southern state governments.

The Death of Dr. King On April 3, 1968 James Earl Ray shot and killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee There were massive demonstrations in many cities across the country in response to his death He will be remembered for the positive impact he and his movement had our nation’s history

Quick Quiz What are THREE facts about President Kennedy and the Civil Rights movement? What are THREE facts about the march on Washington? What was its purpose? Explain the march from Selma to Montgomery, AL? What was the purpose of the SCLC being there? Why do you think President Johnson was able to get the voting rights Act of 1965 passed? What did it do? Explain the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.