DEMANDS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
Rise of African American Influence After WW II campaign for African American rights began to escalate for several reasons: 1. African American Migration
2. The New Deal 3. WW II – Jobs – Holocaust 4. Rise of the NAACP – Thurgood Marshall – Plessy v. Ferguson
Brown v. Board of Education 1951 Oliver Brown sued the Topeka, Kansas Board of Education to allow his daughter to attend a white only school much closer to his home than the black only school she attended Marshall represented Brown at the Supreme Court hearing of the case
Supreme Court ruled – End of “separate but equal” in public school – Desegregation of schools
Response to Brown v. Board of Education Mixed reactions – African Americans – White acceptance without support including President Eisenhower – Southern fear and anger KKK activities “Southern Manifesto” – Congressional statement that asserted the decision violated state’s rights
Resistance in Little Rock, Arkansas Governor of Arkansas refused to follow the decision of the Supreme Court Posted National Guard troops to prevent nine African American students from entering the school
Eisenhower responded by placing the National Guard under federal command Also sent soldiers to Arkansas to protect the students Little Rock Video
Montgomery Bus Boycott Dec in Montgomery, Alabama – Rosa Parks – Arrested on grounds of violation segregation laws Women’s Political Council – African Americans avoidance of buses until change in segregation laws Martin Luther King, Jr. becomes spokesperson for boycott