Civil Rights Background and through the 1950’s

The “Civil War” Amendments 13th Amendment abolished slavery 14th Amendment granted ex- slaves citizenship; guaranteed equal protection, due process 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote Supreme Court ruled these only applied to the federal government A print celebrating the passage of the 15 th Amendment

“Jim Crow” Laws Name came from a minstrel show character Mandated separate facilities for whites and blacks Black facilities usually worse Laws dictating separate drinking fountains for whites and blacks were commonplace in Southern states

Plessy v. Ferguson Case involved segregated train facilities in Louisiana Court ruled that “separate but equal” did not violate 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause Harlan only dissenting justice Justice John Marshall Harlan

Brown v Board of Education Court ruled unanimously Warren wrote majority opinion Public-school segregation unconstitutional “Separate but equal” inherently unequal “Brown II” The Brown lawyers rejoice after the decision

The “Little Rock Nine” School board planned to integrate high schools in 1957 Nine black students agreed to be first to attend an all-white school Eight of the nine graduated from Little Rock Central Arkansas NAACP President Daisy Bates (standing, second from right) poses with the Little Rock Nine

Eisenhower’s Response Mayor asked Eisenhower for assistance 101st Airborne deployed National Guard replaced regular troops Students able to finish school year End of the crisis Federal troops escort members of the Little Rock Nine to school

The Arrest of Rosa Parks Montgomery, Alabama Arrested in December 1955 Refused to give up her seat to a white man Violated city ordinance Rosa Parks’s fingerprints, taken after her arrest

The Montgomery Bus Boycott Organized prior to Parks’s arrest Planned by NAACP president E.D. Nixon Created Montgomery Improvement Association Martin Luther King made president of MIA Martin Luther King during the bus boycott

Supporting the Boycott Some blacks walked; others carpooled, biked, or hitchhiked Black taxicab drivers charged black riders 10- cent fares (the same as bus fare) Some white housewives drove their maids to and from work The bus on which Rosa Parks was arrested, now an exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum

The Boycott: White Resistance Some joined the White Citizens’ Council Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy’s homes firebombed Boycotters physically attacked Some boycotters arrested A segregated bus station

The Boycott: Impact A major victory for the civil rights movement Segregation on buses ended in Montgomery Rosa Parks regarded as a hero Martin Luther King rose to national prominence Rosa Parks, with Martin Luther King in the background