1. The Civil Rights Movement
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How did Civil Rights leaders change American society?

2. TEKS and Objectives We will…
(9A) trace the historical development of the Civil Rights Movement (9C) identify the roles of MLK and Rosa Parks (9E) discuss the impact of writings of MLK on the Civil Rights Movement (9F) describe desegregation of the armed forces and the Civil Rights of 1957 and 1964 (9G) describe the roles of George Wallace, Orvall Faubus, Lester Maddox, and the Congressional bloc of Southern Democrats (9I) describe how Brown v. Board of Education and Sweatt v. Painter played a role in protecting the rights of the minority during the Civil Rights Movement (17D) identify how affirmative action created economic opportunities for citizens and analyze the unintended consequences (21A) analyze the effects of Brown v. Board of Education and Plessy v. Ferguson (23A) identify and analyze lobbying, non-violent protesting, litigation, and amendments to the U.S. Constitution (24B) evaluate the contributions of Thurgood Marshall and Billy Graham

3. TEKS and Objectives
I will…
Summarize events from the Civil Rights Era

4. Civil Rights Movement Struggle of African Americans for equal rights
Major turning point for American society

5. Truman and Civil Rights
The Truman Years,
Jackie Robinson became the first African-American baseball player to cross the “color line” and join the major leagues
Truman issued executive order in 1948 to desegregate armed forces and end discrimination in hiring practices in federal government

6. Brown v. Board of Education, 1954
Litigation
Resolving disputes in court
Background
Southern states passed segregation laws
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): ruling that “separate-but-equal” standard was constitutional
NAACP
Established in 1909
Lawyers began challenging “separate-but- equal”

7. Brown v. Board of Education, 1954
Sweatt v. Painter (1950)
NAACP and Herman Sweatt, African American, sued to attend UT Law School
Texas constitution prohibited segregated education
Texas created separate law school to keep him out
U.S. Supreme Court ruled school did not qualify as “separate but equal”

8. Brown v. Board of Education, 1954
1953 Kansas Court Ruling
Linda Brown and others denied admission to nearby all-white public school
NAACP argued segregated schools violated “equal protection” under 14th Amendment
Thurgood Marshall
Attorney for the NAACP
Later became first African American on the Supreme Court

9. Brown v. Board of Education, 1954
The Brown Decision
Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson
Marked the end of legal segregation in public schools
Schools should be desegregated “with all deliberate speed”
Many states delayed Court’s order

10. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court:
“We come then to the question presented: Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other ‘tangible’ factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does…We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for who the actions haven been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.” Why was it important to the Court that the facilities were “inherently unequal”? Do you think the Court was right in holding that racial segregation in public schools was a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment? Explain reasons for your answer.

11. The March to Equality “Jim Crow” laws:
Segregation laws in place throughout the South
Prevent African Americans from sharing beaches, theaters, restaurants, water fountains, or public buses with whites

12. The Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-1956
Rosa Parks
African American seamstress and member of NAACP
Arrested for refusing to surrender her seat on a bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lead a 13-month boycott of the city’s public buses
MLK arrested/home bombed
Federal Court Ruling
Segregation of buses violated “equal protection” clause of 14th Amendment

13. Civil Rights Act of 1957 Civil Rights Act
Passed by Eisenhower administration
To increase African-American voting in the South
Gave federal courts power to register African-American voters
Complicated procedures made act ineffective
Helped set the pattern for later civil rights legislation

14. Sit-Ins and Freedom Rides in the South
African-American students sat at “Whites Only” lunch counters
Downtown stores finally agreed to desegregate lunch counters
African-American workers were hired
Freedom Riders (1961)
Interracial groups that rode buses in the South
Faced violence and even death
Helped overturn racial segregation on public transportation

15. Little Rock, Arkansas, 1957 Governor Orvall Faubus
Favored segregation
Ordered Arkansas National Guard to surround Little Rock High school to prevent nine African-American students from entering
The “Little Rock Nine”
Threatened by angry mobs
President Eisenhower ordered federal troops to Little Rock to ensure students could attend school
Gov. Faubus closed down schools
Supreme Court ordered they be reopened

16. On September 24, 1957, President Eisenhower issued this Executive Order:
“…Whenever normal agencies prove inadequate to the task and it becomes necessary for the Executive Branch of the Federal Government to use its powers and authority to uphold Federal Courts, the President’s responsibility is inescapable. In accordance with that responsibility, I have today issued and Executive Order directing the use of troops under Federal authority to aid in the execution of Federal law at Little Rock, Arkansas. This became necessary when my Proclamation of yesterday was not observed, and the obstruction of justice still continues…” In your opinion, was President Eisenhower justified in issuing this Executive Order? Explain your answer.

17. Maintaining the Status Quo (existing system)
Lester Maddox
African-Americans tried to enter his restaurant
Wielded an axe handle at them
Closed his restaurant when ordered to desegregate
Ran for Governor of Georgia and won
George Wallace
Governor of Alabama
Stood at the door to University of Alabama to stop two African- Americans from enrolling

18. Maintaining the Status Quo (existing system)
Congressional Bloc of Southern Democrats
Southern Democrats in Congress
Obstructed attempts to pass federal civil rights legislation

19. Supporters of Civil Rights
Billy Graham
Christian preacher who spoke out against segregation
Paid to bail out Dr. King from jail
Advised Eisenhower to send troops to Little Rock

20. Sit-Ins and Freedom Rides in the South
African-American students sat at “Whites Only” lunch counters
Downtown stores finally agreed to desegregate lunch counters
African-American workers were hired
Freedom Riders (1961)
Interracial groups that rode buses in the South
Faced violence and even death
Helped overturn racial segregation on public transportation

21. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963
King Encouraged Civil Disobedience
Opposing unjust laws with non-violent tactics
Peaceful marches, boycotts, picketing, demonstrations
“Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
King arrested for leading a march
Explained reasons why African-Americans could no longer wait patiently for constitutional rights
“everyone has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws”

22. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was one of the most important documents of the Civil Rights Movement. Despite its practical origins, the document is considered a classic work of protest:
“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action that was ‘well timed’ in the view of those who have to suffered from segregation. For years I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘Wait’ has always meant ‘Never.’ We must come to see…that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.’”

23. The March on Washington, 1963
Largest demonstration for human rights in U.S. history
Pressured Washington to pass Civil Rights Bill
Ended with meeting between JFK and Civil Rights leaders

24. At the Lincoln Memorial, Dr
At the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King delivered his “I Have a Dream” Speech, which looked forward to the day when Americans of all colors would live peacefully together:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Do you think Dr. King’s dream has been fulfilled? Explain.

25. Civil Rights Act of 1964 JFK Assassination Lyndon B. Johnson
Encouraged Congress to pass legislation he had proposed
Lyndon B. Johnson
Sworn in as President
Helped push the bill through Congress
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, or ethnic origin
Gave federal government the power to register voters
Established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

26. The Road to Equal Voting Rights
24th Amendment (1964)
Eliminated poll taxes in federal elections
Selma Marches (1965)
MLK marched in Selma, Alabama demanding voting rights
Demonstrators attacked
LBJ introduced voting rights bill
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Ended poll taxes
Suspended literacy tests
Resulted in increase of African-American voters

27. Affirmative Action, 1965 Affirmative Action Programs
Companies/institutions required to actively recruit minorities
Increased minority representation in colleges, professions, and businesses
Unintended Consequences
Criticized as reverse discrimination