1. The Civil Rights Movement 1945-1975
18.1= Early Demands for Equality

2. Biggest issue= Segregation

3. NAACP & Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, KS
1950s, National Association for Advancement of Colored People focused on challenging segregation
Challenge led by Thurgood Marshall
Notable cases:
Sweatt v. Painter
McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents

4. Brown v. Board of Education
Notable case that challenged a public school district’s policy of segregation, challenged “separate but equal” policy
Thurgood Marshall led the case against Topeka, KS
Marshall won the case, segregated schools deemed illegal by the Supreme Court

5. Little Rock, Arkansas
1957= Site of conflict over Brown v. Board of Education case
9 African-Americans attempted to enroll in Central High School, met at doors of school by mob of angry white residents/students
Eisenhower had the National Guard guard/escort students for over a year

6. Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott
Began with arrest of Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955
Led to organized boycott by Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. chosen to address the MIA, urged non-violent protest
1956= SC ruled that Montgomery’s segregation policy on buses was unconstitutional
King & other ministers created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLU); urged non-violent resistance to fight injustice

7. The Civil Rights Movement 1945-1975
18.2= Movement Gains Ground

8. Student Activism
1960= 1st sit-in took place in North Carolina, spread to other parts of the American south
Took place in southern restaurants, which refused to serve African-Americans
Student Ella Baker formed Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Goal= Grass-roots movement that involved all classes of African-Americans

9. Freedom Riders
Spring of 1961= Organized by CORE, African-Americans rode on two buses through the Deep South to defy segregation laws

10. Freedom Rides
Very dangerous, riders attacked & buses burned by southern whites
Led president of the time, John F. Kennedy, to support the Riders & intervene

11. Protests/Conflicts Intensify; 1962-1963
September, 1962= James Meredith, attempted to enroll at “Ole Miss”
Due to NAACP, Meredith won a federal court case that ordered the University of Miss. To desegregate
Governor of Miss., wanted to prevent the desegregation of the school
September 30= Full-scale riot developed due to rumors of Meredith’s arrival; 160 hurt & 2 killed

12. Protests/Conflicts Intensify
Spring of 1963= MLK & SCLC choose Birmingham, AL for major civil rights campaign
Began with sit-ins & marches, MLK participated & was arrested
Protests continued, until city decided to use police dogs & fire hoses on protesters
Led to President JFK to address the nation, calling civil rights a “moral issue”

13. March on Washington
August 28, 1963= Over 200,000 supporters of civil rights arrived in Washington D.C
Highlight= MLK’s “I Have a Dream Speech”

14. Civil Rights Act of 1964