1. Civil Rights & The Warren Court

2. Civil Rights & Conflict
Civil rights movement gained momentum during Kennedy’s presidency
Due to a close election, Kennedy was hesitant to push for civil rights early on
More than once, Kennedy used federal troops to control mob violence and protect black students’ rights to attend classes at public schools and universities

3. The Leadership of Dr. King
Civil rights activists in the South were met by beatings, bombings, and murder
Dr. King committed to nonviolent protests
Jailed in 1963 for a peaceful march
The arrest and jailing of King sparked outrage across America- many believed he had been jailed unjustly
From his jail cell, King wrote the famous essay “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Influenced Kennedy to support tougher civil rights bills

4. March on Washington
August 1963: Dr. King led one of the largest and most successful peace demonstrations in U.S. history
200,000 black and white protestors
The highlight of the demonstration was King’s “I Have a Dream” speech

5. March to Montgomery
Voting rights march from Selma, Alabama to state capitol of Montgomery met with beatings and tear gas
“Bloody Sunday”
Televised pictures of the conflict proved to be a turning point in the civil rights movement
National outrage prompted LBJ to send federal troops to protect Dr. King and the other marchers
Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of

6. Malcolm X Converted to Islam while serving a prison sentence
Adopted the name Malcolm X
Criticized Dr. King as an “Uncle Tom” and advocated self- defense or black violence
After a visit to Mecca, Malcolm X began to soften his stance on violence but was assassinated in

7. Race Riots & Black Power
Radicalism of Malcom X influenced young blacks in SNCC and CORE
Repudiated nonviolence, advocated “black power” and racial separatism
1966: Black Panthers organized by Huey Newton, Bobby Seale as a revolutionary socialist movement
Advocated self-rule for American blacks
Race riots continued to erupt each summer; made whites suspect black extremists and revolutionaries were behind the violence
A federal investigation into the increasing number of race riots concluded racism and segregation (not black activism) were responsible for turning the U.S. into “two societies, one black, one white- separate and unequal”
By the mid-1960’s, civil rights was no longer a Southern issue, but a national one

8. Murder in Memphis Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964
But his nonviolent approach was under increasing pressure
King’s peaceful marches were met with little success, and he also broke away from LBJ on the Vietnam war because it drained resources from social and civil rights programs
April Dr. King was assassinated while standing on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee

9. Murder in Memphis
Massive riots erupted in cities in response to Dr. King’s assassination
At least 46 dead
Violence did not reflect Dr. King’s beliefs, but revealed the anger and frustration among African Americans
Also fed a growing “white backlash”

10. The Warren Court Earl Warren was Chief Justice from 1953 to 1969
His impact on the nation was comparable to John Marshall’s
Warren’s decision in Brown v. Board was by far the most important race relations case in the 20th century
1960s: Warren Court profoundly affected the criminal justice system, state political systems, and the very definition of individual rights