Civil Rights Movements: Methods and Key Figures

Segregation

The process of keeping people and opportunities separated based on race or identity. The doctrine of 'separate but equal' became the cornerstone of segregation, fueled by the cultural tradition of discrimination.

Discrimination

The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of ethnicity, age, sex, or disability.

Langston Hughes' 1943 poem 'Beaumont to Detroit'

"You tell me that Hitler is a mighty bad man, I guess he took lessons from the Ku Klux Klan." - Langston Hughes used this poem to draw parallels between Nazi racism and racism in the US.

James Thompson's letter to the Pittsburgh Courier

"Should I Sacrifice to Live Half American?" - Thompson's letter instigated the 'Double V' campaign, encouraging African Americans to fight for victory and freedom abroad and at home.

Double V Campaign

Encouraged African Americans to fight for victory and freedom abroad and at home during WWII.

Executive Order 8802

Prohibited discrimination and created the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) during WWII.

Tuskegee Airmen

African American fighter pilots who formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces during WWII.

Executive Order 9981

Issued by President Truman in 1948, desegregating the US military.

March on Washington

A march that led to Roosevelt signing an executive order ending discrimination in defense contracts and industries.

Philip Randolph and the ABSCP

Threatened a march on Washington of 10,000 black workers, leading to Roosevelt signing Executive Order 8802 to end discrimination in defense work.

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

An African American civil rights organization founded in 1942 that played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement.

Fair Employment Practices Committee

Established during WWII to deal with cases of alleged discrimination against African American workers.

Civil Rights Section

Established by the Justice Department to address lynchings and police brutality during WWII.

Supreme Court's 1944 decision

Declared the exclusion of black voters from primary elections unconstitutional under the 15th Amendment.

Jim Crow Laws

Formalized system of segregation that ensured continuing inequality and humiliation.

Denial of citizenship based on race

A practice where citizenship rights were denied to individuals based on their race.

Derogatory term for African Americans

A term used to describe African Americans in a demeaning and offensive manner, portraying them as subhuman, savage, and stupid.

Racial Segregation and Discrimination in the Mid-1940s

A period characterized by extensive racial segregation and discrimination, especially in the American South, despite some segregation existing in the North and West.

Establishment of the NAACP

The founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909.

Migration of African Americans (1900-1950)

Movement of approximately 3 million African Americans from the Southern states to Northern states between 1900 and 1950.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Landmark 1896 Supreme Court case that established the 'separate but equal' doctrine, allowing segregation as long as equal facilities were provided.

Red-lining

A discriminatory practice where maps were used to mark areas considered high risk for mortgages, leading to concentrated poverty in black neighborhoods due to limited access to loans.

Lynching

The act of killing, usually by hanging, often used as a form of public execution without legal trial, particularly targeting African Americans.

Brown v. Board of Education

Landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional.

The Clinton 12

A group of African American students who were the first to attend a desegregated public high school in the Southern United States.

Grassroots Movement

Movement that originates from the people in a community rather than from political or social leaders.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Organization founded in 1957 advocating for confrontation of segregation through civil dissent, led by ministers like Martin Luther King Jr.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Organization founded in 1909 to legally advance racial equality and African American rights through methods like legal challenges and lobbying.

National Urban League

Organization founded in 1910 to counsel black migrants, provide education and employment opportunities, with an interracial board.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Organization founded in 1960 to promote nonviolence, challenge segregation, and fight racial injustice, playing a key role in voter registration drives.

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP)

Organization founded in 1925, known for President Phillip Randolph's threat of a March on Washington leading to Executive Order 8802 in 1941.

Black Panther Party

Radical and militant organization advocating for black self-defense and providing community services.

Citizenship Schools

Schools aiming to equip black people with the ability to vote by teaching them how to read and understand voter registration forms, as well as life skills.

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963)

Televised event demonstrating unity and strength of civil rights movement, leading to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Selma to Montgomery March

March in Alabama highlighting the struggle for voting rights.

Operation Breadbasket

Encouraged support for businesses providing employment opportunities.

Citizen Education Program

Provided training in citizenship for black people.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Supreme Court case overturning Plessy v. Ferguson, leading to greater awareness of racial inequalities.

Freedom Rides

Protests to desegregate interstate bus travel, drawing international attention and forcing changes.

Journey of Reconciliation

1947 action to test Supreme Court rulings against segregation in interstate travel.

Ella Baker

Influential figure in the founding of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Non-violent Approach

Rooted in Christian principles and inspired by Gandhi, considered 'safe' for white people.

Triple Evils

Believed racism, poverty, and militarism could only be defeated by non-violence.

NAACP Membership

Active in NAACP campaigns, ringleader of Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Birmingham Campaign

Challenged Jim Crow laws, initiated Children's March, inspired other cities.

Assassination Impact

Led to riots, growth of Black Panther Party, expedited Fair Housing Act.

Non-violence Criticisms

Some believed it brought change too slowly and divided the cause.

Legacy

Received Nobel Peace Prize, calls for national holiday in his honor.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Led by MLK, lasted over a year, resulted in Supreme Court ruling.

Direct Action

Includes legal cases, sit-ins, and marches to force change.

1954 Brown v. Board of Education

Called for desegregation of American schools, destroyed basis of Jim Crow.

1963 March on Washington

Demonstrated power of integrated approach to political pressure.

1965 Selma to Montgomery March

600 people marched for voting rights, a dangerous form of civil disobedience.

Political Agitation

Used speeches, public protests, and media to draw attention and support.

1968 Mexico Olympics

Olympians did Black Power salute, raised awareness for civil rights globally.

1968 Mexico Olympics Protest

Olympians punished for Black Power salute, raised global awareness.

Montgomery Bus Boycott Example

Greensboro Woolworth's sit-ins cost $200,000, involved 70,000 participants.

1957 Little Rock Arkansas Nine

Forced federal intervention to protect African American students in all-white school.

1955 Student Sit-in at Read's Drug Store

Sit-in in Baltimore to challenge discrimination.

1963 Birmingham Alabama Kneel-ins

Prayerful kneel-ins disrupted services in all-white churches.

1960 Silent March in Alabama

Demonstrated power of nonviolent direct action.

Phone Call to JFK

Black ministers urged votes for JFK after his solidarity with MLK.

Black is Beautiful Movement

Cultural movement challenging racist beauty standards.

Children's Crusade

May 1963 march in Birmingham involving children against segregation.

MLK's Non-Violent Approach

King's strategy inspired by Gandhi, emphasizing peaceful protests.

Malcolm X's Black Nationalism

Advocated for black self-sufficiency and separatism.

Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike

Highlighted non-violent social change, involving Baptist clergy.

SNCC's Persuasion Method

Focused on peaceful protest with dignity to effect change.

MLK's Integration Belief

Advocated for equality and integration of blacks and whites.

Malcolm X's Black Power Aim

Sought to empower blacks and create a Black state.

MLK's Civil Rights Legislation

Led to the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, and Fair Housing Act.

Malcolm X's Global Connections

Engaged with nationalist movements and anti-imperialist struggles.

MLK's Non-Violent Protests

Included speeches, boycotts, and marches for social change.

Malcolm X's Evolution

Transitioned from radicalism to advocating peaceful methods.

MLK's Impact

Inspired civil rights legislation despite some criticisms.

Malcolm X's Empowerment Message

Provided the basis for the emergence of Black Power.

MLK vs. Malcolm X Discrepancies

Differences in views on integration, self-sufficiency, and non-violence.

MLK's Multi-Racial Society

Believed in equality and coexistence of all races.

Malcolm X's Self-Defense Advocacy

Initially promoted violent self-defense for black empowerment.

MLK's Gandhian Influence

Derived non-violent methods from Gandhi's teachings.

Malcolm X's NOI Influence

Initially influenced by Nation of Islam's separatist ideology.

MLK's Tolerance Preaching

Advocated for tolerance and equality among all ethnic groups.

Malcolm X's Black Nationalist Beliefs

Promoted black self-esteem, separatism, and black empowerment.