history unit 8: civil rights

plessy v ferguson

• homer plessy sat in whites section of bus to test segregation laws in louisiana and was arrested

• supreme court set precedent for “separate but equal”, legalizing segregation

13th amendment

abolished slavery in 1865

14th amendment

equal protection under law, grants citizenship to ppl born or naturalized in US

15th amendment

right to vote regardless of race

brown v board of education

• daughter forced to walk an hr each day to go to all-black school

• supreme court said this violated 14th amendment, overturning plessy v ferguson

• set new precedent for integration of public facilities

emmett till

14 yr old boy murdered for “flirting” w/ a white woman

• kidnapped, beaten, shot, barbed wire

• so badly mutilated ppl could not identify him

suspects were acquitted (case is dropped) even though they admitted to committing the crime

montgomery bus boycott & rosa parks

economic boycott to protest the lack of integration in the south despite the ruling from brown v board

• rosa parks’ act of civil disobedience sparked this boycott

• ppl risked their safety to walk thru hostile neighborhoods, in the dark, etc

• lasted over a year

little rock nine

• 9 black students won a court case to be admitted into Central High School - all white

• gov of arkansas, Orval Faubus, ordered national guard to prevent them from entering school, but Prez Eisenhower took control

  • national guard walked students to class each day for the rest of the yr

• little rock, arkansas

civil rights act of 1957

protected voting rights through creation of Commission on Civil RIghts & Civil Rights justice department

• 1st civil rights legislation passed since reconstruction

• signed by prez eisenhower

greensboro sit-in

4 black students sat at a segregated lunch counter in order to challenge racial discrimination

• contributed to a widespread sit-in movement throughout the south

freedom riders

activists who went on bus trips from DC throughout the south in 1961 to challenge segregation & lack of integration

• faced extreme retaliation from policemen & white mobs

• prez kennedy sent 400 us marshals to protect them on the rest of their journey

birmingham campaign

MLK shifted movement towards major discriminatory cities who would most likely respond w violence in order to bring more media exposure to the movement

• sought children & teenagers

• policemen still used dogs and fire hoses

march on washington

over 250k black & white americans gathered at lincoln memorial to urge congress to pass Kennedy’s civil rights bill

• the bill would officially desegregate schools, protect every american’s right to vote, end segregation

• mlk i have a dream speech

civil rights act of 1964

banned discrimination based on race, religion, sex, & national origin in public places, employment, education

• signed by Prez Lyndon B Johnson

freedom summer

project led by CORE & SNCC to register as many african amers as possible to vote

• particularly in mississippi

• faced violent backlash

24th amendment

prohibited poll taxes

• inc voter participation among marginalized/poor groups

selma to montgomery march

MLK organized this march after Jimmy Lee Jackson (a demonstrator) had been shot during a SCLC protest

• was also to protect voter registration rights

• Bloody Sunday

bloody sunday

Sheriff Jim Clark’s Posse Men brutally attacked nonviolent protestors during the Selma to Montgomery march on March 7

• whips, clubs, barbed wire, gas

• injured 80 ppl

• raised awareness on voter suppression & violence

voting rights act of 1965

outlawed literacy tests & other discriminatory voting practices

• in response to bloody sunday

• signed by Prez Johnson

• black voter registration increased by 50% in js a few yrs

black power movement

about “taking over”, empowerment, racial pride, violence when necessary

• led by figures such as Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Stokely Carmichael, and Black Panthers

MLK assassination

shot on april 4, 1968 by james earl ray when standing on hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee

• chaos & riots broke out

civil rights act of 1968

prohibited discrimination in the sale and rental of housing, reinforced antilynching laws, illegalized harming civil rights workers

• signed by prez LBJ in response to unrest after MLK’s assassination

Malcolm X

• after pilgrimage to Mecca, adopted a black power philosophy

• policy of black supremacy

• violence to achieve goals when necessary

grassroot operations

small local orgs throughout the south

• southern christian leadership conference (SCLC)

  • led by MLK

• student nonviolent coordinating committee (SNCC)

  • college students

• congress of racial equality (CORE)

  • sit-ins, civil disobedience

vian malone & james hood

one of the first african americans to be admitted to an all-white state university in alabama

• Governor George C Wallace blocked the entrance at first & gave a speech

• national guards got Wallace to move and protected Malone & Hood

second wave feminism

period of women’s rights movement from 1960s-70s

• the “first” wave was the fight for suffrage

• now the fight included reproductive rights, workplace equality, double standards, societal discrimination, traditional roles, more opportunities

feminine mystique by betty friedan

1963 nonfiction book to protest traditional expectations of women

• “problem that has no name” = sense of dissatisfaction women felt w lack of meaning and opportunities in their life

gloria steinem

major feminist figure & reporter

• went undercover at playboy to expose sexism and harsh working conditions

• challenged misogynistic stereotypes through her composed demeanor, humility, humor, direct speaker

equal pay act of 1963

prohibited wage discrimination on the basis of sex

• signed by prez john f kennedy

• amendment to fair labor standards act

title vii of civil rights act of 1964

prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex

• focused on employment & workplace discrimination

• created Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

griswold v connecticut 1965

supreme court legalized contraceptives for married women, overturning a connecticut law

• ruled that state’s ban was an invasion of marital privacy

National Organization for Women (NOW)

created by betty friedan & others in 1966 bcs title vii was not being enforced

• played key role in womens liberation movement

• fought for ERA, won legal battles, supported abortion rights, advocated for more educational & occupational opportunities

title ix of education amendments of 1972

gave women equal access to higher education

• more women pursued STEM & sports

• 1979 # of female students on campus surpassed male

women restrictions in military change

bcs of growing pressure for gender equality and equal opportunities

• 1948 womens armed forces integration act gave women ability to serve BUT were restricted from certain roles & couldnt be in same units as men

• 1972 pilot training for women began

• 1977 women trained in same units as men

• 1979 enlistment requirements were made the same for both sexes

roe v wade 1973

set a precedent federally protecting womens right to abortion

dobbs v jackson 2022

ruled that states individually enact its own laws regarding abortion

• overturned roe v wade

ERA

aimed for equal rights under the law regardless of sex, ending legal distinctions between women & men

• failed bcs needed 38 states approval to be ratified but only got 35

eugenics movement

improving the human population thru selective breeding

• disabled ppl prevented from breeding through forced sterilization and labotomy

• seen as “unfit” to breed & hindrance to human race

• they were locked away or killed

• lost support after WWII due to Nazi Germany using it as means of justification for mass sterilizations & murder during holocaust

disability march on washington

lobbied for civil rights for disabled ppl to be included in the rehabilitation act

• successful

• 1st time disabled individuals were protected under law

rehabilitation act of 1973

prohibiting discrimination against disabled ppl in federally funded programs to ensure equal access to opportunities

• section 504 redefined disabilities, required equal access to public services, mandated public education for disabled students BUT needed to be signed separately by secretary of HEW

504 sit-in

Judith Heumann led sit-in protests in HEW regional offices (particularly san fran) to demand the signing of section 504

• took 5 yrs to get Section 504 signed in 1977

removal of ugly laws

prohibited anyone w visible physical disabilities from appearing in public or having a job (unless it was for the job’s benefit like freak shows)

• finally repealed in 1970s due to pressure from activists

education for all handicapped children act of 1975

mandated public schools to provide equal access to education for disabled kids

• classes required to fully include disabled kids unless their disability was too severe

• recognized education was a right for ALL, regardless of abilities

capitol crawl

disabled activists crawled up steps of capitol building w/out mobility aids to demand passage of 1990 ADA

• ADA was proposed in 1988 but wasnt being passed and activists were scared there would be another “504”

americans w disabilities act of 1990 (ADA)

mandate accommodations for disabled individuals in the workplace, telecommunications, public services

• signed by prez bush

• allowed for the full integration for disabled individuals

• (ofc it legally ended segregation but ppl r still discriminated against)

individuals w disabilities education act of 1990 (IDEA)

rename & elaborate on Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975

• expanded inclusion

• emphasized parents’ rights in educational decisions

• IEP

model minority

harmful myth/stereotype characterizing asians as polite, successful, naturally talented, etc

• other minorities should look up to them

3 main issues of model minority

1. ignores the diversity of asian american cultures

2. can minimize racism against asian americans

   • cause ppl to overlook racism - "not a big deal”

3. harmful to struggle for justice

   • creates a hierarchy among colored ppl

   • puts ppl of color in competition w one another

4 main goals of asian american movement

1. immigration reform

2. better working conditions

3. end the vietnam war

4. ethnic studies courses

larry itliong

filipino farmworker who led the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC)

dolores huerta & cesar chavez

itliong invites huerta & chavez to join the movement

• believed Chavez would be a better leader

• united filipino and latino workers

hunger strikes

ended calls for violence, drew attention to movement, earned praise from figures like MLK, Robert Kennedy

• 3 yrs into the strike Chavez went on a hunger strike, emulating his hero Mahatma Gandhi

grape boycott

5 yr strike beginning in Delano in 1965 when filipino workers led by itliong protested for better wages & working conditions

• Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta soon joined them, creating the United Farm Workers

• major sacrifices as poor workers went without pay for 5 yrs

immigration & nationality act of 1965

abolished the quota system previously established in the 1920s

• signed by prez LBJ

• replaced discriminatory laws such as the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and 1924 Immigration Act

delano to sacramento march

itliong, huerta, and chavez led a 300-mile march to demand better wages & working conditions

• SNCC also joined the march

• white farmers and sheriffs were violent toward protestors

creation of the term “Asian American”

1968 UC Berkeley grad students Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee created this term when coming up for a name for their student org: Asian American Political Alliance

• before 1968, term “oriental” was used to describe asians

• umbrella term helped unite asian subgroups

berkeley & sfsu strikes

led by Richard Aoki and the Third World Liberation Front to demand ethnic studies courses

richard aoki

• militant ideology bcs of being in an internment camp

• supported black panther party

• helped establish Asian American Political Alliance (?)

• opposed vietnam war

• helped establish ethnic studies program at berkeley

Third World Liberation Front (TWLF)

• militant ideology

• violent & disruptive bcs passionate about getting more representation

• made up of asians, natives, and african americans

vincent chin

murdered by Ronald Ebens & Michael Nitz bcs they were angry at asians for getting them laid off

• only charged w manslaughter (killed by accident)

• sentenced to 3 yrs probation and $3k fine but no jail time

civil liberties act of 1988

formally apologized for injustices Japanese americans faced during WWII, promised $20,000 in reparations to each individual who was incarcerated

• signed by Prez Ronald Reagan

• yuri kochiyama was a strong voice in this campaign

yuri kochiyama

strong voice in campaign for reparations & gov apology

2009 hate crimes prevention act

expand protections against hate crimes for marginalized groups, including diff races, religions, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability

• gave fed gov greater power to prosecute hate crimes

• signed by Obama

• in response to 1988 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Laramie, Wyoming & James Byrd Jr, black man in Jasper, Texas