Civil Rights Movement Study Guide

Discrimination

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

Segregation

The enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment.

De jure segregation

Segregation that is enforced by law, such as Jim Crow laws.

De facto segregation

Segregation that occurs through social conditions, customs, or economic factors rather than legal requirements.

Civil disobedience

The nonviolent refusal to obey certain laws, demands, or commands of a government as a form of political protest.

Black power

A movement emphasizing racial pride, economic empowerment, and the creation of black political and cultural institutions.

Reverse discrimination

The claim that policies like affirmative action result in unfair treatment of majority groups, often white individuals.

Pay equity

The concept that individuals in the same workplace should receive equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender or race.

Affirmative Action

Policies aiming to increase opportunities for historically marginalized groups in education and employment.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolent protest and led significant civil rights events.

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Malcolm X

A leader in the Nation of Islam who initially advocated for black separatism but later supported racial unity.

Huey Newton/Bobby Seale

Founders of the Black Panther Party, which advocated for self-defense and community programs.

Stokely Carmichael

Leader in the SNCC who popularized the term 'Black Power'.

James Meredith

The first Black student to integrate the University of Mississippi in 1962, sparking riots.

President Truman

Issued Executive Order 9981, desegregating the U.S. military in 1948.

President Eisenhower

Sent federal troops to enforce school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.

President Kennedy

Supported civil rights legislation and protected Freedom Riders; assassinated in 1963.

President Johnson

Signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Black Panthers

A militant civil rights organization that advocated for self-defense and social programs.

NAACP

Civil rights organization that fought for desegregation and legal equality.

SNCC

Youth-led civil rights group known for organizing sit-ins and voter registration efforts.

SCLC

Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded by Martin Luther King Jr. focusing on nonviolent activism.

Brown v. BOE (1954)

Supreme Court ruling that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Murder of Emmett Till (1955)

The brutal lynching of a Black boy, sparking national outrage and civil rights activism.

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)

A protest against bus segregation led by Martin Luther King Jr.

Little Rock 9 (1957)

Group of Black students who integrated Central High School in Arkansas amidst violent opposition.

Woolworth’s Sit-In (1960)

A staged sit-in at a segregated lunch counter sparking a sit-in movement.

Freedom Rides (1961)

Integrated bus rides through the South to challenge segregation in interstate travel.

Children’s March (1963)

A protest by Black children in Birmingham to highlight segregation, drawing national attention.

March on Washington (1963)

Massive protest for civil rights where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Freedom Summer (1964)

A voter registration campaign in Mississippi that faced violent opposition.

Selma (1965)

Series of marches for voting rights, leading to the Voting Rights Act after Bloody Sunday.

Watts Riots → Kerner Commission (1965)

Riots over racial injustice leading to a commission reporting systemic racism as a root cause.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Court case that upheld segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation banning literacy tests and ensuring voting rights for Black Americans.

Civil Rights Act of 1968

Also known as the Fair Housing Act, prohibiting housing discrimination.