Civil Rights

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A protest against segregation on Montgomery buses where Black riders had to sit in the back and give up their seats to white passengers.

Rosa Parks – real story

Rosa Parks was a trained activist who refused to give up her seat to challenge unfair segregation laws.

Strategies used in the boycott

Included carpool systems, walking instead of riding, mass meetings, and economic pressure on the bus company.

Brown v. Board of Education

A landmark Supreme Court case where plaintiffs, including Linda Brown's family, argued that segregated schools were unequal and harmful.

Decision of Brown v. Board of Education

Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

Little Rock Nine

Nine Black students who integrated Central High School, testing the Brown ruling's implementation.

Actions of Gov. Faubus & President Eisenhower

Faubus sent the National Guard to block students; Eisenhower sent federal troops to protect them.

Success of Central High desegregation

Despite facing violence, students proved that integration was possible with federal support.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

A group focused on racial equality through nonviolent protest and youth leadership.

Civil Disobedience

The act of peacefully breaking unjust laws to protest against them.

Sit-in protests

Students sat at segregated lunch counters, leading to integration of many public places.

Freedom Rides

Integrated bus trips through the South to test desegregation laws.

Violence faced by Freedom Riders

Buses were firebombed, riders beaten by mobs, and police failed to provide protection.

Outcomes of Freedom Rides

Resulted in the desegregation of interstate travel and federal enforcement of integration.

“Letter from Birmingham Jail”

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this in response to criticism for acting too fast in civil rights protests.

Key ideas from King’s letter

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere; nonviolence is essential; waiting means never.

Children’s Marches

Youth protests during which brutal police responses shocked the nation and garnered support for civil rights.

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing

Bombing by white supremacists that killed four girls, increasing outrage for civil rights legislation.

24th Amendment

Amendment that ended poll taxes.

Goals of Freedom Summer

To register Black voters in Mississippi.

Dangers faced during Freedom Summer

Civil rights activists faced beatings, arrests, bombings, and murders.

Events in Selma

Peaceful marchers were attacked on 'Bloody Sunday' while crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Voting Rights Act provisions

Banned literacy tests, allowed federal oversight of elections, and protected Black voting rights.

Malcolm X - childhood facts

His father was killed, mother institutionalized, moved into foster care, where he joined the crime world.

Involvement in Nation of Islam

Joined in prison and became a spokesperson for Black pride and separation.

Transformation after Mecca

After seeing Muslims of all races, he shifted toward supporting unity and working with other civil rights groups.

Stokely Carmichael

SNCC leader who popularized the term 'Black Power'.

Key points of Black Power

Emphasizes Black pride, self-defense, political control, and economic independence.

Black Panthers – founding

Founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland.

Goals and activities of Black Panthers

Self-defense against police violence, community programs, and Black empowerment.

Government efforts to discredit Black Panthers

FBI surveillance, infiltration, arrests, and propaganda.

Betty Friedan + The Feminine Mystique

Criticized the homemaker stereotype and pushed for workplace equality.

Examples of inequality + glass ceiling

Includes wage gaps, limited career opportunities, and discrimination.

NOW goals

National Organization for Women aimed for equal pay, ending discrimination, and reproductive rights.

How the movement became more radical

Younger feminists pushed for deeper social changes and challenged traditional gender roles.

ERA definition + timeline

Equal Rights Amendment guaranteeing equality by sex; passed Congress in 1972 but never fully ratified.

Birth control & abortion + Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide; debates focused on privacy and health rights.

Current issues for American women

Includes pay equity, childcare costs, reproductive rights, and leadership representation.

Defining characteristics of Latino civil rights

Diverse cultures from different Latin American countries facing low wages and discrimination.

Cesar Chavez + United Farm Workers

Fought for farmworker rights using strikes and boycotts, notably the grape boycott.

La Raza + efforts

Chicano movement advocating for political power, cultural pride, and equal rights.

Current Latino issues

Includes immigration reform, education gaps, discrimination, and voting rights.

Defining characteristics of Native American civil rights

Hundreds of tribal nations with experiences of land loss and cultural suppression.

Issues faced by Native Americans

Poverty, poor housing, lack of education and health services, and discrimination.

Alcatraz Island events

Native activists occupied Alcatraz (1969–71) to protest federal policies and demand land rights.

AIM actions at Trail of Broken Treaties & Wounded Knee

American Indian Movement fought for treaty rights, occupying federal buildings and protesting injustices.

Legal/legislative progress for Native Americans

Indian Self-Determination Act, land restoration cases, improved tribal rights.

Current Native issues

Includes missing Indigenous women, land rights, poverty, and environmental issues.

Impact of immigration laws on Asian Americans

Exclusion acts limited Asian immigration; 1965 Immigration Act opened doors.

Model Minority (definition + impact)

Stereotype portraying Asians as successful, concealing discrimination and pressures.

Student activism among Asian Americans

Fought for representation and rights, forming Asian American studies programs.

Efforts addressing WWII injustices for Japanese Americans

Fought for redress resulting in a 1988 apology and compensation.

Current issues for Asian Americans

Includes anti-Asian hate crimes, immigration policies, and workplace discrimination.

Early progress in disability rights

Disability rights groups advocated for accessibility and education.

Rehabilitation Act + Education for All Handicapped Children Act

Required equal access in federally funded programs and guaranteed public education.

Americans with Disabilities Act key points

Banned discrimination and required accessibility in workplaces and public spaces.

Current disability issues

Focus on accessible housing, employment discrimination, and healthcare access.

Stonewall Uprising

1969 protests following a police raid on a gay bar; sparked the modern LGBTQ+ movement.

PFLAG

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; an organization supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and families.

Harvey Milk

First openly gay elected official in California who fought for LGBTQ+ rights.

Current LGBTQ+ issues

Includes trans rights, healthcare access, anti-discrimination laws, and school policies.