topic 8 lessons 1-3

Plessy v. Ferguson

1890 case that established the 'Separate but equal' doctrine, leading to Jim Crow laws.

De Jure Segregation

Segregation enforced by law, prevalent in the South.

De Facto Segregation

Segregation enforced through habit or practice, prevalent in the North.

Congress for Racial Equality

Founded by James Farmer, it fought against segregation in the North and supported non-violent protest.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, began to challenge segregation using the court system, targeting education.

Thurgood Marshall

NAACP lawyer and eventual Supreme Court Justice.

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 Supreme Court ruling that separate but equal violated the 14th amendment.

Hernandez v. Texas

Ruling that Mexican American children could not be segregated.

Arkansas Governor Faubus

Did not support integration and ordered the National Guard to prevent nine colored students from attending Little Rock Central High School.

President Eisenhower to Brown

Sent federal troops to escort students to/from school, asserting federal law over state defiance.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

381-day boycott initiated by Rosa Parks' arrest, organized by NAACP and the Montgomery Improvement Association.

Impact of Montgomery Bus Boycott

Demonstrated the African American community's capacity for successful protest and the importance of non-violent resistance.

Sit-ins

Protests where African American college students staged sit-ins at segregated lunch counters, notably in Greensboro, NC.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Founded by MLK and others to encourage nonviolent protests against discrimination.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Directed by Ella Baker, it provided a platform for African-American students to voice ideas and organize protests.

Freedom Rides

CORE and SNCC members tested Supreme Court decisions on integrating interstate buses, provoking violent reactions in Alabama.

March on Washington

A significant event organized to advocate for civil rights.

Phillip Randolph and Bayard Rustin

Key figures in the civil rights movement who organized the March on Washington.

250,000+ marchers

The number of participants in the March on Washington.

Lincoln Memorial

The location where the marchers assembled during the March on Washington.

MLK 'I Have a Dream' speech

A famous speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation that prohibited discrimination due to race, religion, ethnicity, and gender.

JFK's role in the Civil Rights Act

The act was initiated by President John F. Kennedy but was not passed by Congress until after his death.

Equal access to public accommodations

A provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that granted citizens equal access to public facilities.

No discrimination in employment

A key aspect of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits employment discrimination.

MLK's 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail'

A letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. in response to criticism from local clergymen regarding protests.

Birmingham Campaign

A series of nonviolent protests led by Martin Luther King Jr. in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963.

April 1963 arrest of MLK

Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham for violating an anti-protest injunction.

Nobel Peace Prize 1964

Awarded to Martin Luther King Jr. for his efforts in the civil rights movement and nonviolent resistance.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Published in the national press, along with images of police force against protesters in Birmingham, building support for the civil rights movement around the nation.

Freedom Summer 1964

An African American voter registration drive focused on Mississippi, which recruited college volunteers (many were white) and met with violence and murders.

Selma, Alabama 1965

MLK organized a 50-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, which met with violence while the nation watched on TV and was horrified; LBJ sent in federal troops to protect marchers.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Eliminated literacy tests and resulted in the number of African Americans registered to vote tripling.

Kerner Commission

Appointed by LBJ to study causes of urban violence, reported that white racism was the root cause, and called for job creation, an end to de facto segregation, and new housing to wipe out ghettos.

Malcolm X

A follower of Elijah Muhammad who converted to the Nation of Islam; preached that whites were the cause of all problems faced by blacks and advocated for armed self-defense and a message of racial pride.

Malcolm X splits Nation of Islam

After making a pilgrimage to Mecca, he changed his views towards racial equality and was assassinated in 1965.

Black Power

SNCC and CORE split with MLK's teachings and became more militant; Stokely Carmichael called for black power and to stop recruiting whites into the civil rights movement.

Black Panthers

Started against police brutality, advocated for self-sufficiency among African Americans, preached self-defense, and helped people in ghettos.

Civil Rights Gains

Included the end of de jure segregation, the Civil Rights Act of 1968 which ended housing discrimination, increased school integration, and increased African American pride and political participation.

Affirmative Action

Special efforts to hire groups that had been discriminated against.