Civil Rights Era

13th Amendment

Amendment to US constitution which abolished slavery and forced servitude except for as punishment for a crime. Passed in 1865

14th Amendment

states that anyone born in the US or naturalized is a US citizen, and the government can't infringe on citizens' rights - passed in 1868

15th Amendment

granted African American men the right to vote - 1870

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme court case in which Homer Plessy claims that his 13th and 14th Amendment rights were violated after he was arrested for not moving from a "whites only" train car in Lousisiana. Plessy lost and the idea of "Separate but equal" is enforced.

Executive Order 9981

Executive order given by Truman which said that black people needed to be treated equally and fairly in the Armed Forces and that there should be no discrimination based on race, religion, or otherwise

Jim Crow

Laws and rules that were designed to be heavily discriminatory towards black people, mostly being things like segregation laws or things to keep black people from progressing like rules on voting

Poll Tax

A tax that must be paid in order to vote - used to try and deter black people from voting

Literacy Test

Test on reading/writing skills which must be passed in order to vote. Often administered to black people and were made very difficult as a way to try to disenfranchise black voters

Jackie Robinson

First African American to play in Major League Baseball - a huge step for civil rights across the country. Brought an end to racial segregation in baseball and his influence helped do the same in other professional sports

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 - Case brought before the Supreme Court in which Linda Brown was suing for her right to go to a white school closer to her house. Represented by lawyer Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall

Lawyer hired by the NAACP to fight for Linda Brown in Brown v. Board. Eventually becomes first Black American on Supreme Court

Earl Warren

Chief Justice on Supreme Court who ruled over Brown v. Board. Decided 1: "Separate but Equal" (from Plessy v. Furgeson" is inherently unequal and 2: schools must integrate with all deliberate speed (quickly)

Southern Reaction to Brown v. Board

the South is extremely angry and governments sign Manifesto. Parents start sending white kids to private schools

Southern Manifesto

Document signed by members of Southern governments that claimed that the Supreme Court has overstepped/violated States' rights because they think that education should be decided at the state level

Emmett Till

14 year old boy who was kidnapped and brutally murdered after whistling at a white woman. Trial was before an all white jury, and nobody was ever proven guilty for his murder, even with witness testimony

Mamie Till

Emmett Till's mother who held an open casket funeral for Till which was attended by 100,000 people. "Let the world see what they did to my boy".

Emmett Till Impact

The results of Till's case led black people to live in fear of being kidnapped or lynched at any time. Till's death served as inspiration for social rights movement

Arkansas

Southern US state - capital is Little Rock. In 1957, Little Rock Central High School is supposed to integrate, but is taking a long time to do so

Little Rock Nine

September 1957 - 9 black students attempt to integrate in to LRCHS and are repeatedly heckled and harassed

Orval Faubus and National Guard

Governor of Arkansas calls the national guard (soldiers) to block the door and keep the Little Rock Nine from entering

White mob and attacks

For three weeks, the Little Rock Nine try to integrate in to the school and are repeatedly attacked by a mob of white adults. The mob spat at them, used the "N" word, and repeatedly threatened them every day

Eisenhower and Federal Troops

Eisenhower sends federal troops which outrank the National Guard to let the kids into school. He did not do this because he was super passionate about Civil Rights, but because he did not want Faubus to look more powerful on the evening news

Bottom Up movement - Grassroots

Most activists believe the government + courts are moving too slowly so they begin to take matters in to their own hands

Montgomery, Alabama

In 1955 activists begin to boycott public buses in Alabama after Rosa Parks' arrest

Segregated Buses

Buses were racially segregated, which meant that white people got to sit in the front while black people had to sit in the back. If seats were taken, white people could make black people stand and give up their seat.

Rosa Parks + NAACP

December 1955 - Rosa Parks, secretary of local NAACP, refuses to give up her seat and gets arrested. Her arrest was planned and sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Martin Luther King Jr.

Reverend and Civil Rights leader, he believed in stoicism and nonviolent protest

Boycott of Buses

for 381 days, Black Americans stay off of the buses and instead walk, carpool, or ride church vans instead of using public transportation. Gains a lot of media attention

Bus Company Revenue

The Bus Boycott is very effective and causes the bus companies' revenue to decrease by 66%. This combined with media attention forces buses to desegregate

Sit-Ins

1960 - Black college students sat at white-only lunch counters and other areas of service, and when they were refused service they continued to sit and refused to leave. Whenever demonstrators were removed, more would come to take their place.

Stoicism

The ability to endure pain, suffering, or even good things without reacting or complaining

Stoicism in sit-ins

Protesters who participated in sit-ins were heckled, called names, had things thrown at/on them, and were even attacked physically. The protesters practiced stoicism by refusing to react or fight back, which led to media coverage and changes in segregation policies

Freedom Rides

A form of protest in which many black and white students rode buses from Washington D.C. all through the South, en route to New Orleans. . Tires were slashed and many demonstrators were arrested or were victim to violent physical attacks. As a result, the freedom rides had to be completed by plane

Election of 1960

John F. Kennedy (D) (MA) vs. Richard Nixon (R) (CA)

Close Election

JFK believes in Civil Rights, but the election of 1960 was very close and he is worried about reelection so he feels like he can't do much for a Civil Rights Act

Attorney General Bobby Kennedy

JFK's brother Robert (Bobby) Kennedy is part of JFK's cabinet as the attorney general/goes off any time Martin Luther King is put in jail

Birmingham, Alabama

1963 - "The most segregated city in America", also known as "Bombingham" because of the large amount of bombings targeting Black people

MLK: Major Victory

MLK wants a big victory because he thinks it will push JFK and Congress to actually do something.

MLK Strategy

1: Fill the jails -> media attention. 2: Boycott stores in Birmingham -> target the money

"Illegal March"

MLK and company will be arrested for an "illegal" march in Birmingham (planned)

Overcrowded Jails

Most protesters end up in cells that were meant for 3 or 4 people but packed with ~50 people

Solitary Confinement

MLK is sent to solitary - very small cell with little light/human interaction

"Letter From Birmingham City Jail"

While in solitary, MLK writes a letter on a newspaper addressing other religious leaders who criticized his protests.

MLK letter summary

MLK says that, over the course of history, black people have been treated as inferior and subhuman and have waited too long to secure civil rights. He says that black people have been split in to two opposing groups: the ones who are upper-class and do not suffer as badly (and might even benefit) from segregation, and the ones who suffer the effects of discrimination daily. Finally, he says that protest is necessary because if black people can not let out the feeling of oppression peacefully then there will be violent consequences, as has been shown throughout history

Children's march

May 1963 - thousands of kids ages 4 to 18 skip school and join the nonviolent protests in Birmingham

Birmingham Police Commissioner/Children's March Response

"Bull" Connor - ordered the children's march to be shut down with things like police dogs, police batons, and fire hoses. Many children went to jail or were victim to this kind of violence

Results of Children's March

Children's March attracts national media attention - "what are they doing to kids?". Because of this, Birmingham has to integrate

JFK and Civil Rights Act

More pressure is put on JFK to push for a Civil Rights Act after the success of the Children's March

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -a large Civil Rights organization that supported Linda Brown in Brown v. Board.

SCLC

Southern Leadership Christian Conference - the organization that leads the Bus Boycott. MLK Jr. is a part of the SCLC

SNCC

Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee - A group formed by college students from the North and South to protest for civil rights. Responsible for things like sit-ins and freedom rides

CORE

Congress On Racial Equality - Group formed by Northern students led by James Farmer which became a large part of grassroots action alongside SNCC. Along with sit-ins and freedom rides, they arranged things like wade-ins (pools) and pray-ins (churches)

March On Washington

August, 1963 - A huge rally with the goal of pushing Congress + Kennedy for a Civil Rights Act. 250,000 activists attended, 200,000 black people and 50,000 white people

JFK's Commitment

After the March on Washington, JFK is finally motivated to make a Civil Rights Act

Kennedy Assassination

JFK is assassinated just when he would have focused on getting the Civil Rights Act passed

Lyndon B. Johnson

JFK's vice president who became president after he was assassinated

Kennedy Legacy

Johnson says that we owe it to Kennedy to pass the Civil Rights Act and that JFK deserves to have the Act passed

Johnson's Southern sway with Congress

LBJ uses the fact that he is from Texas to convince Congress to pass Civil Rights Act. Sweet-talking, not-bad bribery, etc.

Civil Rights Bill is passed

1: Desegregates all public facilities

2: Creates Equal Opportunity Commission which ends discrimination in hiring

1964 Election

LBJ (D)(TX) vs. Barry Goldwater (R)(AZ) -> LBJ wins

Democratic Congress

Election gives Democrats control of the House and Congress -> LBJ can get done anything he wants

Voting Discrimination

March 1965 -> Voting registration for Black Americans is very low and threats + intimidation from the KKK make it difficult to register

Selma, Alabama

Protesters gather to march for voting rights in Selma, and march to Montgomery, AL

Edmund Pettus Bridge

The people marching from Selma were stopped at this bridge by police and were brutally attacked on "Bloody Sunday"

Bloody Sunday

Protesters marching from Selma were stopped at the Edmund Pettus Bridge and viciously beaten by police. Many suffered the effects of tear gas, beatings, brain damage, and broken bones.

Voting Rights Act

LBJ finally says Voting Rights Act will happen. Passed in 1965, it was meant to put an end to the poll tax, literacy tests, and racial discrimination/intimidation in voter registration