High Point of the Civil Rights Movement (1960–1965)

sit-ins (1960): Greensboro Four

-College students inspired by MLK

-Woolworth’s lunch counter

-Nonviolent discipline

sit-ins (1960): expansion

-Spread across South

-Youth leadership

-Arrests and harassment

sit-ins (1960): Organizational impact

-Creation of The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

-Emphasis on grassroots activism

Freedom Rides (1961): purpose

-Test desegregation rulings

-Integrated interstate travel

Freedom Rides (1961): resistance

-Mob violence

-Firebombings

-Police inaction

Freedom Rides (1961): Federal response

-Interstate Commerce Commission enforcement

-Federal authority asserted

Birmingham Campaign (1963): goals

-End segregation in city

-Challenge local power structure

Birmingham Campaign (1963): tactics

-Marches and boycotts

-Children’s Crusade

-Mass arrests

Birmingham Campaign (1963): media impact

-Fire hoses and police dogs

-National outrage

-Kennedy administration pressure

March on Washington (August 28, 1963): demands

-Jobs

-Civil rights legislation

-Economic justice

March on Washington (August 28, 1963): Coalition

-Civil rights groups

-Labor organizations

-Religious leaders

March on Washington (August 28, 1963): legacy

-MLK’s “I Have a Dream”

-Public support for legislation

Civil Rights Act (1964)

-Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson

Civil Rights Act (1964): provisions

-outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin

-Ended segregation in public facilities

-Banned employment discrimination

-Equal access to education

Civil Rights Act (1964): enforcement

-Federal government authority

-Justice Department involvement

Voting Rights Act (1965): barriers addressed

-Literacy tests

-Poll taxes

-Intimidation

Voting Rights Act (1965): federal action

-Election oversight

-Rapid voter registration increases

Voting Rights Act (1965): immediate impact

-Black elected officials increase

-Political power expansion