1. Civil Rights

1964 Civil Rights Act

Ended de jure segregation in the South: public transport, universities and hospitals

Est Equal Employment Commission: ban discrimination race, religion or sex

Why was the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed?

Passed due to activism, northern white support, JFK & Johnson

Despite 1964 Act: 68% Southern black children attended segregated schools

1964 Civil Rights Act weakly enforced

50% black population but 23 registered voters

Reasons for the Selma Campaign

What happened in the 1965 Selma Campaign?

MLK led protests against disenfranchisement

‘Bloody Sunday’ pushed Congress to pass VRA 1965

What happened on Selma’s ‘Bloody Sunday’ 1965?

600 peaceful civil rights marches brutally attacked by state troopers and law enforcement

What happened to the victims of ‘Bloody Sunday’?

Victims were tear-gassed, whipped and beaten

1965 Voting Rights Act

Ban literacy and constitutional tests

What was the impact of the 1965 Voting Rights Act

1968 59% black population of Mississippi registered to vote

1969 6x Increase black representation in gov

MLK changing focus

Address urban ghetto poverty ‘Watts’ area

1965 Watts riots

Large-scale ghetto riot in Watts, LA

Rioters chant ‘long live Malcom X’ and set fire to stores

MLK saw this as a plea for economic equality leading him to launch the Chicago campaign

32% v 56%

% of black ghetto students who graduated highschool v white

50-70% Unemployed

Black youth in ghettos

Many black Americans preferred the North because…

Less discrimination in public spaces

Cities: Detroit & New York offer more opportunities and less segregation

What sparked the 1966 Chicago Campaign?

De facto segregation and economic inequality persist despite CRA 1964

Ghetto residents turn to radicalism and violence: MLK sought to redirect towards non-violence and moderate activism (lived ghetto himself)

Black ghettos: unemployment, poor housing and education problems

700,000 black people in…

Ghettos which sparked the Chicago Campaign

In the 1966 Chicago Campaign MLK…

Marched to highlight: rat-infested apartments, lack of air conditioning and housing discrimination

During the 1966 Chicago Campaign there was…

White violence & abuse

Mayor Daley initially agree to make improvements but reneged after MLK left

Why was the 1966 Chicago Campaign a failure?

Limited success: fail to unite impoverished groups

Alienated white people

Despite federal housing grants: black Chicagoans felt apathetic

Disillusionment towards MLK, many turn to ‘Black Power Movement’

$4mil

Federal housing grants given after the Chicago Campaign

1968 Assassination

MLK died

MLK Successes

Led Montgomery bus boycott and Birmingham Campaign

Efforts help dismantle racial segregation in South

1963 March on Washington: ‘I have a dream’

Non-violent protest: v violence gained media attention and pressure

Leader of SCLC, cooperated with: NAACP, SNCC, CORE

Advocated affirmative action which influenced programs under Johnson and Nixon ‘1969 Philadelphia Plan’

MLK Assassination led to…

1968 Fair Housing Act: Prohibit racial discrimination in housing

Grassroots Activism despite national leaderlessness

Federal Support: executive and judiciary continue support affirmative action

MLK Limitations

1966 Chicago campaign deep-rooted ghetto issues

Contrasting leadership style with other movements

Assassination spark riots in 100+ cities $45mil in property damage

Rise of Black Power radicalism

100+ cities and $45mil property damage

Negative reaction to MLK assassination

Nation of Islam

1930 Est by Elijah Muhammad: promote black supremacy and separation from whites

Increase racial divisions and contributed to black power

1959 ‘The Hate that Hate Produced’

Malcom X under NOI produced show

White ‘enemy’ and advocated for black self reliance

250,000 members in 1969

Nation of Islam membership

1946 incarcerated for being a drug dealer and burglar

Malcom X background

What did Malcom X do?

Ecouraged racial pride and independence through NOI teachings but left in 1964 due to disagreements in teaching

Improve black lives through speeches and writings: sepratism not integration

Later became more open to idea of racial unity but remained militant in his approach

What did Malcom X inspire?

Raise awareness of Northern ghetto problems

Contributed to growing sense of black pride

Inspired Black Power movement figure: Stokely Carmichael

Malcom X Criticism

Racist by many white media and black integrationists: Thurgood Marshall and Jackie Robinson '

NOI called him a ‘cowardly hypocrite’ after his assassination

1965 Assassination

Malcom X death

Black Power Movement beliefs

Sought political/social independence and racial pride

Advocated violence and armed self defence

Influenced by Malcom X and disillusioned with NAACP/SCLC

‘Black Power’ phrase

1966 Popularised by Stokely Carmichael in the Black Power Movement

Black Power Movement: Decline

Ideological split: black capitalism v Stokely Carmichael later ‘Kwame True’ argue racism and capitalism tied together (socialist)

Loss of white liberal funding

Sexism alienated female supporters

ill-defined and poorly organised

Black Panthers: Ideas

1966 Founded by Newton & Seale

Ten-point platform (10 beliefs) employment, housing, education etc

Support ghettos and liberation schools

Challenge police brutality

Black Panthers rising popularity

1969: 5,000 members in 30 cities and newsletter reach 250,000 readers

Decline 1982

Black Panthers

Conflict with authorities: FBI

Internal divisions and leadership deaths

‘To challenge all-pervasive overriding fear’

1966 James Meredith marched for black voter registration through Mississippi

Shot multiple times evoking fear to register

1966 Meredith March

Organisations met to march: SNCC, CORE, MLK and Carmichael

SNCC intend to bring marchers and reporters to towns black people were unregistered and use civil disobedience

What did MLK do in the 1966 Meredith March?

MLK attempt to reflect new racial mood without abandoning non-violence and brotherhood

‘Not arresting, they were punishing’

Journalist noted in 1966 Meredith March

Police officers: kicked men, women and children while firing canisters of tear gas

‘Black power’

Shouted by Carmichael (leader of SNCC) contraversial

1966 Meredith March

1960’s Mexican Americans living conditions

80% lived in urban ghettos with high unemployment, poor housing and discrimination

1962 NFWA

National Farm Workers Association

Founded by Cesar Chavez

1959 AWOC

Agricultural Workers Organising Committee

Filipino farmworkers in California

UFW aimed to…

Organise Mexican-American farmworkers better work conditions with non-violence

Inspire Mexican Americans into activism and gov attention

1965 Strike: 17mil Americans join

Delano Grape Strike: AWOC & NFWA (mexican and filipino)

Boycott table grapes to fight against exploitation of farm workers

Created the UFW labour union in 1966

1968 Student Activism LA

Mexcican-American history

Bilingual education

More Mexican American staff