America 1917-1980 - civil rights

Topic 2

Pre-1917 advancements

1865; 13th ammendment abolished slavery - 1870; 15th amendment declared all US citizens to have voting rights

Prevention of black suffrage pre-1917

Sharecropping systems kept Black Americans tied to land - Southern states introduced literary tests, grandfather clauses and property qualifications

1925 KKK membership

Between 3 and 8 million

The Great Migration

More workers were needed for factories in the North - jobs were low paid and accomadation was crowded - 6 million

New Deal and civil rights

Many Black Americans shifted to supporting democrats - number of Black Americans working in federal government rose by 100,000 - frequently moved off of projects in favour of white workers

EO 8802

Non-discrimination in defence work passed to include Black Americans in army - number of Black defence workers rose by 5% between 1942-45

Truman and Civil Rights

1948; desegregation of the military - proposed an anti-lynching, anti-segregation and fair employment law in 1954

NAACP pre-1950s

600 members in 1946 compared to 9000 in 1917 - 1917; segregated housing ruled unconstitutional thanks to NAACP lawyers - litigation focused

UNIA

1 million members at peak - embraced segregation

CORE

Deliberately had Black and White members working together peacefully

Brown v Board 1954

Ruled that doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ (Plessy v Ferguson 1986) held no place in public education

Impact of Brown v Board

Supreme court implemented a slow and cautious approach - by 1960 only 1% of Southern black students went to integrated schools

Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955-1956

NAACP chose Rosa Parks to be arrested at back of bus - protest lasted 380 days losing around 35,000 in bus fares each day - 13th November 1965; bus segregation ruled unconstitutional

Greensboro Sit-In 1960

Four students bought small items from segregated seated lunch counter, after 4 days over 300 students had joined protest - The movement spread to 55 cities in 13 states within a month - SNCC was created becoming a leader force in the civil rights movement

Freedom Rides 1961

Test whether bus restrooms had been desegregated after 1961 Supreme Court ruling - as campaigners went further they faced extreme violence; Anniston the KKK firebombed the bus

Freedom Summer 1964

Intended to increase number of Black voters in preparation of election of LBJ - drew attention to aggression faced by Black voters - Only 1600 of the 17000 who tried to register to vote where accepted

Emergence of Black Militancy

1966; After shooting of James Meredith and ‘March Against Fear’ many became disenfranchised with non-violent protest

Rise in Black Militancy

1966; SNCC expels white members, 1968; Core expels white members - 1970; 64% of Black American said they took pride in Black Panthers

1960 Civil Rights Act

Established federal inspection and penalties for obstruction of voting - added 3% of voters to electoral register

1964 Civil Rights Act

Ended segregation in public places and employment authorising use of lawsuits in enforcing desegregation

1965 Voting Rights Act

Banned use of literacy tests and other methods of voting discrimination

1967 Loving v Virginia

Found Jim Crow banning of interracial marriage was under constitutional under 14th ammendment

1971 Swann v Charlotte

Upheld ‘busing programs’ that aimed to increase integration of public schools

Economic achievements of Civil Rights

On socioeconomic scale (7=servant to 75=professional) Black men moved from 16 (1940) to 31 (1980) and Black women from 13 to 36

Aims of Native American Rights campaigns

Return to Tribal Homelands after 1830 Indian Removal Act, self-determination and cultural respect

Wounded Knee Operation 1973

Site of 1980 massacre - February 27th protesters entered and took control of town establishing ‘independent Oglala nation’ - after 10 weeks of para-military action occupiers surrendered with 4 having died

Longest walk 1978

Aimed to highlight issues such as poverty, land theft and discirmantion - organised by AIM to cover 3200 miles - persuaded congress to reject bills that threatened rights

Alcatraz occupation 20th November 1969

Attempt to occupy prison (closed 1963) under Fort Laramie treaty of 1968 - published ‘Alcatraz proclamation’ stating intentions for use of island as a school, cultural centre and museum - June 11th; government force removed remaining occupies having cut off all electrical power

Native American rights gains

Nixon felt it was easier to give rights to 800,000 Native Americans than 22 million Black Americans; 1972 Indian Education act, 1975 India Self-determination act, 1978 Indian child welfare act

Aims of Hispanic American campaign

Relocation to cultural homelands (1846-48 American-Mexican war ended by Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo), improved farm and barrio conditions

Cesar Chavez

1965; merged with striking workers to form United Farm Workers - 1966 organised non-violent demonstrations against mistreatment and national grape boycott

Brown Berets

local protest which coalesced into a movement rejecting the soft approach of older organisations

Chicano Movement; 16th June 1968

Walkout of schools demanding bilingual teachers and end of mocking of heritage

Gains of Hispanic movement

1954; ruled as Equal citizens - 1966; Congress' Cuban American Adjustment Act saying anyone who lived in the US for a year was a permanent resident - 1974 equal opportunities Act; bilingual teaching in schools is implemented - extended to language assistance in the 1975 Voting Rights Act

Limitations of Hispanic campaign

Poverty rate was 1/3 (double of general population), 1980; Castro allowed 124,776 Cubans to emigrate from port of Mariel leading to resentment in Florida and repeal of Bilingual-Bicultural ordinance of 1973

Aims of Gay Rights movement

Stop discrimination, national decriminalisation of Homosexuality, End to police brutality

Stonewall riot - 28th June 1969

Police raided gay bar as about 400 people fought back against the police resulting in several nights of protests - Gay Liveration Front formed as a result

Pride Marches

28th June 1970; first Gay Pride march in New York, San Francisco and LA

15th December 1973

American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from list of mental illnesses

Harvey Milk

Elected in 1977 campaigning against Proposition 6 - assasinated in 1978

End of gay rights movement

1970s rise in conservatism led to a rise in the ‘lavender scare’ - 1977 Dade Country Florida; Anita Bryant created ‘Save Our Children’