MLK Case Study & Civil Rights Quiz

The NAACP and the legal strategy

An approach led by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (founded 1909) that focused on challenging segregation and discrimination through the court system. This strategy culminated in landmark cases like Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which declared school segregation unconstitutional. The NAACP pursued a methodical legal approach to dismantle Jim Crow laws and establish legal precedents for civil rights.

The Birmingham Campaign

A coordinated series of nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama, organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and led by Martin Luther King Jr. The campaign used economic boycotts, sit-ins, and mass demonstrations to target segregation. When Police Commissioner Bull Connor responded with fire hoses and police dogs against peaceful protesters (including children), the resulting national media coverage generated widespread public support for civil rights legislation.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

A 381-day mass protest that began after Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. African Americans boycotted the city buses, creating an alternative transportation system. Led by Martin Luther King Jr., the boycott ended when the Supreme Court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional, marking one of the first major victories of the modern civil rights movement.

The Greensboro (sit-in) Movement

Began when four Black college students from North Carolina A&T sat at a whites-only Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro and refused to leave after being denied service. The tactic quickly spread throughout the South, with thousands participating in similar nonviolent protests. These sit-ins led to the desegregation of many businesses and the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Freedom Rides

Interracial activists who rode buses through the South to challenge segregation in interstate transportation facilities. Despite Supreme Court rulings outlawing segregation in interstate travel, southern states continued the practice. Freedom Riders faced violent mob attacks, bus burnings, and imprisonment. The campaign led the Kennedy administration to enforce desegregation in interstate transportation facilities.

The Albany Campaign

A desegregation movement in Albany, Georgia, that sought to end all forms of racial discrimination in the city. Led by the SCLC and SNCC, it was largely considered unsuccessful because Police Chief Laurie Pritchett studied nonviolent tactics and avoided violent responses that would attract media attention. The campaign's failure helped civil rights leaders refine their strategies for future protests, including the Birmingham Campaign.

The Marches in Selma (and from Selma to Montgomery)

Series of marches promoting voting rights for African Americans in Alabama. The first attempt, known as "Bloody Sunday," saw peaceful protesters violently attacked by state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The final successful 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, protected by federal troops, helped lead to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting.

The Boston Busing Crisis

Period of violent protests and civil unrest in Boston following a court order to desegregate the city's public schools through busing students between predominantly white and Black neighborhoods. The crisis revealed that racial segregation and resistance to integration weren't limited to the South. It featured violent confrontations, white flight from public schools, and highlighted the challenges of implementing desegregation policies in northern cities.