Civil Rights Movement

Montgomery Bus Boycott (Dates, Spark)

5 December 1955 - 20 December 1956

Spark: WPC building movement to challenge segregation of buses (eg: Claudette Colvin (hs) arrest) - Parks arrest (1st december) was the ‘why’ they were waiting for

MBB Signifcance

1. Demonstrated that NVDA could work - especially with the widespread community (mainly black people) and sustained community boycott

2. 5 June 1956 Browder V Gayle - federal district court

3. 13 Nov 1956 Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public transport was unconstitutional

4. Emergence of MLK (newly elected leader of Montgomery Improvement Association)

5. MIA tactics of combining NV protest with Christian ideals became the model for challenging Sthn Segregation

Role of Rosa Parks

Member of NAACP

Act of defiance + subsequent arrest was the spark for the MBB after continued discrimination on buses

MBB + Parks’ action was significant early example of NVDA which was successful

MBB - Groups and their ideas

1. MIA

2. NAACP

3. Middle Class AA - car pools

4. Small no. of sympathetic whites

MBB - methods employed

1. NVDA

2. Economic boycott - impacted Montgomery City Council who got majority of bus fares money from AA

3. Legal Challenge

4. Community action - carpooling

MLK Beliefs, aims, methods, MBB

1. Start of his prominence

2. Motivating speeches - articulating feelings and frustrations in an intelligent and persuasive way

3. Christian ideals of brotherhood and social justice

4. Provided little reason for retaliation - NV, not breaking laws

MBB opposition

Montgomery City Council

• refusal to meet demands of early negotiations with MIA

• Indicted over 80 boycott members for 1921 law that “prohibited consipares that interfered with lawful business”

• King + 88 others arrested

Kings house bombed

Insurance companies - refused to insure carpooling cars (as pressured by the city council)

Desegregation of Little Rock Events

May 57 - SCOTUS ruled racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional

2 September 57 - Arkansas Governor Faubas ordered the states Nat. Guard to block the black students entrance - claimed to protect them as he had evidence that significant civil violence would occur

3 September 57 - Federal judge ordered LR9 to begin attending immediately

4 Sept - Belligerent mob + Nat. Guard blocked entrance again

20 September - Fed Judge ordered Nat guard to be removed

23 Sept - LR9 escorted through side door by police - crowd tried to gather and rush - officials send 9 home in fear of their safety (after around 3 hours of classes)

25 Sept - after plea from LR’s mayor - Eisenhower federalised Arkansas National Guard and sent US army - LR9 began regular attendance (personally guarded by Nat. Guard soldiers and Army)

Desegregation of LR HS Methods

1. Testing court rulings - specifically BvB

2. Media coverage = pressure on Gov + President - successfully forced him to act

Desegregation of LR HS Significance

1. Federal Involvement

   1. Eisenhower forced to intervene - despite little conviction

   2. Use of Federal Troops proved that Segregation in Sth could not survive (had to follow new court. Rulings which are increasingly occurring)

   3. Passing of CR Bill ‘57 shortly after - but weak legislation

2. Gained national and international attention

   1. Media for NAACP - students abuse and humiliation

   2. Showed extent of Sthn Resistance - not following court rulings and violent

3. Highlighted Sthn resistance

   1. General white resistance strengthen WCC

   2. Sthn political resistance

   3. Proved that CRM would have to rely on more than just the courts rulings

   4. Faubus gained political strength - easily re-reflected and model for other Sthn leaders

Freedom Rides Context

1961 -

1. Progress of CRM slowing after MBB, LR and Sit-ins

2. lack of central CR body = tension emerging

3. CORE drove Freedom rides to test SCOTUS ruling that banned segregated interstate transport

4. FR as response to 1960 ruling Boynton v. Virginia which desegregated bus terminals, restrooms and facilities

5. AIM: to arouse extremist Southeners to force the Federal gov to act

6. Pres JFK not strong CRM advocate yet - worried about losing support of Sthn democrats

Freedom Rides - Key events + NV strategies/methods used (11 key dates)

1 May 61 - NV training and orientation (DC)

4 May 61 - 13 (7 black, 6 white) left DC on Greyhound and Trail-way buses to New Orleans

9 May - Rockhill, SC: group of activists attacked at bus terminal

10-11 May - Jim Peck, Henry Thomas arrested

13 May - met with MLK - warned that KKK were planning attack - urged to reconsider ride into Deep South

14 May - violent mob of over 100 people - Klansmen had been given permission to strike agaisnt FR without arrest - one bus firebombed - law enforcement late to respond

• prompted James Farmer of CORE to end campaign

17 May - 10 riders resumed rides from Nashville to Birmingham - arrested by BC for defying segregation laws - logistical challenges (including not having a bus driver = riders stranded in city)

• Federal Intervention began - JFK called Greoyhound + demanded driver

• Department of Justice rep - Seigenthaler accomapanying the FR - aimed to diffuse dangerous situation meeting w/ reluctant Alabama Governor Patterson led to full police escort for the next morning

20 May - Bus escorted in direction of Montgomery by highway patrol cars - patrol leaves when bus gets to Montgomery. - attack by hundreds of Klansmen

21 May - MLK staged rally - called for federal intervention - AG Kennedy mobilised federal Marshalls to keep violent mobs forming outside rally - Alabama Nat. Guard escorted people out of Chuirch at dawn

29 May - Kennedy Admin. Announced that it had directed the ICC to ban segregation in alll facilities - but rides still continued

1 November 61 - ICC ruling (illegal segregation) took effect

Freedom Rides - Significance

1. Revealed that the Sth remained intrenched with segregation

2. Youth and mixed race action - shows increasing scope of CRM - galvanises more groups and individuals

3. Created new boost to CRM after slowed progress

4. media attention prominent

5. Forced AG RFK into action - concrete chnage

6. ICC outlawed segregation on public transport

7. Phyrric victory - legally significant but also extremely violent,ent and had consequences for the Riders

   1. Also states retaliated by closing parks, selling public pools etc

MLK Aims _ MEthods beleifs during Freedom Rides

• strong speaker who was well liked and trusted

• would come out and speak on significant events and people (black and some whites) would support

• Organised rally during Freedom rides even though he did not involve himself in the actual Rides - wanted them to stop in fact

• Criticised for only providing financial and moral support but no physical presence

March on Washington for…

Jobs and Freedom - significant as it showed Kennedy admin that voting and segregation weren;t the sole problems/extent of discrimination

• underemployment and wage gaps signifcant problems too

• Shows correlation between economic rights and freedom

March on Washington Date

28 August 1963

MOW Singificance (pos)

1. Catalyst in Civil Rights and Voting Acts

2. Largest CR demonstration in US hisotry - 250,000 at March

3. JFK’s (reluctant) endorsement and his admin organised security and safety protocols

4. Successful in pressuring JFK to intimidate federal rights bill in Congress - 1964

   1. Due to momentum from MoW (and JFK assassination)

5. Highlighted MLK philopshy of non-violence - fighting back (ie: radical action) would make things worse

   1. Diverse and large crowds - little danger in participating, sympathetic whites more likely to get on board

   2. Composition of march is important - white, black, young, old, students, from Sth + Nth (showed that CR was not just a Sth problem)

6. Massive press coverage

7. Peaceful despite JFK fears - proves that its possible to organise large scale-meetings w/o violence

   1. Violence in the CRM is a fault of the white resistance (not solely the Civil rights activists)

8. Provided local activitsts w/ moral authority to push back in own states

However, _____ within movment persisted after MoW + Limitations

Division within movement

1. Malcolm X critical of non-violence

2. (Militant) NOI refused to march - called it the ‘Farce on Washington’

Limitations

1. Intrenched racism in Sth would not falter easily (and as seen in events such as LR - legal chnage is not enough as intrenched racism and discrimination on a person to person or group to group scale is a major issue)

2. 1964 violence increased

3. KKK membership spiked

4. Negative Sth reaction - those who already hated black people would use any reason (such as MOW) to hate

MFDP at the MoW

Formed by COFO - COuncil of Federated Organsitions (who were instrumental in organising MoWfJaF)

Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party formed in April ‘64 as a direct challenge to Mississippis Democratic Party;s exclusion of Black voters and its all white delegation

After SNCC’s John Lewis asked at MoW about where was a political party dedicated to civil and political rights of black southerners

MLK’s Aims Methods Beliefs at MoW

“I have a Dream Speech”

Aims:

1. to advocate for civil and economic rights for ALL Americans, particularly African Americans who were disadvantaged on the basis of race

2. Call to action - urging nation to live up to founding ideals of freedom and equality

Methods:

1. NVDA

2. Speech

3. Mass mobilisation

4. Questioning the upholding of the (very important to White Americans nationalistic beleifs) Constitution and Decleration of Independence

Beliefs

1. America needs to live up to its foundations and promises

2. “(Cashing) the check” of the emancipation Proclamation, Constitution and Decleration of Independence

3. Chritisan focus “God’s children” - playing into consciousness and beleifs of segregationist and racist Christian’s while emphasising his own Christian beleifs

Freedom Summer