Paper 3 Part 2

Civil Rights Movement content

Pre-Existing Historical Context

• abolishment of slavery in 1865

• 13th = abolishment of slavery

• 14th = equal protection

• 15th = voting rights

• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) led to the idea of “seperate but equal”

• disenfranchisement (polls, literacy taxes)

Direct Causes

• WWII Black soldiers fighting from freedom abroad then demanding it at home

• desire to appear democratic during the Cold War

• increased media attention

Triggers for the First Leg

• legal segregation challenges

• increased media attention

• Cold War pressure

Brown v BOE (1954)

• ended segregation within public school due to it violating the 14th Ammendment

• declared segregation unconstitutional

• overturned Plessy v Ferguson

• symbolic victory but slow implementation

Sit-Ins

• non-violent protests by students

• led by the SNCC

Freedom Rides (1961)

• protested the segregation of interstate travel

• organized by the SNCC

• protested the lack of implementation of the 14th ammendment

• fought the southern states ignoring the law

March on Washington (1963)

• “I have a dream” speech

• highlighted inequality

Results from the 1960s

• Civil rights Act

• Voting Rights Act

1965-1970

• the rise of Black power

• Malcolm X and the Black Panthers

Black Panthers

• built on pride, self-defense, and justice

• Marxist group

• militant AND community-oriented

• community breakfasts etc. while also being a national security threat

• Hugey Newton and Stokely Carmichael

Martin Luther King Jr.

• non-violent

• March on Washington (1963)

• integrationist (as opposed to Nationalist)

• wanted to cooperate with the Whites

• died in 68

• wanted to win public opinion rather than beat his opponents

• “was the most influential figure, but relied on grassroots movements and federal intervention as well”

Malcolm X

• far more violent

• Nation of Islam

• Black Nationalist

Rosa Parks

• became a symbol of peaceful resistance

• perfect excuse for the bus boycott

• secretary of the NAACP

Protest Methods

• sit-ins

• boycotts

• Marches

• Legal challenges

• armed self-defense

• militancy

Black Nationalism

• seperation to achieve equality

• connection to Africa

• economic independance

Eisenhower

• sent federal troops into Little Rock

• believed in gradual change

• PRO upheld authority

• CON slow integration

Kennedy

• reframed civil rights as moral

• was motivated by the desire to not appear undemocratic

• CON required pressure by activists

Johnson

• used the “Johnson Treatment” to pass legislation

• manipulated, flattered, badgered

• Civil rights Act (64) and Voting Act (65)

• delivered the “we shall overcome” speech

• CON economic inequality remained

The Media

• allowed the violence to be directly shown on TV (Emmett Till’s body, ‘Bloody Sunday’)

• led to sympathy (protesters look reasonable, segregationists do not)

• helped MLK’s moral messaging

• ELizabth Eckford looks good

• “accelerated change by shaping public opinion”

Bloody Sunday (1965)

• police violently suppressed 600 civil rights protesters going from selma to montgomery AL

• led by SCLC and SNCC

• footage “shocked the nation”

• they were protesting voting rights

• led to 1965 Voting Rights Act

“We shall overcome” speech (1965)

• made by Johson to congress

• after Bloody Sunday

• adopted the moral messaging/slogan of the CRM

• directly influenced the passing of the Voting Rights Act (1965)

NAAP Legal Strategy

• didn’t attack it all at once, instead disproved “seperate but equal” in practice

• education is the perfect place to challenge segregation, because children are perfect victims

• “impact was limited without grassroots activism and federal enforcement”