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Notes on Transcript: Doing Nice Businesses and the New South

Origins and Early Struggles

  • Reconstruction Era (1865-1877): Following the Civil War, federal efforts aimed at integrating newly freed enslaved people into society. Key amendments passed:
    • 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery.
    • 14th Amendment (1868): Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law for all persons born or naturalized in the United States.
    • 15th Amendment (1870): Granted African American men the right to vote.
  • Jim Crow Laws (late 19th - mid-20th centuries): State and local statutes enacted in the Southern and some Border States that enforced racial segregation and discrimination, undermining Reconstruction gains.
    • These laws mandated "separate but equal" facilities for Black and white people, which were rarely equal.
  • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Supreme Court case that legalized racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine, paving the way for widespread Jim Crow laws.

Mid-20th Century Civil Rights Movement

  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Supreme Court ruled that state-sponsored segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning "separate but equal" in education.
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956): Sparked by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat, led by Martin Luther King Jr., this year-long boycott desegregated public transportation in Montgomery, Alabama.
  • Little Rock Nine (1957): Nine African American students integrated Little Rock Central High School, facing strong opposition, requiring federal troops for protection.
  • Student Sit-ins (1960s): Nonviolent protests, particularly at lunch counters in Greensboro, North Carolina, by students challenging segregated public accommodations.
  • Freedom Rides (1961): Activists rode interstate buses into segregated Southern United States to challenge non-enforcement of Supreme Court decisions that outlawed segregation in interstate travel.
  • March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963): A massive protest rally where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, advocating for civil and economic rights for African Americans.

Landmark Legislation

  • Civil Rights Act of 1964: Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, effectively ending legal segregation in public places and promoting equal employment opportunities.
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965: Overcame legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote, such as literacy tests and poll taxes.
  • Fair Housing Act (1968): Prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, and sex.

Key Figures

  • Martin Luther King Jr.: Prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement, advocate of nonviolent civil disobedience.
  • Rosa Parks: Her act of defiance on a bus in Montgomery sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
  • Thurgood Marshall: Lead attorney for the NAACP in Brown v. Board of Education, later the first African American Supreme Court Justice.
  • Malcolm X: Influential Black activist who advocated for Black empowerment and self-defense, later adjusting his views to include broader human rights.
  • John Lewis: A leader in the Civil Rights Movement, known for his work with SNCC and his participation in the Selma to Montgomery marches.