8.6 Civil Rights Movement: Foundations (1945-1960)

The video discusses the foundations of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1940s and 1950s, a prelude to the more extensive movement in the 1960s.
The main objective is to explain the development and expansion of civil rights movements from 1945 to 1960.

Following the Civil War and Reconstruction Era, promises were made to Black Americans, including constitutional amendments for voting rights and equal protection.
These promises were largely suppressed through Jim Crow laws, voter suppression tactics (poll taxes, literacy tests), and the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which upheld racial segregation.

Civil rights activists aimed to pressure the American government to fulfill its promises.
All three branches of the federal government made strides in civil rights.

President Truman, an early supporter of civil rights, issued Executive Order 9981, which banned segregation in the United States Armed Forces in 1948.
Enforcement was delayed until the Korean War began two years later.
Truman's actions were influenced by political considerations, fearing the loss of support from Southern Democrats if he pushed civil rights too aggressively.
The desegregation recommendation came from the Committee on Civil Rights, established by Truman in 1946. This committee was tasked with assessing civil rights conditions and providing recommendations.
The committee suggested desegregating the armed forces, abolishing poll taxes, and providing federal protection against lynching.
Truman used executive orders to implement some recommendations and urged Congress to legislate others.

The landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education addressed racial segregation in schools.
The case was a consolidation of multiple cases into a single decision.
Oliver Brown's daughter had to attend a Black school over a mile from her home instead of a nearby White school.
The argument was that segregated schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law.
Lower courts upheld Plessy v. Ferguson, rejecting integration efforts.
In 1954, the Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson in a unanimous decision, stating that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.
This ruling mandated school integration.

The Supreme Court ordered school integration to occur with "all deliberate speed."
Southern states exploited the vagueness of this phrase to delay integration.
"All deliberate speed" was interpreted in conflicting ways: "speed" implying immediate action, while "deliberate" suggested thoughtful consideration.
Southern states resisted the decision significantly.
Congressional representatives issued the Southern Manifesto, arguing that the Supreme Court had abused its power.
Some Southern states shut down schools to avoid integration.

In 1956, Arkansas Governor Orville Faubus used the state's National Guard to prevent Black students from entering Little Rock High School.
These students became known as the Little Rock Nine.
President Eisenhower responded by sending federal troops to protect the Little Rock Nine and ensure their entry into the school.

The 1940s and 1950s saw significant progress in civil rights but also faced substantial opposition.
School integration efforts made only small gains over the following decade.