9.-Civil-Rights.-Lesson.-SS.-U.S.-History

Discrimination in America

  • Reconstruction Amendments: Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments granted former slaves constitutional rights but were limited by Jim Crow laws.

  • Jim Crow Laws: Enforced segregation and voting obstacles for African Americans.

  • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Supreme Court ruled segregation was constitutional if facilities were "separate but equal."

  • Northern Migration: African Americans moved north for better conditions only to face racial prejudice.

The Fight Against Segregation

  • Thurgood Marshall: NAACP lawyer led legal challenges against segregation.

    • Argued segregation in schools violated the Equal Protection Clause.

  • Sweatt v. Painter (1950): Supreme Court ruled separate law schools were not equal.

  • Brown v. Board of Education: Landmark case declaring school segregation unconstitutional, setting foundation for racial equality.

Little Rock Crisis

  • Governor Faubus: Defied court by using National Guard to prevent integration of Little Rock Central High School.

  • President Eisenhower: Sent federal troops to enforce desegregation, providing protection for the Little Rock Nine.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

  • Rosa Parks: Arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat, triggering the boycott of Montgomery’s buses.

  • Boycott Outcome: Lasted over a year; Supreme Court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

  • Leadership: Led the Montgomery Bus Boycott and advocated for civil disobedience.

  • SCLC: Founded to organize nonviolent protests against segregation; inspired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Continued Protests

  • Freedom Rides (1961): Activists traveled on buses to challenge segregation in transportation, facing violence but raising national awareness.

  • Letter from Birmingham Jail: Dr. King wrote about the responsibility to challenge unjust laws through nonviolent means.

March on Washington

  • 1963 Event: Advocated for racial equality and economic justice; Dr. King delivered "I Have a Dream" speech to over 250,000 people.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

  • Legislation: Made racial segregation in public places illegal; established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to promote diversity and equality in hiring.

Progressing Toward Voter Equality

  • Fifteenth Amendment: Granted voting rights, but poll taxes and literacy tests were barriers until the Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) eliminated them.

The Status Quo

  • Post-Legislation Reality: Racism persisted with efforts by Southern Democrats to obstruct civil rights, exemplified by George Wallace’s resistance to school integration.

Changes in the Movement

  • Black Panther Party: Founded in 1966 to address racism and advocate for self-defense, diverging from Dr. King’s nonviolent approach.

  • Notable Achievements: Jackie Robinson broke the MLB color barrier; Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman in Congress.

MLK’s Assassination

  • Impact: Assassinated on April 4, 1968; his death caused national shock, riots, and a divide in the Civil Rights movement.

Discrimination in America: Reconstruction Amendments established rights for former slaves but faced limitations due to Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation. Major events include the landmark cases plessy v. ferguson, which supported segregation under 'separate but equal', and brown v. board of education, which declared school segregation unconstitutional. Activism expanded through figures like Thurgood Marshall and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leading to the civil rights movement's milestones such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington. Legislative changes, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, aimed to ensure voter equality, yet racial prejudice persisted. The emergence of groups like the Black Panther Party marked a shift toward a more militant approach to civil rights.