Civil Rights Movement Overview

Civil Rights Movement Notes

Civil Rights Overview

  • Definition: Protections from discrimination based on characteristics such as race, national origin, religion, and sex; evident in foundational U.S. documents.
  • Key Constitutional Elements:
    • Due Process: Guarantees rights to all citizens.
    • Equal Protection Clause: Prevents discrimination by the state.

Reconstruction Era

  • Key Amendments:

    • 13th Amendment: Abolished slavery.
    • 14th Amendment: Ensured citizenship and equal protection under the law. Significant for various social movements (women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ).
    • 15th Amendment: Gave African American men the right to vote.

  • Civil Rights Act of 1875: Allowed African Americans to elect representatives, outlawed public accommodation discrimination.

Supreme Court Limitations

  • Civil Rights Cases (1883): Supreme Court decisions limiting the reach of the equal protection clause to state actions not private discrimination.

Jim Crow Laws

  • Established after Reconstruction to segregate public spaces and ensure racial discrimination, affecting transportation, schools, and public services.

Key Supreme Court Case: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

  • Plessy, an African American man, challenged segregation laws, leading to the Court's ruling of "separate but equal."

Restrictions on Voting

  • Southern states implemented literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses to circumvent the 15th Amendment and disenfranchise black voters.

Formation of the NAACP

  • Established in 1909 in response to racial violence; aimed to combat discrimination and promote civil rights, with leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois.

Brown v. Board of Education

  • Background: NAACP's strategy against school segregation started in the 1930s, culminating in this landmark case.
  • Outcome (1954): Unanimous decision declaring segregated schools unconstitutional, overturning "separate but equal" from Plessy v. Ferguson.
  • Brown II (1955): Order for schools to integrate “with all deliberate speed.”

Southern Response to Desegregation

  • Opposition led to the Southern Manifesto, which expressed resistance to the integration decisions of the Supreme Court.

Little Rock Nine

  • Event (1957): Nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School faced opposition from the governor and local authorities. Federal troops were deployed for protection.

Post-WWII Context for Civil Rights Movement

  • Discontent among African Americans grew after WWII due to experiences of fighting for freedom abroad, contrasting with their treatment at home.

Emmett Till and Montgomery Bus Boycotts

  • Emmett Till: Symbol of racial violence; his lynching sparked national outrage.
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott: Initiated by Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat; led by Martin Luther King Jr., leading to desegregation of public transport.

Key Civil Rights Strategies

  • Sit-Ins: Initiated by college students at segregated lunch counters, rapidly growing into a national movement.
  • Freedom Rides: Coordinated actions to challenge segregation in interstate travel, met with violent responses.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

  • Comprehensive legislation aimed at eliminating segregation and discrimination in various areas including education and employment.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

  • Ended discriminatory practices in voting; empowered federal oversight of elections in the South, resulting in increased voter registration.

Urban Riots and the Kerner Commission

  • Watts Riots (1965): Highlighted racial tensions and police brutality, leading to the Kerner Commission’s conclusion that the nation was moving toward two distinct societies, one black and one white.

Malcolm X and the Black Power Movement

  • Advocated for self-defense, black nationalism, and separate governance; saw the limitations of nonviolent protests.

Assassination of Key Leaders

  • Martin Luther King Jr.: Murdered in 1968, leading to further civil rights legislation, including the Civil Rights Act of 1968, addressing housing discrimination.

Continuing Civil Rights Movement

  • While progress was made, the movement faced challenges lacking unity and direction post-King’s assassination.