New Successes and Challenges for Civil Rights Mvm’t 18.3

The Push for Voting Rights The civil rights advances up to 1964 had not covered the issue of voting rights Literacy tests Poll taxes Intimidation For instance: In the 5 predominantly black counties in Mississippi in 1964, NONE of the black residents were registered to vote

SNCC Stages Freedom Summer Summer of 1964: SNCC organized a major campaign called Freedom Summer: Organized to help register African Americans to vote + form the MFDP Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party 1,000 volunteers mostly white and black students were to meet in Mississippi

Students Go Missing Early Before most of the students arrived 3 went missing: Michael Schwerner James Chaney Andrew Goodman President Johnson ordered a full search + investigation Found their bodies buried in a dam, each had been shot at point blank range Despite dangers, the other volunteers still gathered

SNCC Stages Freedom Summer August 1964 the MFDP traveled to NJ for the Democratic Convention Fannie Lou Hamer gave a powerful speech about the fight for civil rights + injustices they faced Democratic Party still refused to give them a seat at the convention Offered them an “at-large” delegate offer but MFDP refused, offer caused Southern Dems to leave

Marching on Selma Early 1965: MLK +SCLC organized a voting rights campaign in Selma, AL Edmund Pettus Bridge: Site of several confrontations during the Selma campaign March 7  “Bloody Sunday” Heavily armed state troopers attached the marchers Images of the violence again shocked the nation LBJ calls for strong FEDERAL voting rights legislation

New Legislation Guarantees Voting Rights Voting Rights Act of 1965: Passed by Congress in response to the president’s address Banned literacy tests Fed gov’t to oversee registration + elections that had discriminated against minorities 24 th Amendment: banned the poll-tax Baker v Carr & Reynolds v Simms limited racial gerrymandering

Frustration Explodes into Violence Still racial violence, poverty + discrimination in many cities that sparked widespread violence…

Racial Violence Plagues Cities Anger and frustration of slow pace of change = RIOTS Los Angeles, CA Watts Riot Newark, NJ Detroit, MI Tons of damage ($50 million in Detroit alone), federal troops mobilized, many killed Blacks use violence against whites  different than before when white used violence to suppress the black population in cities

The Kerner Commission Seeks the Cause The Kerner Commission, 1967 LBJ created to find causes of riots Determined: Long term racial discrimination and poverty seen as the causes, DUH!!! Recommended expanding federal funding in the cities Critics claimed it would reward the rioters LBJ did not end up providing the funding b/c costly Vietnam War

New Voice for African Americans The race riots radicalized many African Americans Moved away from advocating nonviolence + integration

Elijah Muhammad X Elijah Muhammad was the leader of The Nation Of Islam.  His teachings, often perceived as racist, preached complete separation from Whites in society.  He often expressed the idea the Blacks were the first people to rule the world + that the Whites tricked them out of power + oppressed them.  Young Malcolm X developed his adept speaking skills and political ideas under the direction of Elijah Muhammad.

Malcolm X Malcolm X (Malcolm Little) was in prison for burglary charges at 21 year old. While in prison he converted to the Nation of Islam. The NOI urged African Americans to reconvert to Islam to restore the heritage that was stolen from them. The NOI wanted to create a second Black nation within the U.S. Became one of the NOI’s most prominent minister

Malcolm X In 1964, during a pilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm discovered that orthodox Muslims preach equality among races. = Malcolm X began to distrust NOI He returned from Mecca w/ a new limited acceptance of whites BUT in 1965 Malcolm X was assassinated by a Black Muslim at a New York City rally.

Young Leaders Call for Black Power Many young African Americans saw the power of the radical Malcolm X Stokely Carmichael advocated both violence + a separation of the races Carmichael used the term “black power” in a speech after being released from prison in 1966 Was arrested while continuing a voting rights march for James Meredith who was shot at the beginning of the march Phrase seemed to point to violence Later stated it meant that African Americans should use their economic + political muscle to gain equality

Militants Form the Black Panthers Huey Newton + Bobby Seale formed the Black Panther Party shortly after the “black power” speech Black Panthers Symbol of young, militant African Americans Armed themselves + patrolled CA neighborhoods to protect blacks from police abuse Served free breakfast to impoverished black children

Militants Form the Black Panthers Marched on the capitol of Sacramento carrying guns to protest the attempts to limit their right to bear arms Their style influence many African American youth to dress like them Got in many violent skirmishes with the police, each side blamed the other.

MLK’s Final Days MLK understood the frustration of the urban blacks Their lives changed very little despite the 1960s reforms BUT he disagreed with the call for “black power” Wanted a nonviolent approach to solving economic injustices

MLK’s Final Days Poor People’s Campaign Launched after MLK spent a year in the poor Chicago slums protesting Memphis, TN, April 1968: King protested for better wages + working conditions for the sanitation workers April 3, Memphis, TN – King gives a speech + addressed the numerous threats on his life April 4, 1968 while standing on a balcony at his hotel King, 39 is shot by James Ear Ray Mass riots follow King’s assassination 2 months later – RFK shot while campaigning for the presidency for same reason his brother was

Significant Gains + Controversial Issues King and the civil rights activists achieved many successes during the 1950s s His death, however, illustrated that racism was still very much alive in the U.S. Economic and social gap still exists

Civil Rights Are Advanced In 1967, Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court He was the first African American ever appointed Fair Housing Act – Banned discrimination in housing

Controversial Issues Remain Forced busing Affirmative action pressed by Nixon Critics of affirmative action: Reverse discrimination + violated the goal of a colorblind society Marshall disagree  stated that blacks are where they are today b/c of the introduction of them to this country as slaves