04/19 Warm-Up: What is some of your prior knowledge about the civil rights movement? If time allows, we will watch the news at the end of class. Take a note sheet.

Life in the 1950s

Life in the 1950s Life in the 1950’s was simple. Some say it was the best time in American History, although I would suggest that could be true for most White Americans but not completely true for Black Americans.

Segregation and racism Segregation and racism was still part of life and although there were some major changes to erase both like in 1954, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools were unconstitutional, there were still problems forcing blacks to take drastic measures for equality and inclusion like in 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public bus.

For many Americans For many Americans, the wars and the depression were a distant memory and the country was feeling good about itself. Most Americans trusted the government and believed in politicians. Society was experiencing growth, economically and socially, and new ideas of prosperity and success for families and the country as a whole were taking shape.

Jobs Jobs were mainly industrial and agricultural, most men worked in blue-collar jobs and there was an increase in the need for secretarial work, which allowed for some women to work outside of the home.

TV In the 1950s In the 1950’s, television was becoming more and more a part of everyday life, more families had televisions in their homes and AM radio was also becoming more popular, along with the advent of 45 records, jukeboxes, and eventually albums. Television commercials of the 1950s

Life in the Early 1950s However, life in the early 1950’s was still very strict. Women were still obligated to the status of housewife and men were the main breadwinners in the family. Children, including teenagers, were to be seen and not heard but by the mid-1950’s, that was becoming more difficult because of newfound freedoms, rock and roll music, and other outlets teenagers had available to them. Good Wife’s Guide

Clothing Styles Changes in clothing styles, specifically for teens, started to appear. Guys started wearing their hear longer with sideburns and slicked back with grease. They also wore jeans and leather jackets (with the collar turned up to be “cool”) and the girls wore ponytails, poodle skirts, pedal pushers, and scarves.

The Poodle Skirt Prior to the 1950’s, clothing worn by young people was very reserved and proper but to some extent that changed in the 50’s. For example, poodle skirts were popular with females for a couple of reasons. The first is that the skirt allowed for easier dancing, being spun around letting the skirt twirled. The next reason is that the skirt was loose and free, a sign of freedom. Leather jackets, cut-off shirts, and slicked back hair allowed the boys to appear as “cool.” Fashion in the 195s

Although, young people were experiencing more freedom and independence they were, for the most part, still respectable to adults and they still were dignified and decent. Children still obeyed parents. Females were still expected to act a certain “ladylike” way and males were still expected to act like gentlemen. Sex was taboo, premarital sex was not accepted and if a girl found herself “in the family way” (a slang for pregnant) many times she was shipped off to live with relatives or admitted to some special school for girls.

Civil Rights Movement

Post-WWII African Americans grew dissatisfied with their second-class status after WWII Risked their lives defending freedom abroad Civil Rights Movement-a broad and diverse effort to attain racial equality

Segregation divides America-North De facto segregation: segregated by unwritten custom or tradition, face of life Blacks were denied housing in many neighborhoods and faced discrimination in employment (NORTH)

Segregation divides America-South Jim Crow laws-enforced strict separation of the races in the South Schools, hospitals, transportation, & restaurants De jure segregation-imposed by law 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson-”Separate but equal”

Jim Crow LAWS Intermarriage: It shall be unlawful for a white person to marry anyone except a white person. Any marriage in violation of this section shall be void. Georgia Barbers: No colored barber shall serve as a barber [to] white women or girls. Georgia Burial: The officer in charge shall not bury, or allow to be buried, any colored persons upon ground set apart or used for the burial of white persons. Georgia Prisons: The warden shall see that the white convicts shall have separate apartments for both eating and sleeping from the negro convicts. Mississippi Textbooks: Books shall not be interchangeable between the white and colored schools, but shall continue to be used by the race first using them. North Carolina Separate tax on blacks established to fund colored schools. Delaware Marriage between whites and Negroes or mulattoes illegal. Penalty: Misdemeanor, fine and/or imprisonment. Delaware

KKK and the civil rights movement After WWII, the name Ku Klux Klan was used by numerous groups throughout the South who opposed the civil rights movement and desegregation. These groups used cross burnings, beatings, bombings, and murder to intimidate civil rights activists and local black communities. During this period, the groups often forged alliances with police departments and state offices to further their cause.

KKK and Civil Rights During the late 1960s and 1970s, the KKK shifted its focus to one opposing affirmative action, immigration, and court-ordered school busing. Today, researchers estimate that there are as many as 150 Klan chapters active in the U.S. with between 5,000 and 8,000 members nationwide. In 1971, KKK members blew up school buses in Pontiac, Michigan in an attempt to stop a court-ordered school desegregation plan.

The Impact of Segregation African Americans received low-paying jobs Higher rates of poverty and illiteracy Lower rates of homeownership and life expectancy Couldn’t vote in the south

The Civil Rights Movement Grows Congress of Racial Equality (CORE): became convinced to use non-violent methods to gain civil rights Organized Protests in northern cities President Truman used his executive power to order the desegregation of the military

NAACP Challenges Segregation NAACP became the largest and most powerful civil rights organization Thurgood Marshal-headed the team that challenged the legality of segregation

Brown vs. Board 1954 NAACP challenged the “separate but equal” ruling The Supreme Court agreed with NAACP argument that segregated public education violated the U.S. Constitution Effects: Great impact since it touched so many Americans Opposition to the ruling declared that the South would not be integrated (White Citizens Council) http://www.history.com/videos/brown-vs-board-of-education-separate-is-not-equal#brown-vs-board-of-education-separate-is-not-equal

Little Rock Nine President Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock to protect the African American students and to enforce Brown vs. Board For the entire school year, federal troops stayed in Little Rock escorting the students to and from school http://www.history.com/videos/little-rock-9#little-rock-9

Effects of Little Rock Nine It demonstrated that the President would not tolerate open defiance of the law However, most southern states found ways to resist desegregation and it would take years before black and white children went to school together

04/21 Warm-up: Get out a sheet of paper and write Civil rights-day 2 at the top No I don’t have any lined paper for you

Montgomery Bus Boycott Rosa Parks actions transformed the movement NAACP began preparing a legal challenge Rise of MLK: urged non-violence Boycott lasted a year In 1956 the Supreme Court ruled the Montgomery bus segregation law was unconstitutional

Effects of the Boycott and the Supreme Court Victory Revealed the power African Americans could have if they joined together King established the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Advocated nonviolent resistance to fight injustice

Freedom ride Test the federal government’s willingness to enforce that segregation on interstate buses was illegal (Boynton v. Virginia 1960) En route, they defied segregation codes In Alabama firebombed one bus and attacked the riders of the second bus

Effects of the Freedom Ride Kennedy takes action Federal Transportation Commission issued an order mandating the desegregation of interstate transportation Civil rights activists achieved their goal and that intimidation would not defeat them http://video.pbs.org/video/1574363015/

March on Washington To put pressure on Congress to pass the new civil rights bill Drew more than 200,000 MLK-”I have a dream” One of the largest political demonstrations A model for peaceful protest http://www.history.com/videos/martin-luther-king-jr-leads-the-march-on-washington#martin-luther-king-jr-leads-the-march-on-washington

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The act banned segregation in public accommodations Gave the federal government the ability to desegregate schools Prosecute individuals who violated people’s civil rights Outlawed discrimination in employment Established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) http://www.history.com/videos/civil-rights-act-of-1964#civil-rights-act-of-1964

The Push for Voting Rights Literacy tests Poll taxes Intimidation All kept blacks from voting Voting Rights Act of 1965 Spurred by actions of protesters and the President, Congress passed the act It banned literacy tests and empower the federal gov to oversee voting registration By 1975, Congress extended to Hispanic voters Black participation jumped from 7% in 1964 to 70% in 1986

The Riots Frustration over discrimination and poverty Worst in Newark, New Jersey and Detroit, Michigan in the summer of 1967 Blacks using violence against police and white business owners in black neighborhoods

The Kerner Commission It concluded racial discrimination as the cause of the violence They recommended by extending federal programs to Urban black neighborhoods Controversy surrounding the Commission Johnson did not follow up

“Black Power” Move away from nonviolence Stokley Carmichael’s definition: it meant African Americans should collectively use their economic and political muscle to gain equality http://www.history.com/videos/stokely-carmichael#stokely-carmichael

Black Panthers Symbol of young militant African Americans Protected urban neighborhoods from police abuse Created antipoverty programs

MLK’s final days Understood the anger and frustration of many urban African Americans Disagreed with the call for “black power” King’s assassination triggered riots in more than 100 cities

Significant Gains during civil rights movement Eliminated legal or de jure segregation Knocked down barriers of voting and political participation for African Americans Poverty rates fell Increase in the number of African Americans high school graduates Appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967 Fair Housing Act

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