A look into Birmingham in the 1950s… http://www. c-spanclassroom

Civil Rights Movement Surges Forward… Chapter 16 Sect. 2

Nonviolent Protests Sit - Ins Demonstrations in which the protestors sit down at a location and refuse to leave The first sit-in of the 1960s Civil Rights movement took place at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, NC.

Lunch counter from the Greensboro Sit-Ins

Sit ins inspired other protests: “Wade-ins” at public beaches “Read-ins” at public libraries Protestors used many different nonviolent methods to make it clear that they were determined to expand political rights and economic opportunities.

Young Activists established a new civil rights org. Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) – Its goal was to create a grass-roots movement that involved all classes of African Americans to obtain equality. What does “Grass-roots” mean? Ordinary people regarded as the main body of an organization's membership.

Summer of 1961 – Washington D.C. to New Orleans Freedom Rides – Civil Rights demonstration which protestors rode buses throughout the south to protest segregation laws on interstate buses Summer of 1961 – Washington D.C. to New Orleans CORE – (Congress of Racial Equality) organized the Freedom Rides

Violence against the Freedom Riders Mostly in Alabama Birmingham, Ala. – considered the most segregated city in the south Eugene “Bull” Connor- Birmingham Police Commissioner and a believer in segregation Freedom Riders were attacked with baseball bats, bike chains, and lead pipes. The Police would often allow the beatings to occur

Freedom Riders video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYmfc-CNRuA

Letters from a Birmingham Jail April 3, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights activists are thrown in jail. April 12, an article in the local newspaper called “A call for unity” was written by 8 white clergymen They claimed that the Civil Rights movement should be played out in the court systems, not in the streets.

Letters from a Birmingham Jail The letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that defended the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. It says that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws, and to take direct action rather than waiting potentially forever for justice to come through the courts. Responding to being referred to as an "outsider", he wrote that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere“.

Alabama continues to resist… George Wallace: Governor of Alabama who believed in segregation Physically blocked the doorway of the University of Alabama’s admissions office so 2 African American students couldn’t register for class

March on Washington… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vDWWy4CMhE Summer , 1963. – President Kennedy announces a new civil rights bill to end racial discrimination To show support, African American leaders held a nationwide demonstration in Washington D.C. Aug. 28, 1963 – Dr. King gives his “I have a Dream” Speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vDWWy4CMhE

Civil Rights Act of 1964 Banned segregation in public places and prohibited employers, unions, or schools from discriminating based on race, sex, religion, and national origin

Thinking slide: If Dr. King were alive today, would he be satisfied with the progress made today?