The Civil Rights Movement Unit 10 “The black revolution is much more than a struggle for the rights of Negroes. It is forcing America to face all its interrelated flaws – racism, poverty, militarism, and materialism. It is exposing evils that are rooted deeply in the whole structure of our society…and suggest that radical reconstruction of society is the real issue to be faced.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Congress of Racial Equality – Founded 1942 Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded in 1942 by a group of college students. CORE was committed to nonviolent direct action as a means of change.

Jackie Robinson – Signed 1947 The first African American in Professional baseball. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers were the first institution to integrate in America. However, the rest of America was not yet ready. Many times there were issues with Jackie staying in hotels with his team because they did not allow African Americans. Mini Biography Video

Executive Order 9981 – Passed 1948 Issued by President Truman in 1948 ending segregation in the military. This was the first government action for integration

Brown v. Board of Education – Ruled 1954 In 1954, the Supreme Court outlawed racial segregation in public schools with this landmark case that reversed the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) decision of “separate but equal.” Thurgood Marshall was the defense lawyer for this case and will become the first Black Supreme Court Justice. Brown Eye Blue Eye Video

Montgomery Bus Boycott - 1955 A 1955 bus boycott that resulted in the integration of Montgomery’s bus system. It started after the arrest of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat to a white person. It was the first time America heard of MLK. The Beginning of The Civil Rights Movement Video

Southern Christian Leadership Conference - 1957 The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC, which is closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had a large role in the American Civil Rights Movement.

Little Rock 9 - 1957 First African-American students to attend all white high school in Little Rock, Ark. President Eisenhower sent the U.S. Army to enforce federal law and protect the 9 students. Little Rock 9 Reunion on Oprah Video

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee - 1960 SNCC was an organization made up of students that preached justice, peace and nonviolence through civil disobedience. Civil Disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest.

Woolworths Sit-In 1960 In 1960 4 black college students sat down at a lunch counter and refused to move until they got served. They were denied service, food was thrown at them and people threaten them with violence. This sparked a series of Sit-in movements throughout the south Woolworth Lunch Counter Video

Freedom Rides - 1961 In 1961 CORE organized bus rides to test if southern states were complying with the S.C ruling on interstate transport. They soon turned violent and CORE abandoned them but the SNCC continued them. Freedom Rides Video

MLK’s Birmingham Campaign - 1963 A non-violent movement organized in early 1963 by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to bring attention to the integration efforts of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and quickly turned violent and brutal. Letter from Birmingham Jail Video

BIRMINGHAM CHILDRENS MARCH 1963 The Birmingham Children's Crusade was a march by hundreds of school students in Birmingham, Alabama, May 2–5, 1963, during the American Civil Rights Movement the purpose of the march was to walk downtown to talk to the mayor about segregation in their city. Many children left their schools and were arrested, set free, and then arrested again the next day. The marches were stopped by the head of police "Bull Connor" who brought fire hoses to ward off the children and set police dogs after the children. Malcolm X was opposed to the event because he thought it would expose the children to violence. He said, "Real men don't put their children on the firing line.“ MLK said this march help to turn the tide in the Civil Rights Movement

MLK’s March on Washington - 1963 In 1963 over 250,000 people of all races marched on Washington D.C. to listen to musicians and hear civil rights leaders speak. MLK gave his famous “I have a dream Speech” at this event.

Civil Rights Act 1964 This act made racial, religious, and sex discrimination by employers illegal and gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation of schools and public places.

Freedom Summer - 1964 Freedom Summer was a campaign in the United States launched in June 1964 to attempt to register as many African-American voters as possible in Mississippi, which had historically excluded most blacks from voting.

Voting Rights Act 1965 This Act outlawed literacy tests and other tactics used to deny African Americans the right to vote.

Selma Campaign – 1965 Martin Luther King led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators to the steps of the capitol after a 5-day, 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama, where local African Americans had been campaigning for voting rights. Selma Campaign Video

MLK’s Assassination - 1968 On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and mortally wounded as he stood on the second-floor balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Robert Kennedy’s Speech Video