The Civil Rights Movement

I. Beginnings Jim Crow laws were created to enforce segregation of the races. Upheld by Plessy v. Ferguson Eating, drinking, and schools. Brown v. Board of Education officially declared segregation unconstitutional

II. School Segregation Many school districts were slow to follow the Brown decision. In Little Rock, Arkansas, the superintendent tried to prevent 9 black students from enrolling. “Little Rock Nine” Pres. Eisenhower called in 1000 National Guardsmen.

III. Montgomery Bus Boycott African-Americans made up 3/4s of all passengers. The first week, the company almost went bankrupt. Lasted a year, many walked miles everyday. The Supreme Court ordered an end to segregated busses.

IV. Sit-In Movement Four black freshman sat down at a “whites only” lunch counter at Woolworth’s. They inspired hundreds of other students to do the same.

V. The Freedom Rides Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Sent “freedom riders” on a bus trip from D.C. through the South. They were protesting segregated busses. They were met with violence.