The Struggle Continues Section 3 The Struggle Continues

Main Idea: New leaders emerged as growing numbers of African Americans became dissatisfied with the slow progress of civil rights. Sit-in, interstate

Essential Question: What actions did African Americans take in the early 1960’s to secure their rights?

A wave of civil rights activity swept across the nation in the 1960’s. High school and college students staged sit-ins in nearly 80 cities. Sit-ins were staged against stores that practiced segregation. The sit-ins helped launch the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee or SNCC. The Movement Grows

The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a civil rights group that decided to test the 1960 ruling on bus segregation. May 4, 1961 CORE members left Washington, D.C. headed for New Orleans The trip went smoothly until reaching stops in Alabama and Mississippi Freedom Rides

In Birmingham and Montgomery the Freedom Riders were met with violence Riders were arrested in Jackson, Mississippi when they tried to enter the whites-only waiting room at the bus station The violence did not stop the riders from continuing through the summer Eventually the Interstate Commerce Commission banned segregation on interstate buses and bus stations.

Integrating Universities A federal court had ordered the University of Mississippi to enroll its first African American student, James Meredith Governor Ross Barnett and state police stopped Meredith from registering Riots began after President Kennedy sent federal marshals to escort Meredith Federal troops protected Meredith until he graduated from Ole Miss in 1963 Integrating Universities

In June of 1963 the governor of Alabama, George Wallace wanted to block the integration of the University of Alabama Wallace said he would “stand in the schoolhouse door” President Kennedy sent in the Alabama National Guard to ensure the entrance of the African American students Wallace backed down

In the spring of 1963, the SCLC and MLK targeted Birmingham for a protest Despite the arrest of MLK, riots continued During his time in jail, MLK wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” The media captured the violence the police used on the protesters The police used dogs and powerful water hoses on the protesters President Kennedy sent in 3,000 troops to help keep the peace. Birmingham

Medgar Evers was state field secretary for the NAACP On June 11, 1963 he was murdered in Jackson, Mississippi All of the issues in 1963 forced President Kennedy to speak out. Days later he introduced new legislation dealing with civil rights

MLK and the SCLC organized a march that would take place in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963 More than 200,000 people attended There was no trouble during the march It was here when MLK gave his famous “I have a Dream” speech March on Washington

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination yet in many states African Americans still couldn’t vote Poll taxes and other laws prevented them from registering During the summer of 1964, thousands of civil rights workers registered African Americans all over the South Freedom Summer

SNCC organized a demonstration in Selma, Alabama in 1965 Police violently attacked the marchers This led President Johnson to urge Congress to pass a voting rights bill in a televised speech on March 15, 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law in August The act gave the federal government the power to for local officials to allow African Americans to register to vote The Right to Vote

Malcolm X was the leader in the Nation of Islam He criticized the civil rights goal of integration He declared that African Americans would be better if they stayed separate from whites He was killed in 1965 by a rival group member

Stokely Carmichael who became a leader of SNCC advanced the idea of Black Power The Black Panther Party formed in California and symbolized a growing tension between African Americans and urban police The 1st major urban riots occurred in the Watts section of Los Angeles It was considered one of the worst riots that occurred during 1965 to 1967

On April 4, 1968 MLK was in Memphis, Tennessee when he was assassinated His death spurred riots in over 100 cities Thousands of people attended in funeral in Atlanta, Georgia King is Assassinated

Essential Question: What actions did African Americans take in the early 1960’s to secure their rights?