The Civil Rights Movement Continues

Montgomery bus boycott gave MLK a place to test his belief in civil disobedience Not a new idea, came from writer Henry David Thoreau in the 1840’s King’s nonviolent protest belief rooted in Christianity Two models for MLK – Jesus and Mohandas Gandhi A. Philip Randolph was another key early civil rights leader who encouraged nonviolent protests dhi Redeemer_%28statue%29

Church leaders of the South came together to form the SCLC in 1957 Goal – full equality for blacks Most early civil rights activities had been dominated by northerners Now under King’s leadership the SCLC would become the leading voice for civil rights in the 1960’s content.com/image/upload/c_fill,g_face,h_300,q_70,w_300/MTE5NTU 2MzE2MjgwNDg5NDgz.jpg

Lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro, NC & Jackson, MS in 1960 Freedom Rides of 1961 with a goal to test the Supreme Court ruling outlawing segregation in interstate travel Success at first, but not in Alabama where violence resulted on the Freedom Riders 1962 James Meredith was to attend the University of Mississippi, but violent riots broke out and JFK had to send in federal troops to restore order and allow Meredith to register

1963 – SCLC demonstrates against discrimination in Birmingham, Alabama Police Chief “Bull” Conner uses dogs, fire hoses, and cattle prods against peaceful marchers on television Businesses in Birmingham pressure the city to desegregate public facilities and agree to hire black store clerks and salespeople

In August 1963 Kennedy sent a civil rights bill to Congress, right after the events of Birmingham To coincide with the civil rights bill, leaders of the movement planned and carried out the “March on Washington” Christian and Jewish leaders gave many speeches that day, but none is remembered as well as Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. history/story?id=

Civil Rights Act of 1964 – banned discrimination in public facilities and employment. It also made school desegregate more quickly and protected voting rights more fairly 1964 – “Mississippi Burning” – three college students went missing while trying to help blacks register to vote in the next election, they were later found dead by FBI Other violence such as beatings, shootings, and church bombings continue in the South 1965 – King stages a mass protest in Selma, Alabama State troopers use tear gas, clubs and whips against peaceful protesters and this is again on the evening news 80 cites all over the country rise up in protest and push for a voting rights act Later in 1965 the act finally passes! rja&uact=8&docid=xDRHBn0s0p0tgM&tbnid=scMPtg- HBtS2JM:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.docstoc.com%2Fdocs%2F %2F6- SELMA-1965ppt--- MissMackaysS4&ei=GqhWU672FumfyQH62oCIDg&bvm=bv ,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNF5DpBkI LfD1T1kAQxUmvl_eSSdkw&ust=

Because of the fact that some blacks grew impatient with the slow pace of the civil rights movement, more militant leaders became popular Malcolm X – called for blacks to separate completely from white society Stokely Carmichael – said it was time to fight back with violence, and came up with the idea of “black power” te.jpg

In the ghettos of big northern cities discontent with living conditions exploded in 1965, Watts neighborhood of L.A. Police brutality brought on riots and led to more than 1,000 people being killed or injured Similar situations happened in other cities over the next several years President Johnson – “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white – separate and unequal.” A presidential commission studied the situation and this led to suggestions for improvement

As King was traveling the country to gain support for poor people he said to the crowd on April 3 rd “ I may not get there with you. But… we, as a people, will get to the promised land.” “Early morning April 4, shots rang out in the Memphis sky. Free at last, they took your life, but they could not take your PRIDE.” Riots broke out even though President Johnson asked for people to keep their cool This marked an end to this era of the Civil Rights Movement

Many things were accomplished in this era Not all inequality was fixed However, legal segregation, discrimination in education & voting were made better More blacks became involved in politics and accepted in leadership roles at the local, state, and federal levels Thurgood Marshall became the first black Supreme Court Justice Affirmative Action required schools and business to give advantages to groups that had been discriminated against in the past Some Americans referred to it as “reverse discrimination” rgood-Marshall