The Modern Civil Rights Movement Beyond Voting Rights

Northern Segregation De facto segregation –By practice and custom –Harder to fight--required changing people’s attitudes –Mostly in urban north

Northern Segregation “white flight” –Wealthier whites moved to suburbs –Took money with them –Urban property values fell –Urban tax bases shrank Jobs left Schools, neighborhoods decayed

Northern Segregation Successes in south lead to frustration in the north –No economic opportunities –Poor housing and education –Great Society hadn’t lived up to promise Lost money to Vietnam War

Urban Riots: Harlem--July 1964 –White police kill 15 yr. old black teen –Sparked rioting Watts Riots (Los Angeles)--August 1965 –White police argue with drunken black driver –Sparked six days of riots –34 killed; $30 million property damage National Guard in Watts Watts on fire

Urban Riots: –Riots in over 100 cities –Cleveland and Detroit were the worst

Urban Riots: Kerner Commission –Appointed in 1965 by LBJ to study causes of riots –Dr. King’s view: “Riots are the language of the unheard. What is that America hasn’t heard?”

Urban Riots: Kerner Commission –Conclusions Caused by white racism “Our nation is moving to two societies, one black, one white--separate and unequal.” –Suggestions Federal creation of new jobs New housing End de facto segregation--wipe out ghettos

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Not all activists supported nonviolence and gradual change Nation of Islam (“Black Muslims”) –Grew out of Marcus Garvey movement of the 1920s –Formed by Elijah Muhammad in 1940s The Honorable Elijah Muhammad

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Nation of Islam (continued) –Called for separate black society based on Islam –Considered whites to be “devils” Malcolm XElijah Muhammad

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Nation of Islam--Malcolm X –Born Malcolm Little –Had been drug dealer, criminal –Went to prison for burglary –Converted to Islam

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Nation of Islam--Malcolm X –Charismatic speaker –Changed “slave name”-- became Malcolm X –Advocated armed self- defense –“By any means necessary” –Other Black Muslims became jealous

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Nation of Islam-- Malcolm X –March 1964 Broke with Elijah Muhammad Differences in strategy Learned Elijah had fathered illegitimate children Malcolm was forbidden to preach Famous Malcolm X poster What they don’t usually tell you: this was taken shortly after someone had tried to bomb his home with his children in it.

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Nation of Islam--Malcolm X –Went on the “haj”--the pilgrimage to Mecca –Learned that Islam preached racial equality –Changed his view about whites Malcolm prays

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Nation of Islam--Malcolm X –Ballots or Bullets “…if you and I don’t use the ballot, we’re going to have to use the bullet. So let us try the ballot.” –Feb Assassinated by 3 members of Nation of Islam Ordered by superiors?--we don’t know

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Black Power Movement –Militant members of SNCC and CORE break with Dr. King –Frustrated with the slow pace of nonviolence –SNCC president Stokely Carmichael arrested and beaten –Called for SNCC to stop recruiting whites Black Power salute Stokely Carmichael

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Black Panther party –Founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale –To fight police brutality –Used revolutionary words from Chairman Mao: “Power flows out of the barrel of a gun.” Huey Newton Bobby Seale

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Black Panther party –Called for black self-help –Decent housing, jobs, soup kitchens, day care –Preached armed revolt –Stokely Carmichael joined in 1967 On the march At the Capitol

Civil Rights--Alternative Views Black Panther party –FBI investigates--uses illegal methods –Leads to several gun battles –Newton, Seale arrested

Poor Peoples’ Campaign Dr. King goes north –Worked for jobs, better housing –Went to Memphis, TN to support garbage workers’ strike

Dr. King Assassinated April 4, 1968 –Murdered by James Earl Ray –Led to riots in 125 cities –“Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, I am free at last.”

Civil Rights Act of 1968 Banned discrimination in housing Marching for Open Housing in Chicago

Accomplishments Significant improvement in high school and college graduation rates for African Americans Racial pride increased dramatically Political gains –By 1970, 2/3 of eligible blacks were registered voters –Increased #s of black political leaders

New Issues More money for inner cities Forced busing to integrate schools Affirmative action programs –Special efforts to hire or enroll groups that had suffered discrimination –Especially minorities and women –Led to charges of reverse discrimination

And so it goes… ON…