Chapter 29 – Prosperity and Reform 1945-1980 Section 2 – The Civil Rights Movement Begins

What kinds of discrimination did minorities face? Example: William Myers, Jr., and family moved into Levittown, PA. WWII veteran. African American. Rock. Calls. Judge. In the North: Many qualified African Americans could not get good jobs In the South: Jim Crow laws enforced segregation (?) in schools, theaters, restaurants, restrooms, water fountains Mexican Americans and other Latinos Not allowed to attend neighborhood schools – “Mexican schools” Kept from good jobs

What advances were made in the fight for equality? Early successes 1947 – Jackie Robinson (?) 1948 – President Truman ordered integration (?) in the armed forces NAACP (?) – During WWII, membership in the NAACP jumped from 50,000 to 500,000. Voter registration drives Fought against discrimination (?) in housing and employment Legal Defense and Education Fund (led by Thurgood Marshall) challenged segregation in the courts. Veterans of WWII and Korea were less willing to sit back and allow themselves to be discriminated against.

What advances were made in the fight for equality? (continued) In the schools: 1896: US Sup. Ct. ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (?) 1954: US Sup. Ct. ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (?) Who was Brown’s lawyer? 1957 - Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas ordered the National Guard to keep African American students from attending Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. President Eisenhower sent troops to escort the students to school. First president since Reconstruction to use federal troops to support African American rights.

What advances were made in the fight for equality? (continued) In the courts 1954 – US Sup. Ct. decides Hernandez v. Texas (?) Montgomery Bus Boycott December 1955 – Rosa Parks (?) NAACP asked all African Americans to boycott (?) the buses. Formed a new organization, Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) and chose Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister to head the MIA. Boycott succeeds (after 1 year) King arrested; house bombed King insisted on civil disobedience (?) 1956 – Sup. Ct. rules that segregation on Alabama buses was unconstitutional Gained nat’l attention for civil rights movement Introduced nonviolent protest in struggle for social equality

Martin Luther King, Jr. Son of a Baptist minister Earned a Ph.D. in theology (?) from Boston University Studied many philosophers and political thinkers Above all, King admired Mohandas Gandhi (?) King and other leaders formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to continue fighting for equal rights. The group was made up of almost 100 black ministers and they elected King president of the group. Statement by SCLC: Understand that nonviolence is not a symbol of weakness or cowardice, but as Jesus demonstrated, nonviolent resistance transforms weakness into strength and breeds courage in the face of danger.

We Shall Overcome 4. We are not afraid 1. We shall overcome We are not afraid some day CHORUS   5. We are not alone We are not alone We are not alone some day 6. The whole wide world around The whole wide world around The whole wide world around some day 7. We shall overcome We shall overcome We shall overcome some day 1. We shall overcome We shall overcome We shall overcome some day CHORUS: Oh, deep in my heart I do believe 2. We'll walk hand in hand We'll walk hand in hand We'll walk hand in hand some day CHORUS   3. We shall all be free We shall all be free We shall all be free some day