Unit 8—Chapters The Civil Rights Movement, JFK, and LBJ CSS 11.10, 11.11

Part Two The Movement Gains Ground , , , How did the civil rights movement gain ground in the 1960’s?

Sit-In Movement, black students sat at the counter of a Woolsworth’s in Greensboro, NC they refused to leave when they were refused service followed passive resistance of Dr. King spread all across the country

Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) a grass roots organization that tried to involve as many regular people as possible the focus was non- violent protest letters to newspapers, sit-ins, etc.

Freedom Riders, 1960 whites and blacks tried to force desegregation on public buses one bus torched with Molotov-cocktails and the other attacked by a mob JFK sent US Marshals to ride buses interstate bus travel was protected by federal law protest within the states could still lead to arrest

University of Mississippi, 1962 James Meredith had to have a federal escort to attend Ole Miss Gov. Ross Barnett refused to allow his enrollment violence led to two civilians dead and 166 injured Meredith’s 1966 “March against Fear” across Mississippi resulted in violence Meredith eventually got a law degree at Columbia

Medgar Evers activist who led boycotts against racist white merchants in Mississippi investigated Emmett Till’s death helped get James Meredith into Ole Miss Bob Dylan’s “Only a Pawn in His Game” is about Evers’ murder assassinated just hours after JFK’s civil rights address

Civil Rights Speech, 1963 “If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public; if he cannot send his children to the best public school available; if he cannot vote for the public officials who represent him; if in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place?” —John F. Kennedy, 1963

“Letter from Birmingham Jail”, 1963 King went on voter registration drive to the most segregated city in South Gov. George Wallace had pledged “segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” Wallace ran for president twice in 1968 and 1972 attack dogs, cattle-prods, high-pressure water hoses were used to stop the march King was arrested TV and newspaper coverage led to more support for King

“Letter from Birmingham Jail”, 1963 We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. "An unjust law is no law at all.“ Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever.

March on Washington, 1963 King led 200,000 demonstrators to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 100 th anniversary of the Gettysburg address wanted to pressure on Congress to pass the legislation that JFK promised

“I Have a Dream Speech” 1963 “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

16 th Street Church Bombing, 1963 a bomb killed four young girls at their church in Birmingham, AL Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Addie Mae Collins the FBI withheld information at the time of the murders there were no convictions Robert Chambliss convicted in 1978, died in prison in 1985 Thomas Blanton, Jr. convicted in 2001 Bobby Cherry convicted in 2002, died in prison in 2004 Bragged to his friends about his involvement Herman Cash died in 1994

Civil Rights Act of 1964 JFK died in November 1963 LBJ pushed for the law in his memory banned discrimination in most public facilities hospitals, schools, theaters, restaurants gave federal government authority to make schools follow the law est. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which eliminated discrimination in hiring

EQ #2 How did the civil rights movement gain ground in the 1960’s?