Civil Rights Movement

 How did WWII result in many of the civil rights movements that occurred afterwards?  How was the de-segregation of schools and other public facilities legalized?  Describe two of the major African American Civil Rights organizations and describe how they confronted racism.  What struggles did Civil Rights organizations commonly face when attempting to gain equality? Provide an example.  Describe each of the following organizations: UFW, AIM, & NOW. Also, what were there goals?

 African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, and women distinguished themselves in the effort to win World War II.  Knowing the vital role they played in WWII, these groups were upset with the discrimination they faced from the country they supported fully.  Therefore, after the war, all of these groups of people began different movements to secure the freedoms and opportunities white, male Americans enjoyed.

 One of the major events that propelled the African American Civil Rights Movement was the Supreme Court Case of Brown v. Board of Education.  Lisa Brown, a third grade black student, was not allowed to attend a segregated white school near her home and was forced to attend a more distant all black school. Her father tried to get his daughter in the closer, superior school.  The NAACP brought the lawsuit all the way to the Supreme Court to be decided.

 The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that segregation in all public places violated the 14 th Amendment.  The ruling effectively threw the Plessey v. Ferguson case—”separate but equal”—out the window.  One of the major reasons why judges decided in favor of Brown was because the NAACP proved black girls preferred white dolls because they were supposedly “prettier” and “better.”

 Numerous African American Civil Rights organizations formed to protest against discrimination and even filed lawsuits to end legalized racism.  The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led by Martin Luther King Jr., was a group of devoted southern, black pastors.  The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was typically led by black intellectuals and lawyers.  The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was a group of college students—both black and white—who were against racism.

 Many of these Civil Rights organizations and its members faced severe racism, arrests, police violence, and sometimes even death when protesting or speaking out against discrimination.  For instance, many college students who were part of SNCC attempted to de-segregate lunch counters by conducting “sit- ins” where African Americans would request food despite the fact it was official policy to refuse service to anyone but whites.  As a result of these sit-ins, many participants had food and drink thrown at them or were even brutally beaten.  However, because of their bold actions and media coverage, the President and other government officials felt pressured to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed public segregation.

 Another reason the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed by government officials was the marches conducted by the SCLC in Birmingham, Alabama—one of the most racist towns in America.  Leading non-violent marches protesting discrimination in Birmingham, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested by the local police.  Other members of the marches—including elementary aged kids—were sprayed with high pressure water hoses and were attacked by police dogs.  With television and newspapers covering the event live, government officials once again felt pressured to confront racism in the South.

 Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist preacher, was the primary leader of the Civil Rights Movement.  He modeled his nonviolent, confrontational tactics off of Gandhi, the leader of the Indian Movement for Independence from Great Britain.  With the help of thousands of students from SNCC, King was able to gain notoriety through his shocking nonviolent actions.  Likely due to these actions, King was eventually assassinated in 1968.

 Although Malcolm X and MLK shared the goal of helping African Americans with their problems in American society, Malcolm X preached that white Americans were “devils.”  Like Garvey before him, Malcolm X declared that African Americans should be proud of themselves and separate from whites.  He also stated that violence against whites should be used when they get out of line.  Malcolm X’s radical beliefs eventually led to his assassination in 1965.

 Mexican American workers had long been discriminated against, primarily in California and the Southwest.  Led by Cesar Chavez, these migrant farmers formed the United Farm Workers of America to fight against bad working conditions on farms.  They boycotted certain farms and crops which forced large farms to bargain with the UFW.

 American Indians, learning from the Civil Rights Movement in the South, organized to improve conditions on reservations, protect their land rights, and improve Native American education and employment.  Therefore, multiple tribes came together to form the American Indian Movement (AIM), which convinced the federal government to give more financial assistance and rights to Indians on reservations.

 Middle class women became increasingly upset with raising children and taking care of the home.  Moreover, women often suffered from job discrimination and significantly lower wages.  In 1966, the National Organization of Women (NOW) began to pressure the government and others for full economic and social equality.  NOW also advocated for greater access to birth control and abortions for women.