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The Civil Rights Movement

1950s, 60s, and 70s

Terms to Know● Civil rights: rights that protect individuals' freedom from

violation by governments, social organizations, and private individuals

● Segregation: the enforced separation of different racial groups○ Supported by Jim Crow laws

Section I: The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement● Strategies, groups, and social movements in the U.S. ● Goals:

○ End racial segregation and discrimination ○ Secure legal recognition and federal protection of

rights

Rosa Parks

Start of the Civil Rights Movement● Parks’ determination and courage sparked the start of the

civil rights movement● After her arrest…

○ Montgomery bus boycott○ Mass national protests

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.● C.R.M. leader● Influenced by Gandhi● Believed the way to end segregation and racism was

through nonviolent passive resistance

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

Carpool Pickup Station

Segregation in Schools● Brown v. Board of Education

○ Linda Brown denied access to her school in KS○ With the NAACP’s help, her parents sued the Topeka

school board○ Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public school

was unconstitutional■ Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson

Linda Brown

This is Ruby Bridges in 1960 being escorted home from

school by Federal Marshals. She was, bravely, one of the first

black students to attend white schools during the civil rights

movement.

Little Rock, Arkansas● 9 black students admitted to a 2,000 person white school● AR governor ordered the National Guard to prevent

students from entering○ Angry white mobs formed

● Eisenhower ordered Nat’l Guard to to evacuate○ Mob stayed behind and beat reporters and broke

windows

Results of Little Rock● Nat’l attention

○ State gov’t defied federal gov’t● Eisenhower ordered army troops to escort 9 students into

school

Little Rock cont’d

Eisenhower & Civil Rights● Eisenhower disagreed with segregation

○ Wanted it to end naturally● Passed The Civil Rights Act of 1957

○ Protected black citizens’ right to vote

Woolworth’s Store● Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair, Jr., David Richmond, and

Franklin McCain staged a sit in at an all white counter

Consequences of the Woolworth’s Sit In● Within two months sit ins spread to…

○ 54 cities○ 9 states○ Stores, restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, &

swimming pools● Encouraged college students to join the movement

Treatment of Protesters at Sit Ins● Heckled● Punched● Kicked● Beaten with clubs● Burned with cigarettes, hot coffee, and acid

The Sit-In Movement

SNCC● Students needed their own outlet for change

○ Instead of joining the NAACP○ Established the SNCC

■ Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee● SNCC desegregated public facilities and sent volunteers

into rural areas to register blacks to vote

Birmingham, Alabama● MLK Jr. wanted support from President Kennedy and the

federal gov’t○ Launched demonstrations in Birmingham to provoke

a violent response● MLK Jr. was jailed

○ Upon release, conditions worsened

March On Washington● Kennedy wanted to pass a civil rights bill

○ Lacked support● MLK Jr. organized a March on Washington

○ Delivered “I Have a Dream Speech”

Civil Rights Act of 1964● A landmark civil rights and U.S. labor law in the United

States that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Facts to Hear, but Not Write Down● Black men and women still faced major hurdles when

trying to vote○ Attacked, beaten, and murdered

● In the South, black businesses and churches were bombed

The Selma March● Goal: to procure the right to vote● Marched 50 miles from Selma to Montgomery, AL● Became known as “Bloody Sunday”

○ Peaceful protesters beaten on nat’l television

The Voting Rights Act of 1965● Authorized federal examiners to register qualified voters,

bypassing local officials

Shift in the Movement● Many were unsatisfied with integration and voting rights

○ Wanted economic progress○ Why?

Black Power● Blacks should control the direction of their struggle● Physical self-defense and violence for freedom● Pride in their culture

○ Led to changes in clothing, hairstyles, and college courses

Malcolm X● Symbol of the Black Power

Movement● Member of the Nation of Islam

○ Joined in prison● Yearned for a society in which races

are separate and self-governing○ Self-defense

Changing Views● Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam

○ Spoke out against the group’s leader● Assassinated in February 1965

The Black Panthers● Militant group who preached black power, black

nationalism, and economic self-sufficiency● Believed in revolution in the U.S.

Black PowerU.S. athletes Tommie Smith and

John Carlos give the black power salute during the medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympic

Games in Mexico City.

The Assassination of MLK Jr.● C.R.M. had fragmented into several visions and goals● In March 1968, MLK Jr. was assassinated Memphis, TN

○ After his death, C.R.M. lacked unity and vision

Section II: Culture and

Counterculture

Review!● Typical 1950s All American life included...

As a Result...● Exclusive society● Prosperity

○ People could afford to send their children to college■ Freedom and independence

The Student Movement and the Counterculture

Main Concerns● American society valued

○ Conformity over independence○ Financial gain over social and spiritual advancement

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)● Formed the “New Left”● Interested in

○ Democracy○ Protesting Vietnam○ Poverty○ Nuclear power○ Racism

Commencement of the Free Speech Movement

● Led by Mario Savio at University of CA at Berkeley● Unhappy with university restrictions

○ Forbade distributing literature and recruiting political volunteers

○ Class taught by graduate students○ Professors too busy to meet with students

Civil Disobedience● Much like MLK Jr., protesters at Berkeley utilized civil

disobedience○ Speeches○ Abandoning class○ Occupying buildings

Results at Berkeley● Classes stopped for 2 days● Supreme Court ruled against the school

○ First Amendment rights○ Civil Rights Act

Mario Savio

Counterculture● Informally known as hippies● Instead of changing the system, yearned to create their

own society○ Mostly white middle and upper class Americans○ Flamboyant dress, rock music, drugs, free and

independent living

Original Utopian Counterculture● Utopia-a perfect place● Counterculture utopia consisted of

○ Freedom○ Empathy○ Love○ Tolerance○ Cooperation○ Close to nature

Communes● Many hippies left mainstream society to live on

communes○ Group living arrangements where everyone shares

and works together

Religious Movements● Without parental figures many turned to religious leaders

○ Led parents to accuse sects of mind control○ Attempted to recapture and reprogram their children

Decline of the Counterculture● Communes became seedy and dangerous● Drug use turned into addiction and overdoses ↑● People grew up

Counterculture Impact on Fashion

Counterculture Impact on Art

Counterculture Impact on Music & Dance

The Feminist Movement

Feminism● The belief that men and women should be equal

politically, economically, and socially

Women’s Roles in the 1960s● Women made up ~⅓ of the workforce

○ Held lower paying jobs○ Rights shifted to equality in the workplace

Disadvantages of Being a Women● Less pay for the same work● Excluded from higher paying fields● Ads separated jobs by gender● Banks denied credit

Title VII● Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion,

national origin, and gender○ Added in Title VII

The Feminine Mystique (1963)● Book authored by Betty Friedan

○ Interviewed women across the U.S. ■ Many had everything they wanted, yet still felt

unfulfilled

Successes● Banned gender discrimination in schools● Roe v. Wade● Pursuit of careers and college education● Employers started offering family benefits

New Approaches to Civil Rights

Civil Rights Spreads● Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, other minorities

began to strive for change○ Native Americans○ Hispanic Americans

Affirmative Action● Called for companies doing business with the federal

gov’t to actively recruit African Americans○ Goal: improve social and economic status

● Viewed by some as reverse discrimination

Affirmative Action

Busing● To speed up the integration of schools, local gov’ts began

busing students to other neighborhoods○ 20,000 white students left Boston Public Schools

Busing in Boston

César Chávez and Dolores Huerta● Organized United Farm Workers Union

○ Mexican Americans in CA demanded better working conditions

○ Organized grapes boycott○ 17 million people stopped buying grapes

César Chávez and Dolores Huerta

Native American Gains● Gained rights to land and water● Increased funds for education and federal programs

Saving the Earth

Environmental Issues● Pesticides● Pollution due to industrialization● Nuclear energy

Grassroots Effort● April 1970, first Earth Day celebration

○ Intensified environmentalist movement

Federal Government Action● Nixon passed…

○ Clean Air Act○ Clear Water Act○ Endangered Species Act○ Created the Environmental Protection Agency