Chapter 28: A Period of Turmoil and Change

Burgess/Hornbeck

Demands for Civil Rights

Chapter 28, Section 1

August, 1945- G.M of Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey, wanted to challenge the rule in MLB that required blacks to play in a separate league.

Rickey called upon Jackie Robinson to be the first African American in MLB. He wanted Robinson to ignore insults that

would be thrown at him. “I want a ball player with guts enough not to

fight back.”

Setting the Scene

Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson

1947- Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. First African American to play in major leagues. Rookie of the Year in 1947. 1949- League MVP.

Setting the Scene Cont…

African Americans were moving from rural to urban areas in large numbers. Emergence of AA doctors and lawyers who

gained influence and became leaders of the community.

FDR: number of AA’s in federal jobs increased significantly.

WWII: led to a rise in AA population in the North. New ideology for many people.

Rise of African American Influence

Rise of NAACP: (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Challenged segregation laws Tried to overturn 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case Legal team was greatest asset

Thurgood Marshall aka “Mr. Civil Rights” Oliver Hill: higher pay and better educations for

AA teachers and students.

Rise of African American Influence Cont…

NAACP

1951: Oliver Brown sued Topeka, Kansas Board of Ed. to allow his daughter to attend an all white school. Case reached the Supreme Court. Thurgood Marshall argued on Brown’s behalf

May 17, 1954: Supreme Court ruled (unanimously) “separate but equal” was unconstitutional and could not be applied to public school.

1955: ALL schools should move to desegregate.

Brown v. Board of Education

Brown v. Board of Ed.

Mixed reaction AA’s were pumped up! Many whites accepted the decision Ike, privately disagreed, vowed to obey Supreme

Court’s ruling. Southern whites were scared and angry.

Resisted desegregation Ku Klux Klan became more active Southern Manifesto was created by Deep South

Congress people.

Reaction to Brown vs. Board of Ed.

December, 1955: Rosa Parks sat in the front of the “colored”

section of the bus. AA’s were expected to give up seat to whites if

there were not seats available in the “white” section of the bus.

Parks refused Police arrested her and ordered her to stand trial

for violation of segregation laws.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Rosa Parks

Civil rights leaders then organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott AA’s refused to ride the entire bus system until

bus company changed their policy of segregation. MLK Jr, became the spokesman for the protest. Over the next year, 50,000 AA’s walked, rode

bikes, and car pooled to avoid the bus. 1956, Supreme Court ruled bus segregation was

unconstitutional.

Montgomery Bus Boycott, Cont…

Arkansas Governor, Orval Faubus, refused to follow Supreme Court’s ruling. Placed National Guardsmen at Central High School.

Told to NOT let the 9 AA students into the school. Ike sent soldiers to protect the students. Students were then allowed to attend school at

Central. Response by Faubus: “Lost year in Little Rock.: Faubus named “Most admired men of 1958.”

Sign of the times.

Resistance in Little Rock

Military Escort into School

Central High School

Central High School Present-Day

Leaders and Strategies

Chapter 28, Section 2

More young people were becoming active in Civil Rights Movement.

Organization and Strong Commitment were required in order to make an impact.

Setting the Scene

Civil rights movement was a grass roots effort. Many organizations played a role in gaining equal rights. NAACP: created in 1909 as an interracial orgz.

Appealed to educated, middle and upper class people. Challenged laws that prevented AA’s from exercising

full rights. 1930’s: Passed anti-lynching laws 1930’s Challenged housing and education

segregation.

Groundwork

National Urban League Founded in 1911 Help AA’s moving out of the South into big

cities in the North. Also helped find jobs and homes!

Offer job opportunities and advancement to AA’s.

Groundwork Cont….

CORE: Congress of Racial Equality Bring about change through peaceful

confrontation. Interracial Organized demonstrations in Chicago and

Detroit Eventually became a national organization.

Groundwork Cont…

SCLC- Southern Christian Leadership Conference Preached nonviolent protest Shifted focus of civil rights movement to the

South. MLK Jr. became known nationally through

SCLC.

Nonviolence

Martin Luther King Jr. Baptist preacher One of the most loved, admired, and hated

figures during civil rights movement. Influenced by Gandhi

Must remain non-violent regardless of violent reactions .

Most known and prominent civil rights leader. Earned Nobel peace prize in 1964.

Nonviolence Cont…

“To accept passively an unjust system is to cooperate with that system; thereby the oppressed become as evil as the oppressor.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

New Voice for Students

Formation of SNCC (snick) Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee

1960, Raleigh, N.C. Felt NAACP and SCLC were not meeting demands

of young AA’s. Eventually, became a major outlet for young

people, both AA’s and whites. Civil rights movement focus shifted from church’s

to young activists.

New Voice for Students Cont…

Robert Moses SNCC’s most influential leader Harvard Grad. And math teacher in Harlem, NY

Very soft-spoken Loved and trusted because of his humble nature.

Wanted to help SNCC Went to Mississippi to teach rural blacks how to

vote.

New Voice for Students Cont…

The Struggle Intensifies

28.3

1943- CORE created the sit-in. Sit at the location where service was refused

and refuse to move. Used throughout the 1960’s as a popular

form of protest. Forced businesses to serve protestors or

cause a disruption. MLK Jr. “Arrest is a badge of honor.”

Sit-Ins Challenge Segregations

Sit- Ins

Boynton v. Virginia (1960)- bus station waiting rooms and restaurants could NOT be segregated.

1961- CORE organized the Freedom Rides Test whether southern states would obey the

Supreme Court ruling.

Freedom Rides

Violence and Freedom Rides: May 4, 1961- First freedom ride leaves Washington

D.C. 13 riders, black and white, headed south on two

busses Busses split and ride became dangerous.

Alabama- armed white mob set the bus on fire and beat the freedom riders.

RFK sent federal marshals to aid the protestors. RFK pushed ICC to desegregate ALL trains, planes, and

busses.

Freedom Rides Cont…

Bus Catches Fire…

James Meredith Student at Jackson State College wanted to transfer

to Ole’ Miss…..an all white school. He was rejected, NAACP filed suit. Supreme Court ruled in Meredith’s favor. Miss. Gov. Ross Barnett refused to let Meredith

attend school. JFK sent federal marshals in to accompany Meredith

to class. Violence then erupted on campus.

Integration at Ole Miss

James Meredith

James Meredith- first AA to Graduate from Ole’ Miss

April, 1963, MLK visits Birmingham, AL. “Most segregated city in America.” – MLK Called for boycotts and sit-ins of segregated

stores and restaurants. City officials arrested MLK Jr. on grounds of

“not obtaining a permit.” MLK Jr. was in jail for a week, upon release

asked for young people to join the protest. More violence erupted.

Clash in Birmingham

Segregation

Violence in Birmingham

Violence in Birmingham

TV cameras brought the violence into people’s living rooms. Most were appalled. Protestors sprayed with fire hoses, attacked by

dogs and beaten by police. Outcome: Protestors were victorious.

City was desegregated and fair hiring practices were implemented.

Clash in Birmingham Cont…