• Limited progress in civil rights since the Second World War.• Racism was an everyday part of life for African

Americans (especially in the South!).• Armed forces had been desegregated.• Plans to outlaw lynching and improve voting

rights (introduced in 1948) had little impact.

• Southern states enforced ‘Jim Crow’ laws – segregated facilities such as parks, buses and schools.

• African Americans had been given the vote in the early

years of C20 but intimidation and violence often prevented them from using it.

• African Americans faced legal and official discrimination in employment and education.

• Top universities were closed to African Americans.

Brown vs Topeka (1954)

Linda Brown wanted to

attend her local school – not

allowed as it was all white

Oliver Brown and NAACP took case to

Supreme Court helped by black

lawyer, Thurgood Marshall

Supreme Court: “segregation

in schools was illegal” and

school should be integrated

Important in the development of the

civil rights movement because it showed

that Supreme Court could be

used to help black people gain civil

rights

Many southern states simply ignored the

ruling and schools

remained segregated

Little Rock High

(1957)

First real test of Brown v

Topeka ruling Nine black

students tried to attend local all white school

(including Elizabeth Eckford)

Orval Faubus (Governor of

Arkansas) stopped them by surrounding the school with state

troops

Faubus forced to remove the

troops but they were replaced by a mob of 1,000 white people

President Eisenhower

sent in federal troops to

protect the students

Gov. Faubus was so against

integration that he closed down schools in Little

Rock (1958)

One year later, Supreme Court

ordered him to re-open them and federal troops

stayed with the students to

protect them

Important because:

• showed President was willing to get involved

•World wide publicity for civil rights campaign

• Supreme Court got involved again and forced Faubus to re-open schools

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-56)

1955: Rosa Parks refused to give up her

seat to a white man

MLK organised a boycott of buses that

lasted for 13 mths until the bus company

gave in

1956: Supreme Court ruled

that segregation on

buses was illegal

Important because:

•Showed black Americans able to organise themselves

•Gained positive publicity•Peaceful protests worked•Inspired people•Emergence of MLK as leader

MLK

Strongly believed in

peaceful protest

Used methods such as

speeches, marches and

sit-ins to inspire change

Good at dealing with politicians and was able to raise awareness

of civil rights movement

Insisted on remaining

peaceful and was able to persuade

President and Congress to go

with him

Other protests

Sit-ins: Greensboro,

NC (1960)

Freedom Rides, 1960

Birmingham, Al. - 1963

March on Washington,

1963