Civil Rights of the 1960s

Civil Rights Movement • social movements in the United States whose goal

was to end racial segregation and discrimination against black Americans and enforce constitutional voting rights to them

Martin Luther King Jr.

- Clergyman, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience.

• Known for the “most memorable performance” during the Big March

• His speech stirred the minds of people all over the world & reminded them of the Civil Rights Movement’s purpose

• He called the march “the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of our nation”

Malcolm X• Elijah Muhammad founded the Nation of Islam – favored separation of races and wanted a part of the U.S. set aside for African Americans • Muhammad’s most significant follower• But, in 1964 he split with Muhammad and founded

own group• Organization of Afro-American Unity • Began speaking of the need for “brotherhood” and

reaching out to different groups• Assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965 presumably by

followers of Muhammad

Black Panthers/Black Power• Radical group founded by two college students in Oakland,

CA• Talked about armed revolt & wore military clothes• Openly carried guns • Ideas of black separation & a refusal to reject violence

became popular• Chanted “We want power! Black power!”• Antagonized many white liberals who supported the Civil

Rights Movement • The “Black Power” call was enthusiastically taken up by

younger blacks• SNCC & CORE decided only blacks could hold leadership

positions in their organizations

Sit-Ins • Feb. 1, 1660• 4 freshman from Greensboro, NC were denied

coffee and doughnuts because the restaurant didn’t serve colored people

• Students stayed until close• The next day they returned with 19 others• News of sit-ins spread quickly• People participated in them in towns and cities in

13 states• By the fall of 1961, 70,000 were protesting at

lunch counters, courts, libraries, theaters, beaches & pools

Freedom RidesGoal – integrate interstate bus facilities

• Supreme court ruled for buses to desegregate, but the ruling had not yet been implemented

• 1961• Protestors rode buses through the south & refused to

use segregated facilities• Mobs of violent whites awaited them• Southern governors refused to take action against the

violence• In sept. the interstate commerce commission ordered

an end to segregation on all interstate buses & trains

Tragedy in Birmingham & Children’s March• Activists launched what is now known as “One of

the most influential campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement”

• From a high school in Jefferson county, Alabama 800 students marched 10 miles to Birmingham

• Stopped by police & put in jail

Tragedy in Birmingham & Children’s March• Rev. James Bel came up with a children’s crusade

& began a march in Birmingham• By May 7, 1963 – 3,000 black young people were

marching the city• Students left school to participate • Children faced fire hoses & vicious police dogs • Jails were overcrowded with students so they

expanded to fair grounds• “Turned the tide of the movement”

Children’s March

“The Big March”• Civil rights veterans planned the march with

assistance from leaders of the NAACP, SCLC, CORE & National Urban League

• Wanted to vent grievances, set goals & boosts spirits of civil rights workers

• Wanted to show support for Kennedy’s civil rights act

• Joined by people of all ages, races & backgrounds• ¼ million gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on

Aug. 28, 1963• March on Washington

Civil Rights Act of 1964• Ended segregation in public places and banned

employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin

• First proposed by JFK, signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson

• In the following years, congress expanded the act and passed additional legislation aimed at bringing equality to African Americans

-Voting rights act of 1965

• Blacks and other minorities could no longer be denied service based on the color of their skin

Selma• Site of major civil rights confrontation • Selma blacks made up half of the cities population

but comprised only 1% of the voters • African Americans felt intimidated • Jan. 1965, SNCC & SCLC focused on the city in

regards to voting rights • Even MLK joined • Marchers sang, prayed & marched through the

streets• Within a couple weeks, two thousand marchers

including MLK were arrested • Did not stop the campaign

Selma• Protests spread to communities beyond Selma• Feb. 8 – first casualty • Jamie Lee Jackson was shot by a state trooper• Civil rights leaders worked hard to prevent

Jackson’s death from turning demonstrators to violence

• His death also compelled civil right’s leaders to rethink their efforts

• Campaign in Selma seemed to be going nowhere• It was time to adopt a new, bold strategy

Voting Rights Act of 1965• Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson• August 6, 1965• Aimed at overcoming legal barriers at both state

and local levels which prevented African Americans from voting