Download Civil Rights Movement

Civil Rights Movement
Civil Rights
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Starting with Brown vs B of E, a string
of events occurred that raised
awareness for the movement
It was not easy and often ended up in
violence
African Americans fought hard for their
rights and would eventually get it
Montgomery Bus Boycott
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Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat
and was arrested
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Martin Luther King led the protest
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Outraged by this the Women’s Political
Council called for a boycott of the
Montgomery Bus System in 1955
Protest had to be peaceful
Boycott lasted a year
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Bus system was finally integrated
Eisenhower
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Did not agree with segregation
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Did not think the government should force
segregation on everyone
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Followed Truman and integrated many parts of the
military
Let times change on its own
Did not endorse Brown vs. Board of
Education
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Despite this it was the law and he had to protect it
Little Rock Nine
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Nine African Americans were sent to
attend Central High School in Little
Rock, Arkansas (1957)
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Governor ordered Arkansas National Guard
to prevent the students from attending
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Challenged the constitution
Eisenhower had to get involved
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Sent 101st Airborne to protect the students
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Stayed for the rest of the year
Sit-In Movement
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Students wanted to get involved
Started using sit-ins to integrate local
restaurants
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Had to remain non violent
Very successful
SNCC was created
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Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee
Played a key role in civil rights movement
Freedom Riders
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Despite Montgomery Bus Boycott, many
busses in South were still segregated
Many African Americans and whites traveled
in the South to bring attention to the issue
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Met violence in many of the stops
Birmingham
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No police to stop KKK from beating the riders
Brought national attention to civil rights
movement
Kennedy
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JFK saw the violence and knew he had to do
something
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Used the Justice Department to fight for him
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Worried that Congress would not pass the laws
Ran by his brother Robert
Urged Interstate Commerce Committee to
end segregation
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Busses were finally integrated (1962)
Assignment
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In a group of 3-4 people, create a skit
about one of the Civil Rights events
Your skit must be written as if you were
a part of it
It must include 5 facts about the event
Perform the skit in front of the class
Birmingham
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MLK and other leaders were frustrated
that no laws had been passed
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The country had been consumed with
Cuban Missile Crisis and other foreign
affairs
Leaders wanted to bring attention back
to Civil Rights
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MLK focused on Birmingham, Alabama
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Knew there would be violence
Birmingham
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Protests began and MLK was arrested
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Letter from a Birmingham Jail
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Described the issues they were trying to fix
As MLK was released, more protesters
came and Bull Connor ordered them to be
dealt with
Kennedy now had to do something
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JFK finally announced his Bill
March on Washington
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MLK knew that the Civil Rights Bill would
have a difficult time going through congress
Organized the March on Washington
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200,000 people of all races showed their support
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“I have a Dream Speech”
With new President Johnson’s urging, the Bill
became a Law
Civil Rights Act of 1964
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Gave the Government the right to
outlaw discrimination
Segregation is now illegal
Forced more schools to integrate
Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission
Selma March
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Despite victories with the new Civil Rights Act
of 1964, there were still problems
African Americans were still facing issues with
voting
MLK chose Selma as the focus for his protest
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People were terrorized by white officers
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Beaten as they were praying
All in front of TV cameras
Selma March
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Brought attention to the Nation
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Johnson furiously forced congress to pass
the Voting Rights Act of 1965
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Put the federal government in charge of poll
stations
Outlawed literacy tests
250,000 new African American voters
Civil Rights
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The main goals of the movement had
been reached
Segregation was over, and voting rights
had been achieved
New issues would soon arise
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New voices would start a new way to deal
with them