US Civil Rights Movement Gr.12 History PDF

Case Study 1 CASE STUDY: The US Civil Rights Movement Key question: Why did the Civil Rights Movement emerge in the USA and what were its short- and long-term gains? Reasons and origins of the US Civil Rights Movement Reasons for the US Civil Rights Movement: After the American Civil War (1861–1865)...

Case Study 1 CASE STUDY: The US Civil Rights Movement Key question: Why did the Civil Rights Movement emerge in the USA and what were its short- and long-term gains? Reasons and origins of the US Civil Rights Movement Reasons for the US Civil Rights Movement: After the American Civil War (1861–1865), the US government passed the 14th and 15th Amendments, granting citizenship and equal rights to former black slaves. In 1866 a white supremacist group called the Klu Klux Klan was set up. They were against any rights for African-Americans and wanted segregation to continue. As more civil rights were granted to African-Americans, the Klu Klux became more violent. Violent attacks on houses were carried out and approximately 175 AfricanAmericans were lynched per year between 1890 and 1900. In 1896 the US Supreme Court ruled that separate, but equal, facilities for white and black Americans was constitutional. This law remained until 1954. Thus, the driving reason for the Civil Rights Movement was to provide AfricanAmericans with a strategy to fight against the disregard for their constitutional and civil rights. Origins of the US Civil Rights Movement: In 1909 the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) was set up. In 1935 they challenged segregation in higher education in the nation’s courts and won significant rights for African-Americans in universities across the country. After World War II the movement gained momentum for many reasons: Many AfricanAmericans moved North to take defence-related jobs. They had the vote in the North, which increased the voting strength. 1 60 African2 Americans serving in the army abroad experienced less racial discrimination. Soldiers had fought for democracy and upon returning home fought against racism and their own democratic rights. 3 © Via Afrika Publishers » History 12 Study Guide eBook Case study Unit XX 1 Responses in the Southern States The Southern States responded by taking away African-American rights. The activities of the Klu Klux Klan increased in the 1950s. Many Southern States refused to comply with laws and court rulings, e.g. the 1954 landmark case ruling that desegregation should take place in school, won by the NAACP. Contributed to the growing Civil Rights Movement. The role, impact and influence of Martin Luther King Junior The role of Martin Luther King Junior King was a pastor in the city of Montgomery, which became the centre of the rights movement. His position as pastor allowed him to take on the leadership role within the struggle as he was able to see the struggles of his congregation first hand and his position gave him a platform from which to speak of the injustices he saw. His leadership role was affirmed when he was elected to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. From there, his role increased and he became the spotlight of the non-violent resistance. In 1957, after the success of the Bus Boycott, he and other activists founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The SCLC and King planned to achieve full equality for African-Americans through non-violence. King remained the leader of the organisation until his death and travelled the World and country giving lectures on non-violent protests and civil rights. What was the impact and influence of Martin Luther King Junior? King became a unifying force in the various struggles for civil rights through his charismatic personality and strong leadership skills. He drew the various movements together, which became co-ordinated and focused. It attracted the attention of the whole of the USA and rest of the world. King’s non-violent approach and profound wisdom won him support. His stature enabled the movement to achieve many of their aims such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He also became influential in other issues such as the Vietnam War and poverty. Unfortunately, a rift grew between King and the more radical youth, who rejected his non-violent methods as these were seen to be ineffectual. They formed the Black Panther Party, a militant group that aimed to overthrow the whites’ status quo with force. © Via Afrika Publishers » History 12 Study Guide eBook 61 Case study Unit XX 1 Influence of passive resistance (Gandhi) on ML King Junior King was influenced by the writing of Mohandas Gandhi. In India, Gandhi used non-violence as a political instrument against British colonial rule. King saw in Gandhi’s philosophy the Christian ethic of love being used as a strategy for change. He came to believe that non-violence was the only way African-Americans would be able to win the struggle for freedom in the USA. Non-violence therefore informed all his speeches and actions during the Civil Rights Movement. What were the forms of protests through civil disobedience? Bus boycotts Freedom rides Sit-ins Peaceful marches. Usually, these non-violent actions were met with violence from the white supremacists. Those who took part in the campaigns were trained not to retaliate, however, they were accused of being the agitators and for provoking violence. Montgomery bus boycotts Montgomery, in the South: a city where the segregation laws were strong in the 1950s. On 1 December 1955, Rosa Parks – Secretary to the NAACP – was arrested for not giving up her seat on a city bus to a white man. As a result the NAACP, led by King, organised a boycott of the city buses. The boycott lasted for 381 days, placing a severe economic strain on the public transport system. The boycott finally ended on 20 December 1956. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional. Greensboro sit-in The writings of King inspired four students in the city of Greensboro, North Carolina. 62 On 1 February 1960, the four decided to sit down at the ‘whites only’ lunch table at Woolworths and order coffee. They were refused service, but said they would stay in their seats until they were served. Each day, other students joined them. The sit-in spread to other restaurants. Also spread to other Southern States: lasted for more than a year, with businesses losing more than a third of their income. In the summer of 1961 businesses in Greensboro decided to desegregate. The sit-ins drew many students into the campaign → led to the setting up of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). © Via Afrika Publishers » History 12 Study Guide eBook Case study Unit XX 1 Freedom Rides The Freedom Rides were organised in 1961 by the SNCC and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). In May 1961, African-American and white volunteers sat next to each other on public buses as they travelled from the North to the South. When they reached Alabama, white mobs burnt one of their buses while the police stood by and looked on. Although many Freedom Riders were thrown in jail, the violent treatment did not stop them → over the next 6 months more than a thousand people joined the campaign. The images of brutality were televised around the world and the images embarrassed the Kennedy administration. As a result, the Kennedy administration put an end to the violence and the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) banned segregation on all interstate transport. President Kennedy delivered a Civil Rights address to the nation on 11 June 1963 → called on all Americans to recognise the movement as a moral cause to which everyone should contribute. Campaigns and marches in the US Civil Rights Movement 1 The Birmingham Campaign Many marches, sit-ins and boycotts were organised and Birmingham became the centre of violence in 1963. The campaigns were met with police violence, led by commander Eugene Connor, who used fire hoses, police dogs and gaol sentences to disperse the marchers. On 2 May, one thousand children gathered in churches and began the “Children's Crusade”. 600 children were arrested and imprisoned and fire hoses and police dogs were deployed on the marchers in what became known as Double-D day. The images were broadcast internationally → led to international sympathy for the movement. On 10 May it was announced that segregation would end. Segregationists, however, retaliated: bombed the home of King’s brother bombed a 16th Street Baptist Church killed four African-American girls. The Birmingham Campaign = a mass movement that demanded fundamental economic and social change. The campaign succeeded in spreading the movement to the North. © Via Afrika Publishers » History 12 Study Guide eBook 63 Case study Unit XX 1 2 The march to Lincoln Memorial, in August 1963 was the largest political gathering in US history. It had 6 goals: civil rights legislation, a federal works programme, the right to vote, integrated education, better housing and better employment opportunities. Between 250 000 and 400 000 people joined the march where King delivered his “I have a Dream” speech. Many contemporaries regarded the march as a positive part of the Civil Rights Movement, whilst others thoughts it was a ‘sanitised’ middle-class version of the real Black Power Movement. 3 64 Freedom Summer On 22 November 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated. On 2 July 1964, Congress accepted the Civil Rights Act → banned segregation and discrimination. In the “Freedom Summer” of 1964, thousands of volunteers launched a voter registration drive in the South. Activists were threatened and harassed; 3 young civil rights workers were murdered. Freedom Summer attracted national attention → led to the 1965 Voting rights Act. 4 The march to Lincoln Memorial The Selma-Montgomery marches Early 1965: Selma, Alabama = focus of voter registration and demonstrations. On February 18th white segregationists attacked a group of demonstrators and killed a young African-American demonstrator. In response, King and the movement planned a march from Selma to Montgomery. On Sunday 7 March a group of 600 people set out on the march, but were attacked with whips, batons and tear gas. The violence was captured on television, which drew even more demonstrators to Selma. On 9 March the marchers met with more force, and a young white minister, James Reeb, was beaten to death. President Johnson backed the march and pledged his support, sending US army troops to protect them. They finally reached Montgomery on 25 March. © Via Afrika Publishers » History 12 Study Guide eBook Case study Unit XX 1 School desegregation School integration was a major focus of the civil rights struggle. 5 lawsuits were launched to desegregate high school in 1952, in what became known as Brown versus Board of Education. In May 1954 the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in school was unconstitutional. CASE STUDY: Little Rock, Arkansas In Little Rock, Arkansas, 17 African-American students were chosen to enter the all-white Central High. 17 became 9 after some of the parents withdrew their children due to the feared backlash. The day before school opening the Governor called in the National Guard to surround the school, stating he feared white supremacists would attack. As a result none of the 9 attended. The next day, Daisy Bates of the NAACP organised for them to all meet at her house and walk together. One girl, Elizabeth Eckford, didn't get the message and was ambushed as she tried to enter the school. For the next 17 days the National Guard prevented the Little Rock Nine from entering the school. The NAACP won a law case forcing the Governor to intergrate the schools. As a result he withdrew the National Guard, who were replaced by more than a thousand angry white protesters. The students entered the school via a side door, which led to the growing violence of the mob outside. Fearing escalated violence, the students were rushed home and the president was asked to help keep the peace. President Eisenhower addressed all Americans, saying that mob rule would not be allowed. As a result, the National Guard protected the Little Rock Nine for the duration of the year. The nine were still, however, subjected to racial hatred and one of the nine, Melba Patillo, was stabbed and had acid sprayed in her eyes. Before schools opened in 1958, the Governor, with the support of the white population, closed all schools in Little Rock rather than proceeding with desegregation. In June 1959, the Supreme Court ruled that the school board must reopen the schools and resume the process of desegregation. In August, schools opened. 250 protestors marched to Central High, but this time the police acted quickly and 21 people were arrested. Only in 1972 were all grades in the Little Rock public schools integrated. © Via Afrika Publishers » History 12 Study Guide eBook 65 Case study Unit XX 1 Short- and long-term gains of the Civil Rights Movement The decade 1955 to 1965 was the high point of the Civil Rights Movement. Television broadcasts and magazines kept the Civil Rights Movement’s message alive for millions of people → became a mass movement during that decade. The Montgomery Bus Boycott launched the movement; the Greensboro sit-in brought the students into the movement. Student activity increased with the Freedom Rides and Freedom Summer. The crisis in Little Rock had a profound impact on America and the rest of the world. It showed the lengths to which some Southerners would go to prevent integration. It also showed African-Americans that they could get their rights guaranteed by the Constitution if they made themselves heard on the street and in the courtroom. By 1965, the Selma to Montgomery march clearly showed both how far American blacks had come and how far they still had to go. Ten years earlier, they had timidly asked if they could sit in the front of the bus; now they were demanding their full rights as American citizens. They had courts and a president who were willing to make rulings and pass laws to guarantee their safety and their rights. But they still faced strong, violent opposition. Blacks were not at the end of the road, but they were further along than they had ever been. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were two of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in American history. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in pubic services and on the job. In the follow-up Voting Rights Act of 1965, the federal government guaranteed all African-Americans the right to vote. By the 1970s, substantial numbers of African-Americans had been elected to public and private office throughout the Southern States. Although the USA still has not achieved full equality for all Americans in practice, despite such equality existing in law, the fact that an African-American was elected President of the USA in 2008 is an indication of how far the nation has travelled in promoting and protecting equal civil and constitutional rights for all: AfricanAmericans, other minorities and whites alike. 66 © Via Afrika Publishers » History 12 Study Guide eBook