Chapter 26 The Civil Rights Movement

Section 1

The Civil Rights Movement Begins

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  The 1896 Supreme Court ruling Plessy vs. Ferguson strengthened segregation.
  
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    Plessy vs. Ferguson stated that separate but equal facilities was legal.
    
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    African Americans were forced to use separate facilities such as bathrooms, drinking fountains, movie theatres, schools and many others.
    
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    Many of the facilities were not equal and not maintained very well.
    
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  The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was organized to fight discrimination.
  
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    It’s goal was to “eradicate…race prejudice and secure complete equality before the law.”
    

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  After serving in the armed services in World War II, minorities wanted justice between the races at home.
  
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  When Branch Rickey hired Jackie Robinson, he helped to integrate Major League Baseball.
  
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  Harry Truman ordered the desegregation of the Armed Forces.
  
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  This is one of the few Civil Rights laws Truman could pass because he did not need approval of the Southern states.
  
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  The Korean was the first war in which African Americans and white Americans fought side by side.
  
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  Segregation in the Schools
  
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    Thurgood Marshal argued for school desegregation in the Supreme Court case Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka.
    
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    In this case, the Court ruled to end school segregation.
    
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    In 1957, nine African American students tried to enter Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas.
    
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    Governor Orval Faubus called in the state’s National Guard to keep them out.
    
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    President Eisenhower called in federal troops to protect the students
    
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  Montgomery Bus Boycott
  
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    Rosa Parks was arrested when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger.
    
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    The Women’s Political Council organized a boycott of buses on Parks’ trial day.
    
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    Martin Luther King Jr. urged African Americans to continue the boycott.
    
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    Some white leaders were outraged by the boycotts. Some even bombed King’s home.
    
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    After the boycott went on for more than a year, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional.
    

Section 2

An Expanding Role for Government

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  Chief Justice Earl Warren believed the Constitution should be interpreted flexibly.
  
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  In Miranda v. Arizona, the Court Ruling expanded the rights of the accused.
  
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    “You have the right to remain silent…”
    
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  In Tinker v. Des Moines School District, the Court expanded the concept of freedom of speech.
  
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  John F. Kennedy was not only the youngest president in history but also the first Catholic president.
  
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  Presidents Kennedy’s Domestic Goals:
  
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    End Poverty
    
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    Fight Disease
    
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    Ensure Justice for All
    
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    Space Program
    
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  Kennedy had a wide variety of goals and programs however many were not enacted due to a less than agreeable congress.
  

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  Programs Congress Agreed to:
  
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    Some anti-poverty legislation
    
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    Space Program
    

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  Kennedy was not allowed to see the achievement of the many goals he had put forth. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 2nd 1963 by an unknown assailant.
  
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  Kennedy’s vice-president, Lyndon B. Johnson, was sworn in as the President shortly after Kennedy’ death.
  

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  Great Society : Expanded opportunity and provided a decent standard of living for all Americans.
  

Head Start: Free education for needy children.

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  Medicare
  

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  Medicaid
  

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  Food Stamps
  

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  Welfare
  

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  Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.)
  

Section 3

The Civil Rights Movement Continues

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  1957 – Martin Luther King Jr. joins with other African American church leaders to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
  
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  1960 – Four African American college students refuse to leave a lunch counter, starting a type of protest known as a sit-in protest.
  

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  1961 – Freedom Rides take place to desegregate public transportation across state lines.
  
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  1962 – James Meredith tries to attend the University of Mississippi and riots break out.
  
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  1963
  
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    Massive demonstrations take place in Birmingham, Alabama, and police respond with Violence.
    
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    Nearly 250,000 people come together to support civil rights legislation in the famous March on Washington.
    

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  1964 – President Johnson pushed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through congress. This act outlaws segregation, advances voting rights, bans job discrimination and brings forth school desegregation.
  
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  1965
  
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    In King’s march for voting rights people walk from Selma to Montgomery. States troopers set upon the marchers with tear gas, clubs and whips.
    
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  1964 – President Johnson pushed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through congress. This act outlaws segregation, advances voting rights, bans job discrimination and brings forth school desegregation.
  
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  1965
  
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    In King’s march for voting rights people walk from Selma to Montgomery. States troopers set upon the marchers with tear gas, clubs and whips.
    

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  Congress passes the Voting Right Act of 1965, which removes barriers to voting and African Americans ability to register.
  
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  Malcolm X, once a believer in black separation, is killed.
  
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  Riots occur in the Watt neighborhood of Los Angeles in response to police brutality.
  

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  1967 – Thurgood Marshal becomes the first African American Supreme Court justice.
  
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  1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. is killed. Riots occur throughout the country.
  
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  1970 – Affirmative Action, a program through which groups who were previously discriminated against get preferential treatment, is established. Critics argue that it gives unfair advantages in jobs and education
  

Section 4

Other Americans Seek Rights
Women’s Rights

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  Betty Friedan’s the Feminine Mystique criticized women’s limited role in society.
  
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  Friedan helped organize the National Organization for Women (NOW) which was a women’s advocates group.
  
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  NOW’s goals were: medical school and law practices hire more women and daycare facilities provided to working mothers.
  
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  NOW led a movement to ratify an amendment that would give equal protection to women. It was known as the Equal Rights Amendment.
  
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  The Equal Rights Amendment was proposed in 1972. The ERA was designed to outlaw any form of sex discrimination.
  
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    Argument for the ERA: Provide equal protection regardless of sex.
    
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    Arguments against the ERA: undermines traditional values, women might lose certain rights that already have such as, alimony and immunity from the draft.
    

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  The 1963 Equal Pay Act ensured equal pay for men and women doing the same job or amount of work.
  
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  Civil Rights Act of 1965 banned discrimination based on sex.
  
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  In the 1960s and 1970s, the number of women working outside the home and attending college increased
  

Mexican Americans

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  In the Southwest, many Mexican American children went to Mexican Schools, which were not as good as the all-white schools.
  
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  Mexican American World War II veterans formed the American GI Forum to challenge discrimination.
  
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  In Hernandez v. Texas, the Supreme Court ruled that excluding Mexicans from juries was illegal
  
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  Cesar Chavez was one of the founders of the United Farm Workers. He organized a nationwide boycott of California grapes. The boycott led to American growers agreeing to negotiate with the UFW.
  
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  The Voting Rights Act of 1975 was important because it established bilingual elections.
  
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  Legislation for bilingual education was passed.
  

Native Americans

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  The National Congress of American Indians had some success in regaining land, mineral and water rights for Native Americans.
  
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  The AIM was more militant. Armed members went to Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Its goal was to remind people of Native American treatment in the past.
  

Older Americans

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  Mandatory retirement means stopping people from working at a certain age.
  
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  The AARP championed health insurance for retired Americans.
  
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  Maggie Kuhn formed the Gray Panthers to fight age discrimination.
  

Americans with Disabilities

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  Organization for the disabled championed laws the required public accommodations.
  
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  The Education for Handicapped Act of 1975 guaranteed free education to those with disabilities.
  
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  The Americans With Disabilities Act made it illegal to discriminate in hiring practices.