The Civil Rights Era,1954-1965The Civil Rights Era,1954-1965

Goals of the MovementsGoals of the Movements

Open Challenge Against Open Challenge Against Segregation and DiscriminationSegregation and Discrimination

One of the Longest Battles of the One of the Longest Battles of the 20th Century20th Century

Education, citizenship, voting, Education, citizenship, voting, equal treatment under the lawequal treatment under the law

Group rights and self-Group rights and self-determinationdetermination

Post-War ExpectationsPost-War Expectations

Survived Great Survived Great Depression and Depression and World War IIWorld War II

War for liberty War for liberty and democracyand democracy

Veterans made Veterans made sacrificessacrifices

Expected Changes Expected Changes in education, in education, employment, and employment, and social equalitysocial equality

Economic GrowthEconomic Growth

Baby BoomBaby Boom Consumer cultureConsumer culture Growth in home ownershipGrowth in home ownership G.I. Bill & collegeG.I. Bill & college SuburbanizationSuburbanization Highways and transportationHighways and transportation

Mexican-American Civil RightsMexican-American Civil Rights

1945: Orange County parents 1945: Orange County parents Gonzalo & Felicitas Mendez won Gonzalo & Felicitas Mendez won a class action lawsuit against a class action lawsuit against segregated districtssegregated districts

1948: 1948: LULACLULAC helped with helped with Delgado v. Bastrop Independent Delgado v. Bastrop Independent School District, School District, which ended de which ended de jure segregation in Texasjure segregation in Texas

Mendez FamilyMendez Family LULACLULAC

League of United Latin League of United Latin American CitizensAmerican Citizens

Corpus Christi, TX 1929Corpus Christi, TX 1929 Self-defense against white Self-defense against white

supremacist groups Equal supremacist groups Equal opportunities in business, opportunities in business, educationeducation

Voting rights & civil rightsVoting rights & civil rights Self-help & self-Self-help & self-

determinationdetermination Lawsuits through 1950s and Lawsuits through 1950s and

1960s1960s

American G.I. ForumAmerican G.I. Forum

1948 1948 Dr. Hector P. GarciaDr. Hector P. Garcia Veterans benefitsVeterans benefits Education, integration, Education, integration,

poll tax, etc.poll tax, etc. G.I. Bill, Civil Rights G.I. Bill, Civil Rights Chamizal, AmbassadorChamizal, Ambassador Presidential Medal of Presidential Medal of

FreedomFreedom

Black Civil Rights MovementBlack Civil Rights Movement

1946 Ada Sipuel: 11946 Ada Sipuel: 1stst black women in Univ. black women in Univ. Oklahoma law schoolOklahoma law school

Phoenix refused to Phoenix refused to integrate schoolsintegrate schools

1952: Black students 1952: Black students refused admission to refused admission to Phoenix High SchoolPhoenix High School

Two judges negated Two judges negated segregation lawssegregation laws

Brown v. Board of Education of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KansasTopeka, Kansas

100,000 blacks in 100,000 blacks in Topeka, KSTopeka, KS

Schools anchored the Schools anchored the racial apartheidracial apartheid

20 children20 children Rev. Oliver Brown and Rev. Oliver Brown and

daughter, Linda daughter, Linda Started 1951, reached Started 1951, reached

U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. Supreme Court in 19541954

Significance of Significance of ““BrownBrown””

Overturned Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson,Plessy v. Ferguson, Separate but equal ruling for Separate but equal ruling for public institutionspublic institutions

First national spark in Black Civil First national spark in Black Civil Rights MovementRights Movement

Made schools central to civil Made schools central to civil rightsrights

““All deliberate speedAll deliberate speed””

Massive ResistanceMassive Resistance

Southern States Resisted Southern States Resisted BrownBrown Failure of Leadership in Congress Failure of Leadership in Congress

& Executive branch to enforce & Executive branch to enforce Southern ManifestoSouthern Manifesto

– Statement of southern resistanceStatement of southern resistance White CitizensWhite Citizens’’ Councils Councils ““States RightsStates Rights”” ““Outsiders and agitatorsOutsiders and agitators””

Emmett TillEmmett Till Murder, 1955 Murder, 1955

Emmett TillEmmett Till Mamie Bradley TillMamie Bradley Till Mississippi Mississippi ““By BabyBy Baby”” Whites attacked Whites attacked

and murdered himand murdered him Sheriff involvedSheriff involved

Funeral Funeral Emmett TillEmmett Till’’s s

Funeral, Chicago, Funeral, Chicago, Illinois, 1955Illinois, 1955

““Let the people Let the people see what they did see what they did to my boy!to my boy!””

Jet Magazine,Jet Magazine, open casket open casket photosphotos

Montgomery Bus BoycottMontgomery Bus Boycott (1955) (1955)

Rosa ParksRosa Parks– NAACP secretary, Experienced in Civil NAACP secretary, Experienced in Civil

Rights, Test caseRights, Test case Grassroots organizing Grassroots organizing Poor, working class, and middle class Poor, working class, and middle class

cooperationcooperation Montgomery Improvement Montgomery Improvement

AssociationAssociation Economic pressure to change social Economic pressure to change social

segregationsegregation Supreme Court ordered integrationSupreme Court ordered integration

BoycottsBoycotts

Rise of Rise of Martin Luther KingMartin Luther King

Unknown preacherUnknown preacher BeliefsBeliefs

– Mahatma GandhiMahatma Gandhi– NonviolenceNonviolence– ConfrontationConfrontation– Civil DisobedienceCivil Disobedience– Interracial Interracial

MovementMovement– Whites Not EvilWhites Not Evil

Southern Christian Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceLeadership Conference (1957) (1957)

MLKMLK Role of Religion and importance Role of Religion and importance

of the Church as an institutionof the Church as an institution Role of male preachers as Role of male preachers as

leadersleaders Most Important Organization of Most Important Organization of

Black Civil Rights MovementBlack Civil Rights Movement

Littlerock High SchoolLittlerock High School, 1957, 1957

No integrationNo integration Orval FaubusOrval Faubus 3 September 19573 September 1957 Black students tried Black students tried

to integrate schoolto integrate school Mob violenceMob violence Pres. EisenhowerPres. Eisenhower 1965: 10% of Blacks 1965: 10% of Blacks

Attended Integrated Attended Integrated SchoolsSchools

101101stst Airborne & Littlerock Nine Airborne & Littlerock Nine

Boycotts and Sit-InsBoycotts and Sit-Ins

1960 1960 GreensboroGreensboro, , North CarolinaNorth Carolina

Four college Four college studentsstudents

Sit-In at Sit-In at WoolworthWoolworth lunch lunch counterscounters

Freedom Rides, 1961Freedom Rides, 1961

Congress of Racial EqualityCongress of Racial Equality Bi-racial bus rides on interstate Bi-racial bus rides on interstate

busses into the Southbusses into the South Washington D.C. to New OrleansWashington D.C. to New Orleans Integrate public facilities in bus Integrate public facilities in bus

stations stations Anniston, Alabama: firebombed Anniston, Alabama: firebombed

bus and brutally beatenbus and brutally beaten Jailed, but raised awarenessJailed, but raised awareness

Freedom Rides MapFreedom Rides Map

Segregated Waiting RoomSegregated Waiting Room

Anniston, AlabamaAnniston, Alabama

James MeredithJames Meredith

Tried to enroll at Tried to enroll at University of Miss.University of Miss.

19611961 Riots and murderRiots and murder President Kennedy President Kennedy

involvedinvolved U.S. MarshallsU.S. Marshalls

Newspaper Newspaper coverage of coverage of James Meredith James Meredith entering Ole entering Ole MissMiss

Assessment of the MovementAssessment of the Movement

Struggle to fulfill U.S. ConstitutionStruggle to fulfill U.S. Constitution 1414thth and 15 and 15thth Amendments Amendments Public facilitiesPublic facilities Raise national awarenessRaise national awareness Conscience of AmericaConscience of America Non-violent civil disobedienceNon-violent civil disobedience Civil Rights movement, states, federal Civil Rights movement, states, federal

governmentgovernment

White SouthernersWhite Southerners Tradition, Old South, Civil WarTradition, Old South, Civil War States RightsStates Rights Outsiders and agitatorsOutsiders and agitators Massive resistanceMassive resistance Racial violenceRacial violence Fundamental hatred of blacks at Fundamental hatred of blacks at

foundation of southern societyfoundation of southern society Violated U.S. constitution on a Violated U.S. constitution on a

regular basisregular basis No respect for constitutional lawNo respect for constitutional law

The Eisenhower Era, 1952-1960The Eisenhower Era, 1952-1960

WWII GeneralWWII General Pres. Columbia Pres. Columbia

UniversityUniversity Highly respected by Highly respected by

both partiesboth parties Failures in CRMFailures in CRM Economic GrowthEconomic Growth Expanded New Deal Expanded New Deal

ProgramsPrograms

Eisenhower and the Cold WarEisenhower and the Cold War

SputnikSputnik, 1957, 1957 Arms RaceArms Race NASANASA National Defense National Defense

Education Act, Education Act, 19581958

““New LookNew Look”” – TechnologyTechnology– Air powerAir power– Nuclear weaponsNuclear weapons

U.S. & U.S.S.R.U.S. & U.S.S.R.

Kruschev, 1954Kruschev, 1954 Peace SummitsPeace Summits 1960: U.S. spy 1960: U.S. spy

plane crashedplane crashed Struggle over Struggle over

““Third WorldThird World”” CountriesCountries

Interventions and Interventions and ““anti-anti-communismcommunism””

Distrust of neutral countriesDistrust of neutral countries Overthrow governments that did Overthrow governments that did

not align with U.S. not align with U.S. Liberal & progressive regimesLiberal & progressive regimes CIA helped overthrow CIA helped overthrow

democratically elected Iranian democratically elected Iranian governmentgovernment

Inserted pro-West dictatorial Inserted pro-West dictatorial ShahShah

Guatemala, 1954Guatemala, 1954

CIA and United CIA and United Fruit Company Fruit Company

Overthrew Overthrew Jacobo Arbenz, Jacobo Arbenz, elected elected PresidentPresident

Installed pro-Installed pro-U.S. dictatorU.S. dictator

Cuban Revolution, 1959Cuban Revolution, 1959

Popular revolutionPopular revolution Overthrew BatistaOverthrew Batista Fidel CastroFidel Castro Approached U.S. Approached U.S. Rebutted himRebutted him Nationalized Nationalized

IndustriesIndustries 12 assassination 12 assassination

attempts on Castroattempts on Castro

A New Era? John F. KennedyA New Era? John F. Kennedy

Wealthy familyWealthy family Catholic Catholic WWII veteranWWII veteran Young, energeticYoung, energetic Lyndon Johnson, V.P. Lyndon Johnson, V.P. Robert Kennedy, Robert Kennedy,

Attorney GeneralAttorney General ConservativeConservative

KennedyKennedy’’s Cold Wars Cold War Increased military spendingIncreased military spending Expanded Cold WarExpanded Cold War Bay of Pigs, April 1961Bay of Pigs, April 1961 Alliance for ProgressAlliance for Progress Peace CorpsPeace Corps

Cuban Missile CrisisCuban Missile Crisis

19621962 Soviet Missiles Soviet Missiles

in Cubain Cuba Invade, bomb, Invade, bomb,

naval blockade, naval blockade, negotiate?negotiate?

U.S. Missiles in U.S. Missiles in TurkeyTurkey

Pulled out all Pulled out all missilesmissiles

End of First Civil Rights EraEnd of First Civil Rights Era

March on Washington, 1963March on Washington, 1963 Assassination of JFKAssassination of JFK 1964 Civil Rights Act1964 Civil Rights Act

– Outlawed segregation in Outlawed segregation in employment and public facilities employment and public facilities

1965 Voting Rights Act1965 Voting Rights Act– Outlawed poll taxes and all Outlawed poll taxes and all

discriminatory practices, provided discriminatory practices, provided federal protection for voting rights federal protection for voting rights especially on the basis of race especially on the basis of race

ConclusionsConclusions

““TriumphTriumph”” of moderate reform of moderate reform Media, states v. fed, violence & Media, states v. fed, violence &

non-violencenon-violence Best of liberal AmericaBest of liberal America Legislative strategiesLegislative strategies Appearance of solving problemsAppearance of solving problems Divisions within the movementDivisions within the movement