8.2 Martin Luther King and Peaceful Protests

• New Civil Rights Law

  1957 - President Eisenhower - Passed a civil rights act to ensure that all African Americans could exercise their right to vote

  COURSE OF ACTION:

  • banned any person from interfering with any person's right to vote
  • made discrimination illegal
  • created Civil Right's Commission - prosecute those who denied rights

  Government was no longer willing to accept that southern states could ignore federal government when it came to AA rights
• Freedom Riders - 1961


  Black and white civil rights campaigners organised FREEDOM RIDES - travelled around southern states - sitting next to eachother in white only sections in areas - local authorities had refused to desegregate buses

  • faced threats and violence
  • attracted huge publicity
  • many white people (north) disgusted by violence
• Sit-in

  African American students - take seats in white only sections of a cafe/restaurant - refused to leave

  1960 - 18 months - 70,000 had staged sit-in protests across south

  3000 protesters - arrested - drew attention to discrimination
• Marches - May 1963


  MLK organised a non-violent protest march - Birmingham, Alabama

  30,000 people took part

  • police under orders of EUGENE CONNOR (chief) - attacked protesters with dogs, tear gas, batons

  Hundreds arrested - 900 children

  ALL TELEVISED

  • President Kennedy - sent troops to restore order - ordered city council to put an end to segregation

  "Thank God for Bull Connor"
• I have a dream - 1963


  MLK organised the largest civil rights demonstration in American history

  28th August - 200,000 people gathered in Washington as King gave one of the most famous speeches
• Work of President Kennedy

  1963 - began a tour of southern states - part of re-election campaign

  Supported a new Civil Rights Act - aimed to give AA's full equality in HOUSING and EDUCATION

  22nd November - Assassinated
• After Kennedy's Assassination

  Successor - President Lyndon Johnson - called for Act to become law as a memorial

  2nd July 1964 - Civil Rights Act - outlawed racial discrimination in employment and segregation in public places

  MLK - awarded Nobel peace prize - recognition of non violent apporach in eliminating racism