civil rights

• Segregation


  Being separated from the whites
• Discrimination


  Being treated unfairly because of their race
• In the North, segregation was caused by discrimination
• In the South, segregation was enforced by laws (Jim Crow Laws)
• Jim Crow Laws


  Segregation laws which worked on the theory of 'separate but equal'
• Segregation was only legal if white and black facilities were equal
• Southern white people


  • Saw black people as inferior and unintelligent
• Ku Klux Klan (KKK)


  • A racist group who attacked non-whites
  • Set up in 1865
  • Terrorised black families by intimidation and extreme violence including murder often by lynching (illegal execution)
  • Members had to be in secret and wore hoods
• White people in South found ways to stop black people from voting in elections
• White gangs attacked black people at voting places
• Most states had literacy test to register to vote however they gave black people harder test
• Civil rights activist


  Someone who campaigns for equal rights and encourages others to do the same
• Factors that helped the civil rights movement in the 1950s

  • Television made people more aware of news and racial inequality
  • Cold war made US government sensitive to criticism from other countries
  • New industries in the south brought more jobs for black people
  • Communities changed, more black people moved to north and whites moved to south
  • WW2 persuaded that black people deserve more rights
• CORE


  Congress of racial inequality, set up in 1942, smaller members than NAACP, members used nonviolent action, worked mainly in the north, in the early years members were mainly white and middle class
• NAACP


  National association for the advancement of coloured people, set up in 1909, fought for civil rights, defended black people who had been unfairly convicted of crimes
• Church organisations and others (Regional council leadership and universities) also campaigned for civil rights
• Dixiecrats


  Southern democrat politicians who strongly believed in segregation, there were so many of them in Congress so they constantly blocked any laws that would give Black Americans more rights
• White Citizens Council (WCC)

  Set up from 1954 to stop desegregation, had around 60000 members in mid 1950s, began as organisations opposed to school desegregation in their local area after the Brown ruling, used protests with violence
• There were no black judges or juries at this point so it was very difficult to get fair treatment or justice
• Emmet Till


  A black 14 year old teenager from Chicago who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955, he was brutally beaten to death by local shop owner after he allegedly made sexual comments to his wife, his murder became famous as his mother had an open casket for him when he died so that everyone could see his injuries and this led to huge publicity and shock, the murderers were cleared of all charges however they later sold their story to a magazine and admitted to the murder
• Brown Case 1954


  Linda Brown was a black girl from Topeka (city in Kansas) who had to go to a black school that was much further away from the nearest white one, in 1952 NAACP took this case to supreme court and it was called Brown vs Topeka case, NAACP argued that segregated schools went against the 14 amendments, in 1954 supreme court ruled that segregated schools was unconstitutional and said schools MUST desegregate
• Brown Case II 1955


  Ordered for all schools to desegregate with 'deliberate speed'
• Significance of the Brown Case: Reversed the Plessy ruling which had said all facilities need to be segregated, white backlash and more members joined the KKK, some schools in south referred to desegregate, WCC set up because of this case, 11 southern states signed 'Southern Manifesto' which rejected the Brown ruling, even though some schools desegregated black people were still discriminated
• Little Rock Nine 1957


  In 1957 75 black students applied to the school, 25 got accepted and were meant to start at Little Rock High School however due to the threats from white people only 9 attended, the 9 students had to desegregate the school, Orval Faubus the governor of Arkansas was against desegregation and sent 250 state troops to stop the 9 black students from going to school, NAACP arranged for the 9 students to arrive to school together, one of the 9 students, Elizabeth Eckford accidentally turned up alone and she was targeted by the crowd and racially abused, district judges and lawyers for the NAACP used the courts to challenge Faubus and force him to withdraw the state troops, president Eisenhower forces Faubus to remove his troops and sent 1000 troops to little rock nine highschool
• Significance of the Little Rock Nine: Government troops stayed at the school until the end of the term, Faubus closed every school in Little Rock to stop integration from happening, the first black student graduated from Little Rock High School in 1958, but fellow white students refused to sit with him at the ceremony
• Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955


  In 1955-1956 a series of events led to desegregation of busses in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks was a black woman who was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat for a white man, the women's political council (WPC) organised a one day boycott of the busses which was successful as 90% of black people who usually took busses, boycotted them, Martin Luther King was appointed as chairman of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) which organised car pools and involved 300 cars, 30 January 1956 Martin Luther King home was bombed, February 1956, 89 MIA members were arrested, Luther King had to pay $500 fine
• Significance of the Montgomery Bus Boycott: Martin Luther King was an excellent speaker, MIA well organised everything, commitment of the bus boycotts even though they faced a lot of threats, campaign was well publicised through church meetings and local newspaper, bus companies were hurt financially as not many people would use the busses
• Browder VS Gayle


  In 1956 NAACP began court case 'browder vs gayle' to desegregate Montgomery's busses, 5th June Court decides that busses should desegregate, MIA stopped boycotting in 20 December 1956
• Civil Rights Act 1957

  The Brown case and the bus boycott led to increased public support for civil rights and a civil rights act being passed in Congress, in 1957 the civil rights act was passed allowing the government to prosecute states who interfered with people's right to vote, the act aimed to increase black voter registration
• The Southern Christian Leadership Council 1957


  Set up in January 1957, organised church based protest across the South, leaders were Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy, members campaigned against segregation, used non violent actions, had black and white members, their major campaign was to help black people register to vote
• Greensboro Sit-in 1960


  Sit-in: form of non-violent protest during which protesters refuse to leave a designated place or area, on 1st February 4 black students in North Carolina refused to leave a segregated lunch counter, following day 25 more students joined at the sit-in, by 4th February more than 300 students both white and black took it in shifts to do the sit-in, the sit-ins were well organised and students were trained not to react when they are attacked
• Significance of The Greensboro Sit-in: White people inspired to join the protest, were simple and effective, attracted the media, lots of support, April 1960 student nonviolent coordinating committee (SNCC) was set up to plan student protests in the south, its ideas were based on the non-violent protest tactics of CORE and SCLC
• The Freedom Riders 1961


  In 1961 CORE activist decided to ride busses from north to south to see if desegregation was actually happening, the freedom riders began in Washington DC in May 1961, police chief Bull Connor told the police to let KKK beat the riders, more and more people including SNCC joined in, over 60 freedom riders, violence usually started when they had entered cities and riders were usually arrested, over 300 went to jail in Mississippi, November 1961 when freedom riders ended when government said it would force disobedient states to desegregate their bus facilities
• James Meredith Case 1962


  Meredith applied to university of Mississippi in 1962, supreme court ordered university to accept Meredith however state governor and university physically stopped Meredith from registering, 500 federal officials went to help Meredith but they was attacked by over 3000 mobs, president Kennedy stopped the rioting by sending federal troops and when Meredith registered troops stayed to guard him for the whole year
• Birmingham, Alabama 1963


  In 1963 SNCC, SCLC and others began Campaign C (confrontation) in Birmingham, campaigns included sit-ins, boycotts and peaceful marches, many protesters were arrested and jails became full, campaigners chose Birmingham as they knew that the police chief Bull Connor was easily provoked to using violence, Connor ordered police to use dogs and fire hoses on protesters
• Riders were usually arrested
• Over 300 went to jail in Mississippi
• Freedom riders ended when government said it would force disobedient states to desegregate their bus facilities


  November 1961
• Meredith applied to university of Missipi in 1962


  1. Supreme court ordered university to accept Meredith

  2. State governor and university physically stopped Meredith from registering

  3. 500 federal officials went to help Meredith but they was attacked by over 3000 mobs

  4. President Kennedy stopped the rioting by sending federal troops and when Meredith registered troops stayed to guard him for the whole year
• In 1963 SNCC, SLCL and others began Campaign C in Birmingham


  1. Campaigns included sit-ins, boycotts and peaceful marches

  2. Many protesters were arrested and jails became full

  3. Campaigners chose Birmingham as they knew that the police chief Bull Connor was easily provoked to using violence

  4. Connor ordered police to use dogs and fire hoses on protestors

  5. Photos and news reporter made the police look bad

  6. People felt sympathy for the protestors because of the photos going around