civil rights

• Brown v Topeka - 1954


  integration was not specified when it was meant to happen

  • Southern States took measures to keep schools segregated
• Little Rock High School - 1957


  Elizabeth Eckford and 8 others

  • Faubus blocked their entrance
  • Eisenhower made National Guard protect the students
  • Faubus closed all schools, opening them only due to ruling from Eisenhower
• Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-60


  Rosa Parks refuses to give her seat up

  • loads of preparation from the organisations
  • lasts nearly 10 months
  • MIA is formed by MLK, keeping everyone's spirits up
• Greensboro' Sit Ins - 1960


  4 black students at Woolworth sit down in a white-only section

  • By the 5th day, there's 300 students participating in the protest
  • refused to get up despite all violence, slurs
  • students stayed peaceful
• "Freedom Rides" - 1961

  CORE tested buses and stations

  • Alabama - Anniston bomb, and mob held the doors shut, trapping everyone inside
  • Montgomery - beatings
  • riders kept going despite violence and arrests
• Birmingham - April 1963


  All public attractions are closed

  • SCLC protested with sit-ins etc.
  • MLK started protests, yet activists for harassed by dogs, water hoses and police

  BULL CONOR
• March on Washington - August 1963


  250,000 black supporters along with 80,000 white supporters

  "I have a dream" speech by MLK

  • was the final speaker of the day
  • referenced the Bible (appealed to all sections of society)
• Freedom Summer - 1964


  CORE, SNCC, NAACP all worked together to teach literacy to increase the number of votes

  • Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner are murdered for investigating a church bombing
  • only got investigated because 2 of them were white
• Civil Rights Act - 1964


  JFK was assassinated, LBJ becomes president

  JFK started the act, but LBJ signed it off

  • a consequence of Birmingham and Washington

  Any form of segregation is now illegal

  *Black victory*
• March from Selma - 1965


  Stopped on Edmund Pettus Bridge

  • attacked with tear gas and clubs from the police

  2 weeks later, they try again, this time led by MLK through a peaceful march
• Voting Rights Act


  Ended literacy tests

  Federal agents were to monitor vote registeration
• Malcolm X is assassinated - 1965


  was part of the Black Muslims

  reconnected many Black Americans with their African roots

  • After Mecca, he left Black Muslims because he gained too many enemies

  3 Black Muslims killed him
• Watts riots, LA - 1965/67 


  caused millions of dollars of damage

  killed many people but injured much more

  protestors felt successful but MLK thought he couldn't reach these people

  young people were unhappy because:

  • they had the worst jobs
  • were living in ghettos
  • endured police brutality
• Black Panthers - 1966


  organised free breakfast for kids and clothing distribution centres

  • set up by Newton and Seale
  • wore uniforms (mainly of leather) and carried weapons
  • constantly targeted by the FBI as they were seen as a "threat"
• MLK assassinated - 1968


  4th April - assassinated by James Ray in Memphis

  9th April - funeral where about 100,000 people attended

  *final outburst of riots afterwards*
• NAACP


  set up in 1909

  fought for all civil rights using the legal system

  defended black people

  focused on "separate but equal"
• CORE


  set up in 1942

  non-violent direct action

  mostly located in Northern USA

  had both white and black members
• SCLC


  set up in 1957

  led by MLK and Abernathy

  campaigned mainly against segregation

  used non-violent direct action

  had both white and black members

  organised a major campaign for votes
• Black Power


  bunch of campaigns working together

  turned away from non-violent direct action

  meant to show that black is power

  proud of African roots