THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

There were two phases to the Civil Rights movement: one phase between 1945-1965 and the other after 1965.

I. Why Did the Civil Rights Movement Take Off After 1945? Black equality became a significant

political issue for the Democratic Party WWII had been fought against racism

abroad—hard to keep harboring it at home Black veterans came home dedicated to

change Increasing number of White Americans

condemned segregation Discrimination in the United States hurt

our propaganda battle against the Communists

II. The Truman Years Truman’s 1948

election year agenda No significant Civil

Rights congressional legislation

Truman moves on his own to do what he can for Civil Rights--Desegregation of the military (1948)

Jackie Robinson’s breakthrough (1947)

II. The Truman Years (cont.)

Split at the 1948 Democratic convention

Energized Truman hits the campaign trail hard

Republican Dewey runs a boring, conservative campaign

Truman’s stunning election

Truman’s “Fair Deal” (1949)

III. The Battle in the Courts

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)-- “separate but equal” facilities = legal

Smith v. Allwright (1944)

First attack = “separate is not equal”

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954)-- Chief Justice Earl Warren

III. Battle in the Courts (cont.)

Eisenhower disapproves of Brown decision

Desegregation “with all deliberate speed”

Other Warren Court Civil Rights decisions

Popular opposition to the Brown decision

No real progress on desegregation at first

IV. The Eisenhower Years Eisenhower’s

philosophy related to Civil Rights laws

First Civil Rights Acts passed since the Civil War (1957 and 1960)

Opposition to the integration of Little Rock Central High School (1957)--Governor Orville Faubus

V. Out of the Schools and Into the Buses

The arrest of Rosa Parks (December, 1955)

The Montgomery, Ala. Bus Boycott

The leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The “Montgomery” model for Civil Rights activism: boycott, publicity, courts

SCLC formed (1957)

VI. A Mass Movement Takes Shape

Lunch counter “sit-ins” begin: Greensboro, NC (February, 1960)

SNCC created (April, 1960)

CORE “Freedom Ride” (May, 1961)

VI. A Mass Movement Takes Shape (cont.)

Demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama (April, 1963)--Eugene “Bull” Connor

“Letter from Birmingham City Jail”

Governor George Wallace tries to block integration of the University of Alabama (Fall, 1963)

VI. A Mass Movement Takes Shape (cont.)

JFK finally begins to campaign for Civil Rights legislation

Continued violence even in the face of some progress

Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington (August, 1963)-- “I Have a Dream”

VI. A Mass Movement Takes Shape (cont.)

Mississippi Freedom Summer Project (1964)

MFDP Protests at the 1964 Democratic convention

Voter registration in Selma, Alabama (1965)--Sheriff Jim Clark

By the mid-1960’s, substantial success in the South had been achieved

VII. The Kennedy and Johnson Years

JFK’s initial reluctance to push for Civil Rights laws

The integration of Ole’ Miss (1962)

--James Meredith JFK finally decides to

push past better enforcement to new congressional Civil Rights legislation

VII. The Johnson Years (cont.)

The role of Kennedy’s assassination in the Civil Rights movement

Civil Rights Act of 1964 Anti-poll tax

Amendment (24th—1964)

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Impact of the Voting Rights Act

VII. The Johnson Years (cont.)

The tone of public political discourse changed after 1965

Johnson appoints first Black cabinet secretary: Robert Weaver of HUD (1966)

Much more needed to be done for Civil Rights outside of the South, so 2nd phase began

VIII. The Era of Disillusionment: 1965 On

Early to mid-1960’s were a hopeful time for Civil Rights advocates

Goal of Assimilation

A “Spoiled Utopia” after 1965—things would not be that simple

A. New Problems Residential

Discrimination-- “Red Lining”

The Challenges of School integration in the North

The historical, traditional segregation of northern cities

The resurrection of the KKK once again

More effective White opponents in the North

B. Race Riots

Watts Riots in Los Angeles (Summer, 1965)

Riots each summer from 1965-1969

--Chicago and Cleveland (1966)

--Newark and Detroit (1967)

--Washington, D.C. (1968)

B. Race Riots (cont.) Riots as an expression

of grievance against the White American consumer society

Riots shocked the White American public

Frustration and self-destruction expressed in these riots

Unlike earlier race riots, these riots were not started by White mobs

C. “Black Power”

Growing tension between SNCC and Martin Luther King, Jr.--Stokely Carmichael

“Black Power” Carmichael

succeeded by H. Rap Brown as head of SNCC (1967)

C. “Black Power” (cont.)

The formation of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, CA (1966)--Huey Newton--Eldridge Cleaver

Resurrection of the philosophy of Marcus Garvey

C. “Black Power” (cont.) The leadership of

Malcolm X--Black Muslims--Assassinated in 1965

Cultural expressions of “Black Power”:--Afro Hairstyles--Black-studies programs-- “Negro” no longer used--1968 Olympics

D. Decline of the Civil Rights Movement

Economic contraction works against Civil Rights concessions

Northern phase not as successful

Resistance from White Unions

Vietnam replaces Civil Rights as the liberal crusade

Martin Luther King, Jr. loses influence with LBJ