Civil and Women’s Rights Study Guide
Key Question:
What are some examples of African American struggles for
equality that became a mass movement?
S
Sit-Ins
Key Question: Who are some of the leaders of the
Civil Rights Movement? What action did each take?
Person
Rosa Parks
O
Action
Began a bus boycott when she
refused to give up her seat on a
city bus.
Organized
Protests
Martin Luther
King, Jr.
F
Freedom Rides
T
The Marches
Used passive resistance against
segregated facilities. He gave a
stirring speech entitled, “I Have a
Dream”.
Key Question: What organization expanded during the Civil Rights Movement?
NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Key Question: How did laws support the struggle for equality for African Americans?
Brown v. Board of Education=Supreme Court Case (1954): Separate but equal schools are
unconstitutional. Schools were ordered to desegregate. It overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme
Court Case (1896) in which separate but equal became the law of the land.
Civil Rights Act of 1964=prohibited discrimination against African Americans in employment, voting, and
public accommodations.
Voting Rights Act of 1965=forced local officials to allow African Americans the right to register to vote.
Key Question: What disadvantages did women face in the workplace?
Discrimination in hiring practices against women
Lower pay for women than for men performing the same job. (Currently women make $.77 for every
$1.00 that a man makes.)
Key Question: What actions were taken to improve conditions for women?
National Organization for Women (NOW) was formed by activists to fight for equal rights for women
Colleges were forced to give women equal athletic opportunities.
The Equal Rights Amendment was never passed, but it focused attention on equal opportunities for
women to advance in business and the public sector.