Racism in the 50’s
The Struggle for Equality
“There is no noise as
powerful as the sound of the
marching feet of a
determined people.”
-Martin L. King Jr.
https://www.cnn.com/2014/04/07/us/gallery/iconic-civil-rights/index.html
What was life like before the
Civil Rights Movement?
Plessy v Ferguson
Is Separate, Equal ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj54KP16Ilw
Facts:
1896 Homer Plessy took a seat in the “Whites Only” car
of a train and refused to move. He was arrested, tried, and
convicted in the District Court of New Orleans for breaking
Louisiana’s segregation law.
Question:
Was the Louisiana law separating blacks and whites on
railroad cars legal?
Decision:
Split decision that “separate but equal” law did not violate
the 14th amendment. So segregated (the separation of
people according to race or ethnicity) facilities became
legal and commonplace.
Types of Segregation
►
de jure segregation
 Segregation by law
►Common in the
South
►Laws forbid
African-Americans
from attending the
same church, using
the same swimming
pool, eating in
restaurants, or
marrying White
people.
►
de facto segregation
 Segregation without
laws
►Common in the North
►Housing
discrimination made
segregation in the
North. White
community groups did
not allow non-Whites to
live in White
neighborhoods. Every
ethnic group had its
own part of town.
Reasons the 1950’s Brought Change
World War II and the Korean War
•During these wars, racial minorities made many gains. The
U.S. military had allowed them to fight. Many came home
heroes and earned respect.
•Most people believed America had fought these wars for
democracy and freedom. Racial segregation started to seem
un-American to many.
The Cold War
•During the Cold War, America was trying to convince the world
that it was better than the Soviet Union, racism made America
look bad.
Television
•Americans could watch the news every day. The non-violent
civil disobedience used by King made the civil rights protesters
look like good people and made their opponents look hateful,
How DID CHANGE HAPPEN?
Formation of Organizations by Civil Rights
Leaders:
•NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People)
- notable founders W.E.B DuBois and Ida Wells
•CORE (Council on Racial Equality)
-James Farmer, George Houser, Homer Jack, Bayard Rustin
•SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee)
-Ella Baker
•SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference)
-Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy
Civil Rights leaders used:
•non-violent protests (boycotts)
•civil disobedience
Influenced by
the ideas of
(sit-ins)Henry Thoreau
•legal action
Oliver White Hill, Sr. was an American
civil rights attorney from Richmond,
Virginia. His work against racial
discrimination helped end the doctrine
of "separate but equal.”
Influenced by
the ideas of
Mohandas
Gandhi
Desegregation of the Military
►
►
A. Philip Randolph, Civil Rights Activist influenced
President Harry S Truman to end segregation in the
military.
Executive Order 9981 officially ended segregation in the
military in 1948.
Brown vs. Board of Education
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTGHLdr-iak
Facts:
In 1954 Linda Brown’s parents wanted her to
attend the school close to her home. Kansas law
stated she had to attend a segregated school.
NAACP and attorney Thurgood Marshall tested the
law.
Question:
Can Linda Brown attend an “all white” school?
Decision:
“separate educational facilities inherently
unequal”
Schools would need to desegregate “with all
Montgomery Bus Boycott
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZsOZSrcjfw
►
►
►
In Montgomery, Alabama,
the bus company had a rule
that said all AfricanAmericans had to sit in the
back of the bus.
In 1955, Rosa Parks, an
African-American women,
was coming home from work
and was very tired. The
seats in the back were full,
but the front seats were
empty.
She sat down in the front.
When the bus driver ordered
 The minister of Rosa’s
church, Martin Luther King,
decided to get involved.
 He told African-Americans
to stop riding the bus. For
months, African-Americans
walked or gave each other
rides.
 The bus company lost a lot
of money because most of
their passengers were
African-Americans.
 Eventually, they were forced
to change their rule. Then,
in 1956, the Supreme Court
declared segregation on
public transportation
unconstitutional.
 This success made King
Little Rock, Arkansas
Central High School
http://time.com/4948704/little-rock-nine-anniversary/
►The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American
students who enrolled in Little Rock High School in Arkansas in
1957, following the 1954 Brown v Board of Education Supreme
Court decision.
►Their enrollment was followed by the Little Rock Crisis, in which
the students were initially prevented from entering the racially
segregated school by Orval Faubas the Governor of Arkansas.
►They then attended after the intervention of President Dwight D.
Eisenhower and the protection by the 101st Airborne Division of the
U.S Army.