Fifty years ago, all across the United States, black people
and white people were segregated. Their homes, schools,
churches, and social lives.
In the South, children attended strictly segregated
schools from kindergarten on. Black schools got far less
money than white schools. They had fewer books and worse
buildings and playgrounds, if they had playgrounds at all.
Teachers in black schools were paid less than teachers in
white schools. The same school boards—made up of white
men—ruled over black and white schools in each county.
Black parents and children protested against this
inequality even though they knew that segregation was legal.
The Supreme Court, which makes the final judgment on
whether laws passed by Congress or the states are
constitutional, had said that segregation was legal as long as
the segregated facilities were "separate but equal."
Separate and Unequal
Broken School Bus in Louisa County, Virginia
Separate and Unequal
Segregated School in Louisa County, Virginia
An African American School House
Summerville, SC 1938
This photograph shows the condition of many
African American schools in the first decades
of the twentieth century. Many states simply
did not allocate enough funds to provide
"equal" schools in the separate black schools.
In South Carolina, the resulting inadequate
condition for black children led to the Briggs v.
Elliot case in 1954. The Briggs case would
become one of the five included in the Brown
decision.
Segregated Classrooms
The 1954 United States Supreme Court decision in Oliver L. Brown et.al. v. the Board of
Education of Topeka (KS) et.al. is among the most significant judicial turning points in
the development of our country. Originally led by Charles H. Houston, and later
Thurgood Marshall and a formidable legal team, it dismantled the legal basis for racial
segregation in schools and other public facilities.
Through My Eyes
In November 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges Hall
became the first African American child to desegregate
an elementary school. Although she only lived a few
blocks from the William Frantz Elementary school in
New Orleans, Louisiana. Marshals had to escort Ruby
because of angry segregationist mobs that gathered in
front of the school. For an entire year, she was the only
student in her class since white parents pulled their
children from the school in protest. She wrote about
her experiences in her book THROUGH MY EYES.
Ruby Bridges & Sasha Obama
A Bus of Our Own
More than
anything, Mable
Jean wants to go to
school. She has to
walk five miles to
get there, though,
and her papa told
her that if she
can't keep up,
she'll have to wait
another year.
Freedom on the Menu
In 1960 four freshmen from North Carolina Agricultural
and Technical College in Greensboro strolled into the F.
W. Woolworth store and quietly sat down at the lunch
counter. They were not served, but they stayed until
closing time. The next morning they came with twentyfive more students. Two weeks later similar
demonstrations had spread to several cities, within a
year similar peaceful demonstrations took place in over
a hundred cities North and South. At Shaw University
in Raleigh, North Carolina, the students formed their
own organization, the Student Non-Violent
Coordinating Committee (SNCC, pronounced "Snick").
The students' bravery in the face of verbal and physical
abuse led to integration in many stores even before the
passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
1960 - 1963
Sit-ins, swim-ins, read-ins, pray-ins, marches, and other
protests erupt across the South at segregated restaurants,
swimming pools, libraries, churches...
In Harlem and many other northern communities, Movement
supporters picket Woolworths and other chain stores to
support the southern sit-ins.
Vending-machine in Jackson, Tennessee
Images of Jim Crow
Freedom on the Menu
The 1960 Civil
Rights sit-ins at
the Woolworth's
lunch counter in
Greensboro, North
Carolina, are seen
through the eyes
of a young
Southern black
girl.
More Images of Jim Crow
Segregated drinking fountains in the County
Courthouse, Albany, Georgia..
White Socks Only
She had
misunderstood this
sign thinking "whites
only' meant White
socks only. Her action
of drinking from this
fountain results in a
town which begins to
make changes.
Imagine This….
Two-year old Barack Obama and his mom live
in this town. One day while they are in town,
Little Barack gets thirsty. Which public drinking
fountain would little Barack’s mother have
held him up to? White for her race or Colored
for his? The segregation of water fountains
was based on the way you looked. Two-yearold Barack Obama, future President of the
United States, would have been judged
Colored and thus too contaminated with
Blackness to drink from the White fountain.
Voting Rights: The Last Stronghold
The twentieth century brought passage of the weak Civil Rights
Act of 1957, the more forceful Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the
Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The 1965 Voting Rights Act created a significant change in the
status of African Americans throughout the South. The Voting
Rights Act prohibited the states from using literacy tests,
interpreting the Constitution, and other methods of excluding
African Americans from voting. Prior to this, only an estimated
twenty-three percent of voting-age blacks were registered
nationally, but by 1969 the number had jumped to sixty-one
percent.
"Signing the Voting Rights Act," August 6, 1965
Voting Rights Act’s Impact in 2008
The Voting Rights Act has been either substantively amended
and/or reauthorized in 1970, 1975, 1982, and 1992, and the
non-permanent provisions were amended again in
August 6, 2007.
There were several unique aspects about the 2008 election.
This election was the first time in U.S. history that an African
American was elected President, and the first time a Roman
Catholic was elected Vice President. It was also the first time two
sitting senators ran against each other. It was the first election in
56 years that neither an incumbent president (Bush was barred
from seeking a third term by the Twenty-second Amendment)
nor vice president ran. Also, voter turnout for the 2008 election
was the highest in at least 40 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2008
Before He Announced His Candidacy
"The teenagers and college students who left their
homes to march in the streets of Birmingham and
Montgomery; the mothers who walked instead of
taking the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's
laundry and cleaning somebody else's kitchen -- they
didn't brave fire hoses and Billy clubs so that their
grandchildren and their great-grandchildren would still
wonder at the beginning of the 21st century whether
their vote would be counted; whether their civil rights
would be protected by their government; whether
justice would be equal and opportunity would be
theirs.... We have more work to do."
~ Barack Obama,
Speech at Howard University, September 28, 2007
Why did we need a Civil Rights Movement?
President Barack Obama has spent much of
his career fighting to strengthen civil rights as
a civil rights attorney, community organizer,
Illinois State Senator, U.S. Senator, and now as
President. Whether promoting economic
opportunity, working to improve our nation's
education and health system, or protecting
the right to vote, President Obama has been a
powerful advocate for our civil rights.
Welcome Mr. President ...
We’ve Been Waiting For You!
Celebrate the Inauguration RAFT
Role - Reporter
Audience - The World
Format – Multi-media (eZine, magazine cover,
powerpoint, poster, blog,
moviemaker, etc.)
Task - You are the reporter. Pretend that you are
covering the inauguration of the 44th president.
The coverage will be aired or publicized for
viewers who may not have coverage. Use
visuals, audio or text, hyperlinks.
Reflection…
Go back to:
www.wifi707.blogspot.com
Leave a comment on the blog:
Why did America need a Civil Rights Movement?
Did it contribute to the change that we see
taking place in our country today?