Ryan Snell and Drake Allen
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Beginning of the Civil
Rights Movement
 After hearing of the lynching of African
American war veterans, Truman ended
segregation in federal civil service in 1948,
and began desegregation of the armed
forces.
 Chief Justice Earl Warren ruled the
segregation of schools was unconstitutional
in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka,
Kansas, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson’s
“separate but equal” ruling.
Beginning of the Civil Rights
Movement
 In September 1957, President
Eisenhower had 9 African American
students escorted to their classes in
Little Rock Central High School, after
being blocked by the National Guard
under the Governor of Arkansas’
control. This is the first action the
federal government takes in the civil
rights movement.
 1957 Congress passed the Civil Rights
Act, to investigate civil rights
violations, and protected voting
rights via federal intervention.
The Sit-in Movement
 African Americans all over the South
began the “sit-in movement”, where
they went to whites-only
restaurants, transportation,
employment, housing, and voter
registration, and sat down until their
presence was recognized.
 These protesters then formed the
Student Non-Violent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC), to seek further
legal rights.
John F. Kennedy
 Kennedy campaigned with a
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platform focusing on civil rights.
He dispatched federal troops to end
attacks on desegregated buses.
He began a Voter Education Project
to register African Americans.
Kennedy financially backed Martin
Luther King, Jr. and the SCLC.
He sent federal troops to protect
African Americans who faced heavy
opposition when enrolling in
universities.
Rosa Parks

After a full day of working, Parks
decided to sit at the front of a
public transportation bus, which
was usually reserved for white
people.
 The bus driver informed her that
if she did not leave the front, she
would be arrested. She
responded, “You may do that”.
 After asking why the bus driver
was threatening her, the bus
driver responded, “I do not know,
but the law is the law and you’re
under arrest”.
 This was one of the first major
acts of civil disobedience in the
Civil Rights Movement.
Birmingham

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His first big campaign- Birmingham,
Alabama, the most segregated city in
America, featuring many cross
burnings and bombings during civil
rights protests. Civil rights protesters
were met with attack dogs and hoses.
This led to Kennedy addressing the
nation on June 11, 1963, calling the
situation a “moral issue”. He
committed to finding a solution.
Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a letter
after being arrested to that day,
known as the “Letter from a
Birmingham Jail”, in response to
several clergymen who criticized his
protests as unwise and wrong. This
letter explained the importance of
protesting for civil rights. This was
one of the most influential doctrines
on nonviolent protest ever made.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
 Martin Luther King, Jr. began the
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC) in 1957 to
organize the already well
established African American
churches towards protesting for
African American rights.
 His strategy was nonviolent passive
resistance.
 King was more realistic and
practical than optimistic.
March on Washington
 August 1963, Martin Luther
King, Jr. led 200,000 African
American and white
demonstrators to the Mall in
Washington, D.C.
 Here, he made is “I Have a
Dream” speech.
 The protesters were
advocating a civil rights bill
Kennedy had recently
proposed.
Civil Rights Act
 Kennedy proposed the Civil Rights Act, which
outlawed major forms of discrimination, such as
segregation. It was passed in 1964.
 Kennedy was assassinated before he could see
the bill pass.
 The next goal of the Civil Rights Movement was
to get more African American voters. In states
like Mississippi, only 5% of eligible African
Americans were registered to vote.
 Activists for increasing the number of African
American voters were met with tear gas and
whips.
Civil Rights Act
 President Johnson passed the Voting Rights
Act of 1965, which outlawed literacy tests and
sent federal voting registrars to the South.
This marked the point where African
Americans could officially vote and change
the laws for their benefit.
 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 marked the end
of the Civil Rights Movement.
Black Power
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Malcolm X, a major Black Power
movement leader, supported
separation of African Americans and
whites, to get away from the “white
devils”, inspired by the Nation of
Islam group.
The Black Panther party openly
displayed weapons in Oakland, while
the SNCC abandoned its non-violent
views in favor of “Black Power”
While the Black Power movement
promoted violence, many African
Americans increased African
American stature in America
peacefully, by registering to vote,
running for office, attending
integrated schools and increasing
their economic stature.
Bibliography

Boxill, Bernard. "King, Martin Luther (1929–1968)." Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Donald M. Borchert. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Macmillan
Reference USA, 2006. 73-74. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
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Fire hoses being used on civil rights demonstrators. Digital image. The Society of Publication Designers. 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.spd.org/2010/03/photojournalist-charles-moore.php>.
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Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. "The Eisenhower Era, 1952-1960." The American Pageant: A History of
the Republic. 11th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.
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Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. ”The Stormy Sixties, 1960-1968." The American Pageant: A History of
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Malcom X. Digital image. Modern American Poetry. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/s_z/smith/malcolmx.htm>.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Digital image. The Seattle Times. 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/special/mlk/>.
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Miller, Laura M. "The Arrest of Rosa Parks (1 December 1955)." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 9. New
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Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 71-74. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 15 Mar. 2012.
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Pringle III, Percy. John F. Kennedy. Digital image. Percy's Posts. 22 Nov. 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
<http://percysposts.blogspot.com/2011/11/remembering-president-john-f-kennedy.html>.
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Rosa Parks. Digital image. News One. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://newsone.com/nation/associatedpress4/rosa-parks-rape-white-man/>.
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Sit-in Movement. Digital image. U.S. History. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/54d.asp>.
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United States. Cong. An Act to Authorize the President to Award a Gold Medal on Behalf of the Congress to Rosa Parks in Recognition of
Her Contributions to the Nation. Cong. Bill. Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 1999. Print.
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U.S. Troops escort African American students from Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas. Digital image. Digital Docs in a Box. Web.
20 Mar. 2012. <http://digitaldocsinabox.org/images/CivilRights/central_high.html>.