Unit 8:
The Civil Rights Movement
1945-1975
THE BIG IDEA
Through mostly nonviolent protests, AfricanAmericans, women, and other minorities
struggled to achieve equality.
I. Jim Crow laws set in after Civil War
A. Segregation of races
1) 1896 – Plessy v. Ferguson
2) segregation was constitutional
“separate but equal”
II.Racial Change After WWII
A. American Mindset Begins to Change
1. Many AA’s fought in WWII
2. Those who fight for American
values deserve equal rights
3. 1947 - Jackie Robinson named
“rookie of the year”
in MLB
4. NAACP – grows in
influence
5. 1954 – Brown v. Board of Education
a) Oliver Brown sued Topeka school
board so daughter could attend whiteonly school
b) Thurgood Marshall –
Brown’s lawyer,
later first AA
supreme ct justice
c) Supreme Ct decides segregation in
schools must end
d) AL Gov. George Wallace vows to
“stand in the way”
e) National Guard called to force his
compliance
III. Demanding Change – Non-violently
A. 1955 -- Montgomery, AL Bus Boycott
1. Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus
seat
2. Parks is arrested for violating segregation
laws
3. AA’s decide to boycott the Montgomery
bus system
B. Martin Luther King Jr.
“There comes a time when people get tired of
being kicked about by the brutal feet of
oppression. We have no alternative but to
protest. We must sacrifice for our freedom
and dignity.”
~MLK
1. Supreme Ct = bus
segregation unconstitutional
C. 1957 -- SCLC is created
1. Southern Christian Leadership
Conference
a)non-violent civil rights group led by MLK
“Non-violence is not a symbol of weakness…it breeds
courage in the face of danger.”
~MLK 1957
b) believed in peaceful refusal to follow
unjust laws
c) “sit-in” – sitting in a “white” area of a
cafe, refusing to leave until served
d) “freedom rides” – black and white
activists together on buses promoting
integration
D. Racism and Violence Increases
1. racism in Southern courts
2. many AA’s kept from voting in South
a) poll tax
b) literacy tests
3. April 1963 - Birmingham Campaign
a) SCLC organized protest
b) MLK arrested and jailed
c) protesters blasted w/fire hoses
d) MLK’s motel bombed
e) most Americans sided
w/protesters
E. Aug 1963 -- The March on Washington
1) 200,000 people marched to the Lincoln
Memorial
2) MLK delivers “I Have a Dream” speech
3) 1964 Civil Rights Bill passes in Congress
a) banned racial discrimination in
employment or gov’t services
b) banned unequal voting requirements
c) signed into law by LBJ
IV. Demanding Change -- with “Black Power”
A. Non-violent methods were too slow, too
weak for some A-A’s
1. “The Black Panthers”
- led by Stokely Carmichael
2.“The Nation of Islam”
- founded by Elijah Mohammed
Elijah
- led by Malcolm X
Mohammed
- black nationalism, pride
- use violence when necessary
“We are non-violent w/ people who are non-violent with us.”
~ Malcolm X
Malcolm X
- separation from whites is preferred
“No sane black man wants integration! No
sane white man wants integration! The
only solution is complete separation from
the white man. Let the black people hire
their own kind and build up the black
race’s ability to do for itself. That’s the
only way the American black man is ever
going to get respect.”
~Malcolm X
V. The Legacies of Malcolm X and King
A. 1965 – X assassinated by “Nation of Islam”
members
1. X’s legacy – “Appreciate who you are,
where you come from, by any means
necessary.”
B. 1968 – King shot by James Earl Ray
1. Riots erupt across U.S. – 46 dead
2. RFK asks for calm
3. MLK’s legacy –
“Nonviolent change
may be slower,
but is lasting.”
“We can be filled with bitterness and with
hatred and a desire for revenge. We can
move in that direction as a country, in great
polarization, black people amongst whites,
filled with hatred toward one another. Or,
we can make an effort, like Martin Luther
King did, to understand and to comprehend,
and replace that violence , that stain of
bloodshed that has spread across the land,
with compassion and love.”
Bobby Kennedy
April 4, 1968
VI. LBJ’s “Great Society”
A. 1963 - LBJ asks nation to “continue
JFK’s goals.”
B. Helping the less fortunate
“We have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the
powerful society, but upward toward the Great Society.”
~President Lyndon Baines Johnson
1. Civil Rights
a) 1964 – Civil Rights Act passes
b) 1965 – Voting Rights Act passes
- AA voter registration in South
- changed Southern politics forever
2. The War on Poverty
a) Job Corps – work training for poor
b) Medicare - gov’t healthcare for the elderly
3. Education
a) Head Start – free pre-school preparation
b) Public Broadcasting (PBS, NPR)
VII. The Conservative Resurgence
A. 1968 Election – Republican Nixon Wins w/ help
from the“silent majority”
1. U.S. shifts from leaning liberal (FDR, JFK, LBJ)
a) progressive (Gov’t can help!)
i.e. The New Deal (FDR), Great Society (LBJ)
b) acceptance of change
i.e. hippies, civil rts, JFK’s younger style
2. to leaning conservative
a) tradition, law, order, and individual
responsibility (Nixon)
b) smaller gov’t role in society, less taxes
VIII. The Women’s Rights Movement
A. WWII -- more women entered work force
B. 1950’s – “women were happiest as
homemakers”
1. 29% of women had jobs outside home
2. women were pd $.63 for $1.00 men were pd
3. fewer women voted in elections
C. 1963 - The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
1. women at home were feeling unfulfilled
2. society was keeping women from achieving
their full potential
“There is no evidence that children are less happy,
healthy, or adjusted, because their mothers work. In
fact, working women are happier, better, more mature
mothers.”
~ Betty Friedan 1963
The Feminine Mystique
D. Feminism Grows
1. the desire for equality b/t men + women
2. 1966 NOW- National Organization for Women
fought for:
a) 1972 - ERA – Equal Rights Amendment
- would guarantee equal rights under the law regardless of
gender
- has never passed
b) 1972 – Title IX – prohibits gender
discrimination in education
c) 1973 - Roe v Wade – Supreme Ct
legalized abortion
E. Conservatives’ Criticism of the Women’s
Movement
1. Traditional gender roles are being threatened
“It doesn’t make sense to let mothers go to work in a factory or office
and have them pay other people to do a bad job of bringing up their
children.”
~Dr. Benjamin Spock 1945
F.
2004 - Women Today
1. college degrees – women 51%, men 49%
2. voting – women 56%, men 44%
3. work force – women feeling conflicted b/t family
and professional life
a) many mothers choosing to stay home
b) 2007 - The Feminine Mistake by Leslie
Bennetts
How did a little piece of tape trigger one of history’s great scandals? When security
guard Frank Wills first noticed the piece of tape covering a door latch in the garage
of the Watergate hotel on June 17, 1972, he was not alarmed. He figured that
someone during the day had probably been making deliveries and had wanted to
keep the door from locking. Wills removed the tape and continued to patrol the
building. Later, however, Wills returned to the door and checked it again. Someone
had replaced the tape he had removed earlier. This time, Wills called the police.
When the police arrived, they began their search for the intruders they suspected
were in the building. Eventually, they surprised a group of five men who had broken
into the offices of the Democratic National Committee, which were housed in the
Watergate. The group was in the process of installing or repairing advanced
eavesdropping equipment. They also had cameras and appeared to be planning to
photograph the contents of filing cabinets. It was not clear at first exactly why the
burglars had broken into the office. Nor was it known right away whether they had
been working on behalf of some other people or group. In fact, many dismissed the
incident as nothing more than the bumbling handiwork of petty crooks. However, the
story caught the attention of reporters at the Washington Post. And as a result of
their efforts, Watergate would soon bring down a President.
VIII.The Watergate Scandal
A. 1972 – Pres Election approaching
1. June - Burglars caught breaking
into Watergate Hotel (Dem
headquarters)
2. Nov – Nixon wins re-election by
wide margin
Nixon
McGovern
3. Dec - Washington Post reporters start to
investigate the break-in
4. 1973 - Nixon refuses to turn over tapes citing
“executive privilege.”
5. Nixon orders Attorney Gen to fire special
prosecutor Archibald Cox
6. 1974 – Supreme Ct rules tapes must be released
7. An 18 min portion of tape - erased
8. August 8, 1974 – Nixon resigns
9. Gerald Ford becomes President
10. Ford pardons Nixon
B. Watergate Legacy
1. Rise of investigative journalism
2. Political cynicism
a) before Wgate - 2/3 of people trusted gov’t
b) after Wgate – 2/3 of people distrusted gov’t
Washington Post investigative
reporters – Woodward + Bernstein
VIII. 1990’s President Bill Clinton – Success and Scandal
A. “Pax Americana” – peace and prosperity
1. Thriving Economy
2. Balanced U.S. Budget
3. Stock Market Success
STOCK MARKET
FEDERAL DEFICIT
B. Pres Clinton Impeachment Scandal
1) 1998 – Clinton impeached
by Congress for lying under
oath, obstruction of justice
2) intense polarization and
partisanship
3) not removed from office
The Clinton Legacy
IX.
2000 Presidential Election
A. George W. Bush vs. Al Gore
1. Gore wins popular vote
2. Florida is disputed
3. Supreme Ct - Bush won Florida
4. Bush wins electoral vote
EV
PV
Bush
271
50,456,169
Gore
266
50,996,116