African Americans and
the Civil Rights Movement
in the United States
ESL 031/032
Winter 2016
Declaration of Independence
• Americans wanted a government where all men
were free and equal.
• So, they declared independence from Britain in
1776.
But, many people in US
history had to fight for these
rights…
Which groups needed to
fight for their rights in US
history?
What do you know?
1. Which of the words for people originally from
Africa are polite? Which are not?
African-American, black, colored, Negro, nigger
2. How did African people come to the United
States?
3. When was the American Civil War?
4. Who was fighting? Why?
5. What were the results of the American Civil
War?
Vocabulary Preview
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
D Plantations
____
____
B Slavery
____
G The South
E Emancipation
____
F Amendment
____
C Segregation
____
A Discrimination
____
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
Unfair treatment because of race,
age, religion or gender
A system where people are sold for
work and often treated badly
A system that separates a group of
people and treats them unfairly
Large farms
To free a group of people
A change to the U.S. Constitution
U.S. southern “slave” states
(Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia,
etc.)
Slavery (1619 – 1861)
• Slaves work for free and cannot
go where they want or to make
decisions.
• Many plantations (large farms) in
the South used African-American
slaves to grow rice, tobacco,
sugar and cotton.
• Slaves are often mistreated. They
are not citizens, and they don’t
have rights. They were bought
and sold like animals.
• There were over 4 million slaves
in the U.S. by 1860 (8% of the
population).
Civil War (1861 – 1865)
• U.S. Northern “free” states
wanted to stop slavery in
the South.
• U.S. Southern “slave” states
tried to form a new
government.
• 970,000 people died (More
people than all other wars
together).
Map of “Free” and “Slave” States During the Civil War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Slave_Free_1789-1861.gif
Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
• Abraham Lincoln signed this law in 1863.
• It made slavery illegal.
• Slavery did not end completely until after the war
in 1865
Change to the U.S. Constitution (1867 – 1877)
• 13th Amendment - Slavery is not allowed in the U.S.
• 14th Amendment - All people including Blacks born in
the U.S. are citizens (have equal rights).
• 15th Amendment - All men including Blacks (18 years
and older) can vote.
• Note: Women could not vote until 1947 (19th
amendment).
Jim Crow Laws (1865 – 1968)
• People in the South still believed blacks and other ethnicities were
less than whites.
• The South didn’t want them to have any power.
• They took away the right to vote and discriminated against them.
• States passed “Jim Crow” laws to keep blacks separate
(segregation).
Segregation
• Blacks and Whites
had separate:
• Schools & Libraries
• Jobs, Banks &
Housing
• Public Services
• Restaurants
• Sports & Military
• Hospitals
Rules and Punishment
• White people called
blacks “boy”, “girl” or
“nigger”
• Black people had to say
“sir” or “madam”
• Black people couldn’t:
• Shake hands with white
people
• Look them in the eye
• Laugh at them
• Curse at them
• Speak to them first
• Blacks who broke the
rules could be jailed,
beaten up or lynched
Civil Rights Movement (1950 – 1968)
• African American groups like the NAACP (National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People) started to fight Jim Crow laws in the
1950s and 1960s.
• Watch the video to see some examples of protests
TIMELINE:
1954
1956
1960s
•
•
•
•
•
Brown vs. Board of Education (Supreme Court)
Ended segregated schools
Montgomery (Alabama) Bus Boycott
Ended segregated public transportation
Sit-ins at restaurants and other public places to protest
segregation
1964
• Civil Rights Act passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson
1965
• Affirmative Action laws to help blacks get jobs
1967
• Loving vs. Virginia
• Interracial marriage is allowed
1968
• Martin Luther King Jr. is killed
Discuss with Your Partner
1. Were Jim Crow laws good or bad for African Americans?
2. Is the Emancipation Proclamation a good or bad law?
3. What are some words we can use for people from Africa?
4. We are reading about Martin Luther King, Jr. Why is it
important to know about slavery and Jim Crow laws?
5. Drier
"Everybody can be great ... because
anybody can serve. You don't have to have a
college degree to serve. You don't have to
make your subject and verb agree to serve.
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul
generated by love."