THE AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT 1945-1968
Created by Eric Tolman; revised by C Cullen 2014
The Civil War and After
 The American South has always identified itself as
separate from the Northern part of the country
 The Civil War of 1862-65 was an issue over slavery
but also a reaction and clash between southern
tradition and northern “progress”
 Many Southerners had more conservative values
and the Protestant Church played a major role in
many communities
 Segregation continued with the passing of the Jim
Crow Laws in the late 1800’s and legislated the
segregation restaurants, businesses, schools etc.
Seeking Equality
 By the early twentieth century, little had
changed in the South, but the North had
become more industrialized, modern and
liberal
 Black American soldiers in both WW1 and
WW2 were treated with dignity and respect by
the French and British – brought to light
inequalities and racism at home
 In 1954, Brown vs. Board of Education decision
struck down the Separate but Equal doctrine
declaring segregation of public schools as
unconstitutional
Little Rock
 Integration was met with bitter
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resistance in some states
In Little Rock, Arkansas, Governor
Faubus ordered in state troops to
prevent black students from entering
the public school in 1957
Eisenhower sent in federal troops to
protect African American
children as they attended the newly
integrated schools
Troops stayed for 6 weeks and left
Faubus’ actions gained him popularity
and he was re-elected to 6 terms
Rosa Parks
 In Montgomery, Alabama, African Americans
were expected to sit at the back of the bus
 Rosa Parks sat up front and refused to give up
her seat to a white man
 She was arrested and the AA in Montgomery
staged a boycott until the bus company
caved in
 This campaign was led by a 26 year old
Baptist minister- Martin Luther King Jr.
MLK
 Born in Georgia in 1929, MLK preached non-violence
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and passive resistance (civil disobedience), following
the ideas of Gandhi
Similar campaigns would occur throughout the
segregated South
In 1961, Freedom Riders toured southern cities to
defy segregation in public facilities
These protests provoked brutal attacks by southern
racist gangs such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as well
as by municipal or state police
The violence witnessed by Americans on TV
outraged most and forced JFK to step in with the
national guard
Birmingham
 In April 1963, King organized a March on
Birmingham where public areas were still
segregated
 King wanted to show the ugliness and
Birmingham obliged with dogs and fire hoses
on innocent protestors
 JFK intervened and Birmingham was
desegregated
 King referred to this city as the most
segregated and hate-driven state in the USA
March on Washington
 This was the pinnacle of King’s
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popularity
200 000 blacks and 50 000 whites
marched to the federal capital in 1963
The aim was the pressure JFK to
enact a civil rights bill
There were no incidents, not even any
litter
King made his “I have a dream”
speech
This event had tremendous impact on
American public opinion
The Civil Rights Act
 On July 2, 1964, Lyndon Johnson
signed the Civil Rights Act and
“freedom summer” followed
 It became illegal for local
governments to discriminate in
areas such as housing,
employment and education
 King campaigned to register AA
voters and was helped by 1000’s
of whites from the North
 In 20 months following the CRA,
430 000 black American registered
Selma and Voting Rights
 MLK targeted areas where racism was worst
and in Selma, Alabama, he organized a march
to promote the registration of AA voters
 The march (without King) was brutally
attacked by authorities
 LBJ pushed through the Voting Rights Bill in
1965
 This act allowed governments to inspect
voting procedures to ensure a proper process
Black Power
 Many urban blacks felt King’s methods
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were too soft and violence was justified
The Nation of Islam, headed by Elijah
Muhammad, drew in many blacks
Malcolm X would rise in this organization
and boxer Cassius Clay would join
This group wanted to create a black state
in the USA as they felt that complete
equality would never occur through
integration
The Black Panthers were another militant
AA group and believed they should arm
themselves to force equal rights
1968 Mexico Olympics
 Two US track athletes, gold medalist John
Carlos and silver medalist Tommie Smith held
up fists in a “black power” salute and bowed
their heads as the American flag was raised
and the anthem played
 The IOC sent both athletes home
Race Riots
 In major urban centers like Los
Angeles (Watts neighborhood in 1965) and
Detroit in July 1967, race riots broke out
 Police forces were generally white and most
of the young, poor rioters were African
American
 Many cities were segregated into white and
black sections
 Many rioters were influenced by the radical
black nationalists
The Assassination of MLK
 On April4, 1968 MLK was
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assassinated in Memphis,
Tennessee
It was never proven who hired the
assassin
His death marked the end of an era
MLK helped transform the
movement from a southern side
show to a national movement
Segregation was now illegal; the
AA rights had been enshrined into
law; AA now held real political
power in the south