Civil Rights 1955-80 pp 45-54 Flashcards
BLACK AMERICAN FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 changed the way civil rights campaigns were run
Buses were segregated. Rosa Parks protested by sitting at the fromt of the bus in the “whites only” section
Martin Luther King appointedf leader of MIA (Montgomery Improvement Association) to run a Boycott of the bus network by black citizens (who were 75% of bus passengers)
Luther King ran a non-violent legal protest. His home was attacked and some boycotters lost their jobs as the protest carried on
The protest generated huge publicity and on 13th November 1956 The US Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional
But although buses were desegregated from that point, this prompted protests and violence from from white candidates who favoured segregation for several years
MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR
MLK became the face of Black American Civil Rights
He practised non-violent protest- which made clear that the Blacks were the oppresssed
He got arrested publicly often and behave peacefuly- good publicity
He tried to integrate as many white protestors as possible on his protests to show universal support for the cause
He used the media intelligently to show oppression, inequality and get his point across peacefully
CAMPAIGNING IN THE SOUTH
The DeepSouth was notoriously racist towards Black Americans- the protestors concentrated focus/protests here
The Supreme Court had ruled (Brown v Board) that Education could not be segregated but this wasn’t adhered to in some Deep South Schools and Universities
The NAACP targeted these areas for publicity. In Little Rock Arkansas 250 reporters and photograpgers were present when when a black child- Elizabeth Eckford- was surrounded by a screaming mob and turned away from school.
MLK used this publicity to get a meeting with President Eisenhower whoi sent in the National Guard to protect the black children attending the school
Similar protest and scenes occurred across the South and many people were killed in the rioting that accompanied integration
THE GREENSBORO SIT IN AND SNCC
Four black students formed a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter and weren’t served. They came back with more people every day.
As the protest grew , white youths heckled and abused them in front of the media, while the Black students remained calm and polite
It was powerful publicity regarding inequality
From this the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) was formed in North Carolina in 1960. This was a racially integrated organisation of young people focused on non-violent direct action and which particularly worked towards increasing black voter registration
In 1961 CORE and SNCC carried out Freedom Rides in the Deep South to highlight where buses that should by law be desegregated remained segregated.
There was a large media presence which observed the riders frequently being attacked and in one case a bus of 50 people was firebombed, with other ample evidence of police harrassment. Three bus riders wre killed.
BIRMINGHAM 1963 & THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
Birmingham Alabama was a notoriously racist City with reguar violent attacks and firebombings on Black homes, churches and businesses
In 1963 MLK lauunched a campain to desegregate the whole town.
The racist police used water cannons on protesting children in full view of the media who sent pictures worldwide. Another example of MLKs intelligent use of the media.
President Kennedy acted by sending in troops to restore calm , he desegregated Birmingham and pushed ahead with civil rights legislation
Race was now “the most important issue” for 42% of votes in 1963 (just 4% a year earlier).
The “March on Washington” led by King attracted hundreds of thousands of marchers and MLK made his famous “I have a dream” speech
However, despite this momentum when the SNCC made a big push to get more black voters registered in 1964 they met with huge opposition and only 1600 of the 17000 they tried to get registered were accepted.
MALCOLM X / BLACK POWER MOVEMENT
Malcolm X advocated Black Militancy (different to MLK’s non-violent ethos)
His father was murdered by racist whites and he ended up in prison where he joined the Nation of Islam
He stirred up more active protest and was prepared for confrontation . He did not believe whites should be involved in the Black Civil Rights movement.
He was assassinated in 1965.
The Black Power movement established in 1965 continued to espouse a more direct approach with less emphasis on non-violent protest; their symbol was a raised arm with a clench fist which beame a powerful symbol.
The movement fragmented and from it came The Black Panthers in 1966. They had a black social support agenda but wore black uniforms and carried guns
The residual Black Power continued to emphasise rights for black workers and equal opportunities in areas such as the workplace and education. It was most effective when doing work on a small-scale at the local level.
RIOTS 1964-71 / MLK ASSASSINATION
Riots across the country for several years (NY, Chicago, Philadelphia) usually in Summer reflecting poor conditions and facilities in Black areas
This changed the dynamic as it was now violent young blacks protesting, whereas in the past they had adopted a non-violent approach. While this pushed civil rights legislation forwards, it also created a white backlash.
In 1966 MLK announced a “Northern Crusade” in the North to improve slums in Black ghettos, which was focused on Chicago.
Overall this had little success; MLK’s non-violent approach appeared to have lost impact and he was assassinated in 1968.
IMPACT OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION
By 1980 there was more pressure from federal govt to make equality happen, such as presidential executive orders for affirmative action to prioritse black applicants for jobs in business and government
A Black middle-class had developed (largely in Cities such as NY and Washington)
Significant numbers of black politicians now at local and national level
Voter registartion improved but slowed after 1968 at c. 60%.
Socio-economic rankings of black men and women rose significantly but still to levels below those of average whites.
CIVIL RIGHTS ACT of 1964 banned discrimination for sex or race in hiring, firing or employment.
VOTER RIGHTS ACT of 1965 was a federal act to protect rights of all races to vote.
BUT attention pivoted from lack rights to the Vietnam War and although a significant black upper- and middle-class groups emerged, the majority of poor blacks became poorer and with worse outcomes than equivalent whites- eg black schoolchildren less likely to succeed academically, black babies more likely to die, higher crime rates.
