Martin Luther King Flashcards
He wanted to make sure everyone was treated equally. He wanted to make sure everyone could come together, no matter what the colour of their skin is and not be judged. He wanted to get rid of segregation. He wanted to make sure all the children could be together and not judge each other.
What did Martin Luther want to achieve?
In April 1963 a civil rights protest march in the city of Birmingham, Alabama, police forces clashed against with African American protestors.
Without warning and in full view of television cameras, the Birmingham police (led by Police Chief “Bull” Connor) used electric cattle prods, dogs and powerful fire hoses to attack peaceful protesto
Many of the protestors were children and students. Over 1000 protestors, including many children, were arrested by police.
Newspaper headlines across the country angrily attacked the violent tactics of the police – photographs and footage showed how the police had unfairly attacked peaceful protestors. King was thrown into jail and the KKK bombed his hotel room.
Many people across America now began to realise the unfair racism and discrimination that existed across the country. The government was forced to step in. The city authorities eventually desegregated restaurants and all council facilities.
Birmingham,Alabama Summary and how it contributed to the civil rights movement
In early 1965, Martin Luther Kings, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) made Selma, Alabama, the focus of its efforts to register black voters in the South.
On the 7th March of 1965, now called “Bloody Sunday”, protesters attempting to march from Selma to the state capital Montgomery were met with violent resistance by state and local authorities.
As the world watched, the protesters (under the protection of federalized National Guard troops) finally achieved their goal, walking around the clock for three days to reach Montgomery.
The historic march, and King’s participation in it, greatly helped raise awareness of the difficulty faced by black voters in the South. It is considered a major contributor to the Voting Rights Act, passed later that year by President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Selma summary and how it contributed to the civil rights movement
Throughout May and June in 1961, groups of African Americans who became known as ‘freedom riders’ started to challenge the unfair laws that allowed for segregation on buses. They wanted to show that any person should be able to travel anywhere in the USA without having to fear racism or discrimination.
Many white Americans reacted violently to the freedom riders, and many of the freedom riders were attacked and beaten whilst riding on the buses.
Racist organisations such as the violent KKK organised attacks on freedom riders. The KKK wanted to keep white people in control and were prepared to use violence against African Americans.
In Alabama, a bus was set alight and the bus doors held shut by members of the Ku Klux Klan to stop freedom riders escaping. The freedom riders on board only just managed to escape through the broken windows of the bus.
In all there were 60 Freedom Rides, involving 450 brave individuals. The freedom riders were determined to carry on their protests and, despite such violence, continued their rides to highlight the racism and discrimination that still existed in areas of America. Their campaign gained them a lot of media coverage and support across the US.
The freedom riders and how it contributed to the civil rights movement
NAACP = National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
NAACP = National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
CORE = Congress of Racial Equality
CORE = Congress of Racial Equality
SNCC = Student Non Violent Co-ordinating Committee
SNCC = Student Non Violent Co-ordinating Committee
SCLC = Southern Christian Leadership Conference
SCLC = Southern Christian Leadership Conference
