Section 2: Flashcards
Sit-ins:
Sit-ins were a nonviolent form of protest during the Civil Rights Movement where activists would occupy segregated spaces, like lunch counters, and refuse to leave until served, drawing attention to racial discrimination and segregation.
SNCC:
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), often pronounced “snick,” was a pivotal youth-led organization in the Civil Rights Movement, founded in 1960, that focused on nonviolent direct action and community organizing to fight segregation and racism.
Freedom Riders:
- Kennedy’s Response
The Freedom Rides were a series of bus journeys in 1961, led by civil rights activists, challenging segregation on interstate buses and terminals in the Southern United States, ultimately leading to the desegregation of public transportation.
- The Kennedy administration initially responded cautiously to the Freedom Rides, but ultimately intervened, deploying federal marshals to protect the riders and urging the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to enforce desegregation of interstate travel.
James Meredith:
James Meredith, a civil rights activist, is known for being the first African American to enroll at the University of Mississippi, a feat that sparked riots and required federal intervention, and later led a march to encourage voter registration, during which he was shot.
Birmingham:
- Bull Connor
- Letter from Birmingham jail
Birmingham, Alabama, was the site of pivotal events in the Civil Rights Movement, including the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, led by Martin Luther King Jr., which brought national attention to racial segregation and led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
- Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor (1897-1973) was a white supremacist politician and Birmingham’s Public Safety Commissioner, known for his brutal suppression of the Civil Rights Movement, particularly during the 1963 Birmingham campaign, where he ordered the use of police dogs and fire hoses against peaceful protestors.
- In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” penned in 1963 while imprisoned for his role in nonviolent protests, Martin Luther King Jr. defends the necessity of direct action and civil disobedience against injustice, arguing that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and fight for equality.
Civil Rights Bill of 1964:
- Kennedy’s Assasination
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, a landmark piece of legislation, outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, ending segregation in public places, schools, and federally assisted programs, and establishing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964, a landmark piece of legislation, outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who used the assassination of President Kennedy as a catalyst to push for its passage.
Role of March on Washington:
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, a massive demonstration of over 250,000 people, aimed to pressure Congress to pass civil rights legislation and address economic inequalities, culminating in Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Selma March:
The Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965, led by Martin Luther King Jr., were a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, protesting the denial of voting rights to African Americans and culminating in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Voting Rights Act of 1965:
The Voting Rights Act was enacted on August 6, 1965, and it prohibited states from imposing qualifications or practices to deny the right to vote on account of race; permitted direct federal intervention in the electoral process in certain places, based on a “coverage formula”
