a detailed summary of the civil rights movement and black power movement that is put into a timeline for context. It covers different movements, marches and people involved and how events link to one another
Final topic 3 notes- CRM
What are civil rights and how did the CRM emerge?
• Rights that should be enjoyed by people in a country which revolve around basic freedoms
everyone should enjoy
• E.g. freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom from want (people aren’t in need of
basics)
• After WWII a large civil rights movement emerged because of discrimination and
persecution of African American soldiers faced when returning to the USA, no change had
taken place (still lots of race prejudice)
o Ironic- USA stood for freedom during WWII
o This led them to try and change their circumstances and aim to achieve equality- the
CRM was born
• Truman passed Executive Order 9981 on 26 July 1948
o Required equal treatment of armed forces
• Civil rights movement was a reaction against racist Jim Crow laws in the South
o Mostly a middle class movement aimed to end segregation of transport and
education
▪ Consisted of black and white middle class Christian church-goers who
shared liberal values
o Focussed on areas in the South, they used passive resistance and rejected violence
• American Declaration of Independence states that all Americans have a civil right to Life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Short and long term gains of the CRM
• Civil Rights Act of 1964- passed by Johnson and outlawed discrimination and permitted
federal government to intervene to enforce desegregation
o MLK actions credited
• September 1965- Johnson ordered government contractors to hire minority employees
• 1968 Civil Rights Act- illegal to discriminate in sale/ rental of property
• Topeka vs. Brown (1954)- school segregation declared unconstitutional
• Civil Rights Act of 1957/ 1960/ 1964 and the voting rights act- ensured that African
Americans could vote, gave them political power
• Desegregation of transport and facilities
Role, impact and influences of Martin Luther King
• Inspired by Gandhi to only use passive resistance
o Believed a spiritual transformation was required and that unjust laws had to be
broken in a peaceful manner
▪ Christian belief: “love your enemies” and “turn the other cheek”
o Deliberate disobedience to shame oppressors into scrapping acts- moral pressure
• Had policy of non-violence so that protestors weren’t dragged down to the levels of the
racist thugs
• Executive member of NAACP
• Involved in bus boycott (1956) when the Supreme court declared segregation on buses
unconstitutional
, • President of SCLC to provide new leadership to CRM
o Christian ideals, Gandhi inspired tactics
• Directed peaceful march on Washington
• Conferred with JFK
• Campaigned for Lyndon B Johnson
• Received doctorate in 1955
o People took him more seriously
• Funded, guided and helped launch SNCC in 1960
• Mentored by Howard Thurman
Who was the KKK (Klu Klux Klan)
• Originated in Tennessee in 1865 after slaves were freed
• Wanted to supress African Americans through terror tactics
o Wore white sheets and pointed hats to hide ID
▪ Lynched black people to spread terror
• Died down in 1870s with heavy government suppression
• Re-emerged in Georgia in 1915 and became anti-catholic/-sematic/-immigrant and
attacked whites who were sympathetic towards them
o Died down in 1930s
• Revived in small groups in 1950s to oppose CRM
Jim Crow Laws
• Laws passed in Southern states to ensure the segregation of black and white people
• In 1896 the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy vs Ferguson that separate but equal facilities
were legal and constitutional
o Homer Plessy (black man) arrested for sitting in white only carriage, argued that the
14th Amendment guaranteed equal rights to all US citizens
o Judges argued that black facilities were equal to white facilities and that his rights
weren’t violated
NAACP formed (1909)
• National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People
• Multi-racial organisation- members from well educated middle class
• Used moderate forms of protest
• Challenged segregationist laws in court
o Responsible for Topeka vs. Brown (1954)
o Supported Montgomery bus boycott (1955)
o Helped Little Rock 9 (1957)
o Involved in March on Washington (1963)
CORE formed (1942)
• Formed by James Farmer
• Congress of Racial Equality
• Recruits were mostly white students
• Shifted from non-violence to self-defence and adopted black power in 1966
Brown vs. Topeka (1954)
• Declared the segregation in schools to be unconstitutional
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller hollismilla. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R90,00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
