7.1 Origins and Key Events of the Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement marked a pivotal era in American history. It began with legal battles and nonviolent protests aimed at dismantling racial segregation and discrimination. Key events like Brown v. Board of Education and the Montgomery Bus Boycott set the stage for change.

As the movement gained momentum, activists employed various strategies to fight for equality. Sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and landmark marches captured national attention, leading to crucial legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Legal Battles and Legislation

Landmark Supreme Court Cases

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• Brown v. Board of Education (1954) unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
  • The case was brought by the NAACP on behalf of Linda Brown, a young black student denied admission to her local elementary school in Topeka, Kansas based on her race
  • The decision paved the way for integration and was a major victory for the civil rights movement

Civil Rights Legislation

• Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public accommodations, employment, and federally funded programs
  • The act also established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate complaints of workplace discrimination
  • President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act into law after a lengthy filibuster by southern senators opposed to its passage
• Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed discriminatory voting practices, such as literacy tests and poll taxes, that had been used to disenfranchise African American voters
  • The act also provided for federal oversight of elections in areas with a history of voter discrimination
  • The legislation was a response to the violent suppression of peaceful voting rights protests in Selma, Alabama earlier that year

Nonviolent Protests and Direct Action

Early Successes

• Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956) was a 13-month protest against segregated public transportation in Montgomery, Alabama
  • The boycott began after Rosa Parks, an African American woman, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger
  • The boycott, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Improvement Association, resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional
• Sit-ins, beginning with the Greensboro sit-ins in 1960, involved African American students peacefully occupying segregated lunch counters and refusing to leave until served
  • The sit-ins spread to other southern cities and led to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
  • Many of the protesters were arrested, but their actions helped to desegregate public accommodations throughout the South

Continued Activism

• Freedom Rides (1961) were organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to challenge segregation in interstate bus travel
  • Interracial groups of activists rode buses through the South, facing violence and arrests, to test compliance with a Supreme Court decision that declared segregated bus facilities unconstitutional
  • The rides garnered national attention and led to the desegregation of interstate travel facilities
• March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963) was a massive rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to advocate for civil and economic rights for African Americans
  • The highlight of the march was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered to a crowd of over 250,000 people
  • The march helped build momentum for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Selma to Montgomery March (1965) was a series of three protest marches in Alabama to advocate for voting rights
  • The first march, known as "Bloody Sunday," was met with brutal violence by state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma
  • The second march, led by Dr. King, turned back to avoid further violence
  • The third march, under the protection of federal troops, successfully reached the state capitol in Montgomery
  • The marches were instrumental in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

School Desegregation

Resistance and Progress

• Little Rock Nine (1957) were a group of nine African American students who enrolled at the previously all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas
  • The students faced intense opposition from segregationists, including the Arkansas governor who ordered the National Guard to prevent them from entering the school
  • President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened by sending federal troops to escort the students and enforce desegregation
  • The crisis highlighted the resistance to school integration in the South and the federal government's commitment to enforcing the Brown v. Board of Education decision