While progress has been made, African Americans still face challenges in achieving full equality, justice and equal treatment under the law. More work remains to dismantle systemic racism and ensure all people are treated fairly regardless of race.
3. Compare & Contrast the 1950s and
the 1920s
In the 1920s and
1950s after both
world wars the
US came out as
the richest
country in the
world.
Americans
listened to the
radio
Americans enjoyed
jazz and danced the
Charleston
US foreign policy was of
isolationism and non-
involvement in world
affairs—US did not
join the League of
Nations
After both world
wars American
society experienced
a red scare
Americans
watched TV
Americans enjoyed
listening and dancing
Rock n’ Roll
US foreign policy was of
containment and
intervention in world affairs
to prevent the spread of
communism—US joined
the United Nations (UN)
Americans moved to
cities
Americans moved to
suburbs
Not all
Americans
enjoyed the
“Roaring
1920s” or
“Happy
days” of
1950s
4. Select one individual and respond the
question below based on the person’s
needs;
What kind of might you
seek?
5. Civil Rights: the rights of
citizens to enjoy the benefits that a
society has to offer. (for example; the
right to be treated equal, to have
equal opportunities….
8. *
*In 1857, the US Supreme Court
decided that African Americans
were not citizens according to the
U.S. Constitution and did not have
any of the rights or privileges
guaranteed by the Constitution.
*The Supreme Court decided that a
slave was the property.
*Many historians believe that this
case led to the Civil War.
9. *
*The Supreme Court
determined that as long as
the separate facilities were
“equal” it was Constitutional
to keep the races separated.
*“Separate but equal”
led to the legal segregation
of the races and the Jim
Crow Laws
10. *Brown v. Board of Education
*Brown v. Board of Education of
Topeka, Kansas was six cases,
brought by parents on behalf of
their children in coordination
with the NAACP.
*Parents tried to enroll their
children in their closest
neighborhood school in 1951,
which were all-white schools.
*Each student was denied
enrollment and forced to attend
the closest all-black school.
11. *
Supreme Court Chief
Justice Earl Warren
* Appointed by President Eisenhower
* He convinced the other justices that a
unanimous decision was necessary to
send a strong message to the public.
Thurgood Marshall
* Civil rights lawyer who knew segregation
firsthand. He attended all-black schools growing
up in Baltimore, and was denied entry into the
law school at the University of Maryland.
* Lawyer for the NAACP
* Later appointed to the US Supreme Court to
become the first African American to serve on the
Court.
12. *In a unanimous 9-0 decision written by Chief Justice Earl
Warren, the Supreme Court held that segregated schools were
unconstitutional.
*“…in the field of public education, the doctrine of
‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational
facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that
plaintiffs and others …are deprived of the equal protection
of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”
*The Result
13. “The Little Rock 9”: In
the fall of 1957, nine African
American students tried to enroll
in a white high school, they were
threatened by angry mobs of
Whites and even the governor
blocked the entrance of the
African American students.
U.S. President Dwight
Eisenhower sent Army
troops to Little Rock to make
sure that integration was carried
out.
16. Montgomery Bus boycott: on
December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks (a leader of
her local NAACP chapter) was arrested for
refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man.
• Her decision inspired thousands of African
Americans and the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC) and its
leader Martin Luther King, Jr. to
boycott the city buses.
• African Americans walked to work or
shared car rides until city buses
allowed them to sit where they
pleased.
• The bus company suffered a huge loss
of business and in 1956, the Supreme
Court declared that segregation in
buses was unconstitutional.
17. The Letter from Birmingham Jail is an open
letter written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King, Jr.
• The letter defends the strategy of nonviolent
resistance to racism.
• It says that people have a moral responsibility to break
unjust laws and to take direct action rather than
waiting for justice.
• Key quote: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to
justice everywhere".
18. "I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by Martin
Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs
and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he calls for an end
to racism in the US and called for civil and economic rights.
• Over 250,000 civil rights supporters were present.
19. The success of the bus boycott
convinced many African
Americans that direct action
methods could help them achieve
their civil rights
Sit-ins: college and high
school students joined by some
whites would sit at segregated
lunch counters and restaurants
and refused to leave until they
had been served. The
demonstrators were insulted, spat
upon, and sometimes arrested.
Freedom rides: African
Americans and whites organized
rides to the southern states to end
segregation in interstate buses.
20.
21. Eyes on the Prize: Ain’t scared of your jails!
8:00-10:35 2 min. (sit-ins)
1. Who participated in the lunch
counter sit-ins protests?
1. Would you consider the protests
successful? Why or why not?
22.
23. Eyes on the Prize: Ain’t scared of your jails!
36:41-44:14 6 min. (freedom rides)
1. Who participated in the freedom
rides?
1. Would you consider the protests
successful? Why or why not?
24. • The Selma-to-Montgomery March for voting
rights lasted 3 weeks and left four people dead.
• On "Bloody Sunday," March 7, 1965, some 600 civil
rights marchers headed out of Selma. They got only as far
as six blocks away, where state and local lawmen
attacked them with clubs and tear gas and drove them
back into Selma.
• Two days later on March 9, Martin Luther King, Jr., led a
march to the bridge.
• On Sunday, March 21, about 3,200 marchers set out for
Montgomery, walking 12 miles a day and sleeping in
fields. By the time they reached the capitol, they were
25,000-strong.
• The marches led President Lyndon Johnson to sign the
Voting Rights Act of 1965
25.
26. Some angry young African American activists
disagreed with the nonviolent methods of the
SCLC and NAACP and decided to become more
militant (rebellious, aggressive)
• Malcolm X: was a famous leader that
represented the restlessness among African
Americans who believed that civil rights must
be achieved through whatever means
necessary.
• Black Panther Party:
organization that called for the self-
defense of African Americans. Black
Panthers monitored the behavior of
police officers and challenged police
brutality. Methods used by the party
varied with local leadership, and in
some places there was violence.
27. • The Civil Rights Act of 1957 intended to enforce civil
rights laws and investigates charges of denial of civil rights.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1960 intended to help African
Americans register to vote.
• The 24th Amendment (1964) barred poll taxes in
federal elections.
• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made literacy tests
illegal.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 strongest civil rights bill. It
ordered restaurants, hotels and other businesses to serve all
people without regard to race, color, religion or national
origin. It also barred discrimination by employers and
established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
to enforce fair employment practices.
The federal government acts…
28. *
*Cooper v. Aaron
(1958) Federal enforcement of desegregation
*Boynton v. Virginia
(1960) Outlawed racial segregation in public
transportation
*Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States
(1964) Upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
banning racial discrimination in public places and
public accommodations
29. According to the cartoonist, African Americans have made gains in
racial equality. In what area of equal rights do African Americans
still face challenges?
Editor's Notes
Putting names to faces – missing narratives. Who were the Brown plaintiffs?
Where are they now?
