I Problems facing African Americans A Disenfranchisement B Segregation C Violence D Unemployment E Lack of education II Things have been bad since 1890s so why change now A Brown v Board of Education 1 Separate but equal is not equal okay 2 Creates inferiority 3 Overturns Plessy decision 4 Supreme Court opens up a wedge a way forward B Younger generation of activists 1 Wanted direct action not just political action C Little Rock AK integrates schools 1 Blacks go to white schools but whites don t go to black schools 2 Not a two way segregation 3 Not expected to be a problem because a lot of things were already desegregated in Little Rock 4 Picked clean smart non disruptive black students 5 Huge resistance to integration a Governor of AK sends in National Guard to stop students from entering school b Students are surrounded by mob of white residents they can t enter the school c Lasts for the whole first week of school 6 President is very angry about resistance sends in troops to protect students and let them go to school a This is being covered nationally and internationally very bad image for America 7 The next year the school district faces the same issues a Little Rock shuts down all public schools instead of dealing with the problem again b This happens all across the South in an attempt to resist gov t of federal power D Absence of federal power means change doesn t happen E Sit ins 1 Require conscious law breaking civil disobedience to create change 2 Greensboro NC 1960 4 students want to integrate a lunch counter at Woolworth s a Black customers aren t allowed to eat at Woolworth s b Students wait to be served at lunch counter all day until store closes and then go home c Get encouragement from fellow students and then they join them up to 100 students d Business is losing money because they have no room to serve white customers e KKK harasses students so students recruit football players to protect them stay nonviolent 3 Non violence only works when you get a response you need a reaction from oppressors 4 Sit ins are extremely popular for students in the 60s a Economic pressure on businesses and media coverage b Creates a great story 5 Students are arrested in huge numbers filling city jails a But they re being arrested for disorderly conduct disturbing the peace and they want to be arrested for going against civil rights ordinances so they can appeal their arrest in courts b Their conviction could be the start of changing the ordinances c Whites have limited the usefulness of these tactics because they re not arresting students for going against civil rights 6 Montgomery Bus Boycotts c Law needs to change too 7 Freedom Rides a Not riding buses to put huge economic pressure on buses b Bus companies are going broke because blacks are the main people who ride them a Challenging the law that says blacks and whites on interstate travel can t sit together DC to New Orleans and at every stop whites use black facilities and blacks use white facilities Met with huge resistance and violence b Attacked by KKK and mobs c Freedom riders are arrested for disturbing the peace fill jails in MI 8 Birmingham a Worst violence in the South nothing at all is integrated even in 1963 b MLK decide to make change in the city c Boycott all businesses that segregate have marches protests and get media coverage No sympathy from president or media says they need to wait King finds himself isolated in prison with no allies support d MLK writes letter to convince people to not give up e Decide to have a protest march with children 10 11 12 years old Gets media attention when police officers send out police dogs hoses on innocent children People are horrified f Kennedy sends a Civil Rights Bill to Congress 9 March on Washington to take Civil Rights Bill up 10 President Johnson says Congress must pass bill to carry on Kennedy s Legacy III Civil Rights Bill A Prohibits discrimination in employments and public facilities 1 Based on race religion sex national origin B This federal law should change everything but it doesn t C Congress does this because of the extreme pressure from below 1 Jails filled up horrible images sit ins economic pressure D More creative responses must be thought of to fix other problems not covered by bill 1 Disenfranchisement voting violence 2 Voting is real power you can t sit on a jury
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