Civil Rights Movement in the North

Northern blacks fought segregation as well as those in the South

They generally lived in special, segregated neighborhoods They were prohibited from attending some of the best schools and clubs They were excluded from jobs in the building trades or as executives in businesses, banks or law firms

Civil Rights Movement in the North

African-Americans in the North were disappointed in the lack of effectiveness of the new civil rights bills 1964- Northern blacks held a stall-in

Purposely held up traffic at the New York Worlds Fair Resulted in riots in Rochester and New York City

Summer Freedom Project, 1964

Civil rights workers in Mississippi organized to register blacks to vote Civil rights workers from the North came to Mississippi to aid their fellow citizens in this project

Three of them were murdered

Southern whites beat and wounded the project workers and burned homes and churches of those participating in the project The project was only able to register 1200 new voters as blacks feared to demand their civil rights in such a violent atmosphere

MLK, Jr. Leads the Way

1964- MLK, Jr. receives the Nobel Peace Prize 1965- MLK, Jr. announced a drive to register 3 million African-American voters in the South

Began in Selma, Alabama where there were 15,000 black citizens- most of whom were not registered to vote Riots broke out in which protesters were beaten, shocked, and arrested (all shown on TV across the nation)

MLK, Jr. Organizes a March

1965- Selma, Alabama was to be the starting place for the protest march to the capitol building in Montgomery Freedom marchers were attacked by the police and turned back Two days later, the march began again

Again, the police blocked their progress Governor George Wallace did everything he could to block the march and told LBJ he didnt have the ability to protect the marchers

LBJ sent the Alabama National Guard , federal marshals, and the FBI to protect the marchers

LBJ Responds to the Violence

LBJ went before Congress in a televised speech

He denounced the denial of constitutional rights to the black citizens of the South He demanded a law to provide federal registrars at the polls to aid blacks in registering to vote He compared the events in Selma to the Battles of Lexington and Concord (Revolutionary War) and repeated the slogan of the civil rights movementWe Shall Overcome

The Selma March Continues

March 21, 1965- the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama began with protection from the National Guard, federal marshals, and the FBI Religious leaders from all over the country joined MLK. Jr.s freedom march March 25, 1965- marchers entered Montgomery peacefully

Voting Rights Act, 1965

August 6, 1965- signed into law by LBJ One year later, the number of registered black voters rose 50%

870,000 to 1.289 million

Resulted in blacks being voted into office throughout the South

Watts Riots

Summer 1965- on the heels of the passage of the Voting Rights Act, Watts (a black suburb of Los Angeles) broke out in riots

African-Americans still felt like second-class citizens Over 100 other cities throughout the US exploded into riots as well

LBJ felt bitter about the riots after all he had done to establish a Great Society

But he realized that African-Americans lives had only improved slightly

Radical Civil Rights Movements

Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam

Aka- the Black Muslims Rejected integration Whites were referred to as devils Believed that whites and blacks should be separate and that blacks should have a nation of their own

Malcolm X became a leading voice for the Nation of Islam

His speeches of hate labeled African-Americans as victims of Americas so-called democracy

Radical Civil Rights Movements

Malcolm X and the Black Panthers

Malcolm X broke off from the Nation of Islam He did not follow the Christian, non-violent example of MLK, Jr. He promoted a program of violence towards white America accompanied by the slogan by any means necessary His policy of hatred resulted in huge backlash among whites and blacks While giving a speech in New York in 1965 he was gunned down by members of the Nation of Islam His autobiography was published later that year and had a huge impact upon the radical civil rights movement

Black Power

Summer 1966

Race riots erupted in northern cities James Meredith staged a march for equal rights from Memphis, TN to Jackson, MS

He was shot and wounded

Stokely Carmichael and Black Power

Promoted vengeance against White America Advocated equality by any means necessary

Civil Rights Problems

1966

Civil rights movement was in disarray White backlash was growing stronger A civil rights measure failed to pass Congress

1967

The worst rioting in US history Blacks went on rampages throughout the nation

Destroying neighborhoods and leaving them in burned-out ruins

Detroit, MI rioting resulted in 43 deaths and 5000 homeless

American Youth, 1960s

Known as the Baby-Boomer generation 36 million Americans aged 15 to 24 by 1970

Largest number in seven decades

Deeply affected by the Cold War The first TV generation

Hi-fi records, stereo, FM radio, wide-screen movies, wraparound sound, large cars, super highways and supermarkets

Lived in continual economic prosperity Influenced by the works of Rachel Carson and Ralph Nader Influenced by images (on TV) of JFKs assassination, cities smoldering in ruin due to race riots, their peers dying on distant battlefields in Vietnam, and millions of starving people in Africa and Asia

Hippies

Americas Counterculture (1960s and 70s)

Opposed to the traditional American culture Drug usage, long hair, beads and leather fringe jackets, etc. Attempt to look as different as they possibly could from normal Americans Aka- Hippies From the word hip (referring to being with it) Reacted to American life by dropping out of society Slogan- Make love, not war

The New Left

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Southern black students founded in 1960 to coordinate student activities such as sit-ins Promoted a more radical reform program for America

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

Both the SNCC and SDS were born out of reform movements but became increasingly anarchist and violent

SDS Targets Universities

Protested against their rules, their research contracts to help with the war in Vietnam, and their support of a supposedly unjust American society They recruited students and attempted to make them radical revolutionaries University and college campuses across the nation were thrown into disarray

Picketing, demonstrations, and blocking classrooms

Slogan- Student Power

The SNCC and SDS Decline

The SNCC tuned to a racial movement for Black Power which resulted in lost funds and members The SDS collapsed and some of its most embittered activists turned to making bombs to destroy the society they despised