Segregation Limits Equality: 8.1 Notes

8.
1 Notes
Segregation Limits Equality
- Postwar period brought prosperity to many, but also treated African Americans as 2 nd class
- The civil rights movement; broad and diverse effort to attain racial equality
- Movement also demonstrated that ordinary men and women could perform extraordinary acts
of courage and selflessness; struggled intensified for equal rights for all
- African Americans were unsatisfied with their second-class status
Separate but Not Equal
- Jim Crow Law in the south enforced strict separation of the races
- Segregation imposed by law, de jure segregation; in 1896, in Plessy v. Ferguson,
- Supreme Court told that segregation was constitutional as long as they were separate but equal;
facilities in the south were rarely equal
- Segregation extended to most of public life: offices, hospitals, transportation, beaches, etc.
Discrimination Throughout the Country
- Even in the North, African Americans faced segregation and discrimination

- De facto segregation; no laws, African Americans were still treated worse
- Faced low paying jobs, lack of equal housing opportunities
- Black Americans were on the lowest rung of the economic ladder
- Although they could vote, many lived in poverty, faced hardship, and didn’t hold office
- Also faced legal restriction and could not vote in the South
- On Feb 26th , racial tensions led to mass arrests of African Americans in Tennessee
Civil Rights Advance Slowly in the 1940’s
- In many ways, WWII set the stage for rise of modern civil rights movements
- Roosevelt banned discrimination in defense industries
- Gunnar Myrdal’s publication of an American Dilemma brought the issue of public prejudice
against African Americans to light
- James Farmer and others founded Congress of Racial Equality, CORE
- CORE influenced non violent protests and sit ins with no segregation
- Success was limited; Jackie Robinson was an exception, became first African American to play
MLB; won hearts of millions and paved way for sports integration
- However, many white Americans still stood against equality and were against equal rights for all
- Truman created the Committee on Civil Rights to investigate race relation
- Could not win congressional support for everyone
- Used executive power to desegregate the military, would become integrated institution
A Landmark Supreme Court Decision
- Each state had its own laws governing segregation in public schools
- Civil Rights movements stalled in the 1950s, NAACP’s failure to make lynching illegal
- NAACP tried to win through litigation in federal courts to accomplish goals
NAACP turns to Litigation in the Courts
- NAACP won a key number of court cases, in Sweatt v. Painter, Supreme Court ruled that Texas
had broke the 14th amendment by creating separate but unequal school for blacks
- In McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, court ruled that it was discriminatory for McLaurin to be
admitted into the school but be denied access to the facilities
- Equality was more than just admitting African Americans into colleges
The Supreme Court Issues a Broad Decision
- Not long after it won these cases, mounted a much larger case
- Brown v. Board of Education; tried to attack the principle of “separate but equal”
- Supreme Court agreed with the NAACP, and supported the decision that separate was not
actually equal; education has no place for separate but equal
- In Hernandez v. Texas, court ended the exclusion of Mexican Americans from trial juries
The Public Response
- The Brown decision was extremely controversial; public education impacted a lot of Americans
- By agreeing with the NAACP, court was supporting the views of civil rights advocates
- In separate ruling, Brown II, court called for implementation of its ruling with speed
- About 100 members of Southern Congress vowed to opposed the Brown Manifesto
- KKK staged a revival; many prominent white southerners made, “white citizens councils”
- Imposed economic and political pressure against those who favored Supreme Court rulings
Conflict Between Federal and State Power
- Education was historically state matter; famous battle was Little Rock, Arkansas
- Elizabeth Eckford was on of the nine that volunteered to go to the new high school
Soldiers Arrive at a High School in Little Rock
- Angry crowd and national guard, initially ordered by Governor Orval Faubus to stop integration
- When the nine students arrived at the high school, they were blocked from entering
- Eckford tried to find friendly face, rejected by woman instead who spat on her
- Another white woman took Eckford and whisked her away
- President Eisenhower ordered troops from National Guard to take over and protect the students
- Sent federal troops to follow his orders and protect the students as they entered the school
- Federal troops would stay the year in Little Rock, escorting the students to school every day;
also guarded the students during schooltime
- Most southern states would still try to defy the court’s decision
Political Lobbying Leads to a New Civil Rights Act
- While org. like CORE continued non-violent protests, yielded a victory when Congress passed the
Civil Rights Act of 1957: allowed gov. to investigate breaches of civil rights;
- Also gave attorney general power to protect the voting rights of African Americans; overall
lacked true power
The Montgomery Bus Boycotts

- In addition to legal effort during this era, civil rights icons took routes to end segregation
- Rosa Parks did just that, refused to give up her seat for another white passenger; arrested
- Rosa didn’t see why she had to give up her seat to someone even after she paid; public buses in
many states still segregated rider along racial lines
Rosa Park’s Act Transforms a Movement
- Her actions led to a chain of events that transformed the civil rights movements
- Core of civil rights activist organized a one-day bus boycott; called upon the black community to
refuse to ride buses in protest of Park’s arrest
- NAACP began to prepare a legal challenge; many thoughts that Rosa was just tired, reality was
she had long history of fighting for civil rights
- Her choice to not give up her seat led to a shift in influential movement in the civil rights
movements
Martin Luther King Calls for Nonviolent Protest
- On the evening following the boycott, the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), MLK
delivered an inspirational speech that brought the audience to its feet and helped them feel
valuable in the civil rights movements;
- Realized that there was no alternative to protesting, urged for the protest to be nonviolent
- Followed Christian doctrine and love his oppressors; known for speeches calling for
desegregation and racial equality
Ministers Inspire the Movement
- The bus boycott represented a tremendous majority for African Americans in Montgomery and
across the nation, the boycott revealed the power of African Americans united
- Protest also elevated King and his philosophy of non-violence
- King and Abernathy, another minister, established the SCLC, which fought for equality through
nonviolence; went on to organized a series of protests
- Convinced Congress to pass civil rights legislation; however, inequality was still widespread

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8.

Segregation Limits Equality

Separate but Not Equal

Discrimination Throughout the Country

- Even in the North, African Americans faced segregation and discrimination

Civil Rights Advance Slowly in the 1940’s

A Landmark Supreme Court Decision

The Supreme Court Issues a Broad Decision

The Public Response

Conflict Between Federal and State Power

Soldiers Arrive at a High School in Little Rock

Political Lobbying Leads to a New Civil Rights Act

The Montgomery Bus Boycotts

Rosa Park’s Act Transforms a Movement

Martin Luther King Calls for Nonviolent Protest

Ministers Inspire the Movement

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