The civil rights
movement
Background
Towards to end of the civil war (1861 to 1865) in the US, the 13 th amendment to the
US constitution abolished slavery. However, the former slave owning states in the
south were not prepared to accept former slaves as equals and they passed ‘Black
Codes’ to ensure that African Americans did not have equal rights. These laws
ensured that segregation between black and white Americans continued, and they
became known as the Jim Crow Laws.
- In the 5 years after the war, the US government passed the 14 th Amendment
which gave former slaves American citizenship, and the 15 th Amendment
which gave former slaves the right to vote.
However, despite these amendments, the
rights and treatment of black Americans
remains unequal and discriminatory.
Soon a white supremacist group named the Ku Klux Klan
emerged and spread among the southern states. At first
their objective was to prevent blacks from voting, but soon
they became more aggressive and they were against all
rights that black Americans had and they wanted to
reintroduce segregation.
- The KKK carried out violent attacks against black
people while pushing for segregation.
In 1896, the US supreme court ruled that separate, but equal, public facilities for
white and black Americans would become constitutional, thus segregating the races.
This remained the law until 1954
Thus, the driving reason for the Civil Rights Movement was to
provide black Americans with a strategy to fight the segregation and
blatant disregard for their civil and constitutional rights.
, Aim: to achieve a situation where all Americans enjoyed the same rights that were
equally protected by the law
Origins:
- In 1909 the National Association for the
Advancement of Coloured People
(NAACP) was set up – founders were
both white and black Americans who
were challenging the ‘same but separate’
laws
In 1953 NAACP decided to challenge the
segregation system in the nations court – the first
cases dealt with segregation in higher education
and the team won significant rights for African
Americans in universities across the country.
After World War 2, the movement gained momentum as the pressure for civil rights
increased due to a number of reasons:
- Thousands of black Americans moved from the rural South to the Northern
Western states to take defence-related jobs. They were allowed to vote in
these regions and therefore increased voting strength and potential for African
American community organisation.
- African Americans serving in the US army abroad experienced a less
oppressive world of racial discrimination than they had known in the South,
which fuelled the movement for equal rights.
- The allies had supposedly fought for democracy against totalitarianism, so
many African American soldiers returned home to fight against racism and for
their democratic rights.
In response to the increased pressure, a lot of Southern states mobilised against the
demands for civil rights. They began taking away rights previously held by African
Americans – as a result, the number of registered African American voters in the
south dropped dramatically which in turn appealed to white supremacy.
Having gained significant concessions in higher education, the NAACP lawyers
turned to schools, challenging school segregation in the courts.
- In 1954, the NAACP won a landmark decision in the supreme court that
desegregation should take place in schools. Many states in the south refused
to comply with this ruling, which also contributed to the growing civil rights
activism and the establishment of the US. Civil Rights Movement.
movement
Background
Towards to end of the civil war (1861 to 1865) in the US, the 13 th amendment to the
US constitution abolished slavery. However, the former slave owning states in the
south were not prepared to accept former slaves as equals and they passed ‘Black
Codes’ to ensure that African Americans did not have equal rights. These laws
ensured that segregation between black and white Americans continued, and they
became known as the Jim Crow Laws.
- In the 5 years after the war, the US government passed the 14 th Amendment
which gave former slaves American citizenship, and the 15 th Amendment
which gave former slaves the right to vote.
However, despite these amendments, the
rights and treatment of black Americans
remains unequal and discriminatory.
Soon a white supremacist group named the Ku Klux Klan
emerged and spread among the southern states. At first
their objective was to prevent blacks from voting, but soon
they became more aggressive and they were against all
rights that black Americans had and they wanted to
reintroduce segregation.
- The KKK carried out violent attacks against black
people while pushing for segregation.
In 1896, the US supreme court ruled that separate, but equal, public facilities for
white and black Americans would become constitutional, thus segregating the races.
This remained the law until 1954
Thus, the driving reason for the Civil Rights Movement was to
provide black Americans with a strategy to fight the segregation and
blatant disregard for their civil and constitutional rights.
, Aim: to achieve a situation where all Americans enjoyed the same rights that were
equally protected by the law
Origins:
- In 1909 the National Association for the
Advancement of Coloured People
(NAACP) was set up – founders were
both white and black Americans who
were challenging the ‘same but separate’
laws
In 1953 NAACP decided to challenge the
segregation system in the nations court – the first
cases dealt with segregation in higher education
and the team won significant rights for African
Americans in universities across the country.
After World War 2, the movement gained momentum as the pressure for civil rights
increased due to a number of reasons:
- Thousands of black Americans moved from the rural South to the Northern
Western states to take defence-related jobs. They were allowed to vote in
these regions and therefore increased voting strength and potential for African
American community organisation.
- African Americans serving in the US army abroad experienced a less
oppressive world of racial discrimination than they had known in the South,
which fuelled the movement for equal rights.
- The allies had supposedly fought for democracy against totalitarianism, so
many African American soldiers returned home to fight against racism and for
their democratic rights.
In response to the increased pressure, a lot of Southern states mobilised against the
demands for civil rights. They began taking away rights previously held by African
Americans – as a result, the number of registered African American voters in the
south dropped dramatically which in turn appealed to white supremacy.
Having gained significant concessions in higher education, the NAACP lawyers
turned to schools, challenging school segregation in the courts.
- In 1954, the NAACP won a landmark decision in the supreme court that
desegregation should take place in schools. Many states in the south refused
to comply with this ruling, which also contributed to the growing civil rights
activism and the establishment of the US. Civil Rights Movement.
