Paper 3: Civil Rights and Black Power in USA Post-1945
Dates:..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................1
Origins................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2
Origins of Civil rights movement post-1945..................................................................................................................................................................2
Origins of Black Power Movement post-1966...............................................................................................................................................................6
Tactics and organizations.................................................................................................................................................................................................10
Tactics of the civil rights movement 1945-1960s........................................................................................................................................................10
Tactics of the Black Power Movement 1965-1970s.....................................................................................................................................................12
Change of Tactics- CRM to Radical Activism.................................................................................................................................................................14
Aims and Successes/Failures............................................................................................................................................................................................15
Civil rights movement 1945-1960s..............................................................................................................................................................................15
End of Segregation in the South 1955-80.....................................................................................................................................................................18
The US Supreme Court and legal challenges to segregation in education...................................................................................................................21
Black Power Movement 1965-1970’s..........................................................................................................................................................................22
Contribution of Malcolm X......................................................................................................................................................................................24
Comparing Contributions of MLK and Malcolm X.................................................................................................................................................25
Black Panthers.........................................................................................................................................................................................................26
Comparative question...................................................................................................................................................................................................29
Factors in Success - Civil Rights Movement...................................................................................................................................................................30
Role of government......................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Johnson.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................37
Leadership of martin luther king..................................................................................................................................................................................40
Challenges to Civil rights movement...............................................................................................................................................................................42
, 1
Challenges to BPM...........................................................................................................................................................................................................43
Dates:
● Civil Rights movement: 1945-1968
● 1965- Black Power
● 1966- 1970’s Black Panthers
Syllabus: African Americans and the civil rights movement:
● Origins
● Tactics/Methods (success and failures) and organizations
● the US Supreme Court and legal challenges to segregation in education
● ending of segregation in the south (1955–1980)
● Role of Dr Martin Luther King Jr in the civil rights movement
● the rise of radical African American activism (1965–1968): Black Panthers; Black Power and Malcolm X
● role of governments in civil rights movements in the Americas
, 2
Origins
Origins of Civil rights movement post-1945
Time Frame: Despite the NAACP’s earlier beginnings in the civil rights movement, Arguably, movement grew into full momentum with
the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, with the local African American population engaged in community activism from below.
Introduction
The African American civil rights movement generally grew as a response to the historical system of oppression against black people which
sought to subordinate and inferiorize their position under whites. Racism is arguably entrenched in the history of the United States, with origins
in colonialism and slavery, thus making it difficult to discern the precise origins of the protest movement. Nevertheless, for the purpose of this
essay, one can argue that the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 marked the definite beginnings of the civil rights movement; with the formation
of both community-led and top-down activist groups unified towards a common goal: combating racism and segregation, particularly in the
Southern States. Hence, the civil rights movement can be considered to have originated from persistent racial inequality legitimized by Jim Crow
laws, early successes of veteran civil rights group the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, as well as the limited, albeit
unforeseen support by the federal government to protect African Americans. The combination of these three factors not only raised awareness of
the discrepancy between the USA’s supposedly democratic values and the treatment of its citizens; it also politicized future generations and
inspired them to continue the activist tradition.
1. Legal forces justifying racism after abolishment of slavery
○ Growing acknowledgement of the hypocrisy in the country
○ Southern states implemented laws which allowed
■ whites to whip blacks for indiscipline
■ Send them back to their previous owners
■ Prevent them from being witnesses in courts
, 3
■ Limit areas where they could leave
■ Where laws did not work the KKK was used to terrorize and kill mainly blacks but also white Republicans
○ Jim Crow Laws:
■ Loophole the 14th amendment which granted citizens equal rights
■ Coined “separate but equal”
○ Plessy v Ferguson 1896
■ Court upheld separate but equal
■ Effectively endorsed white supremacy, institutionalizing segregation and thus guaranteed racial discrimination
○ Increased violence going uncountered: Ku Klux Klan de jure segregation translating into de facto racism
■ De jure segregation gave legal grounds for de facto racism
○ → this series of legal actions of discrimination gave birth to the NAACP (1909), which itself became concerned with
battliing the courts
■ Gained prominence in the South
■ Focused on literacy skills to pass voter registration tests
■ By 1900 only 3% of blacks could vote in most of the South
○ The fight against segregation in education lay at the foundations of the civil rights movement
■ Became NAACP’s primary goal: as education was considered the key for african american citizenship and equality
■ Would grant them right to vote, politicize them, rendering them aware of their own power
■ The growing awareness of the discrepancy between America’s democratic values and white supremacy helped garner
support for the civil rights movement
○ Thus the civil rights movement grew as a response to the systematic and institutionalized racism orchestrated by the above
2. NAACP early successes demonstrated power of african americans, inspired movement: politicizing future gens
○ NAACP successes
■ Supreme Court kicked out Oklahoma’s ‘grandfather clause’
Dates:..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................1
Origins................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2
Origins of Civil rights movement post-1945..................................................................................................................................................................2
Origins of Black Power Movement post-1966...............................................................................................................................................................6
Tactics and organizations.................................................................................................................................................................................................10
Tactics of the civil rights movement 1945-1960s........................................................................................................................................................10
Tactics of the Black Power Movement 1965-1970s.....................................................................................................................................................12
Change of Tactics- CRM to Radical Activism.................................................................................................................................................................14
Aims and Successes/Failures............................................................................................................................................................................................15
Civil rights movement 1945-1960s..............................................................................................................................................................................15
End of Segregation in the South 1955-80.....................................................................................................................................................................18
The US Supreme Court and legal challenges to segregation in education...................................................................................................................21
Black Power Movement 1965-1970’s..........................................................................................................................................................................22
Contribution of Malcolm X......................................................................................................................................................................................24
Comparing Contributions of MLK and Malcolm X.................................................................................................................................................25
Black Panthers.........................................................................................................................................................................................................26
Comparative question...................................................................................................................................................................................................29
Factors in Success - Civil Rights Movement...................................................................................................................................................................30
Role of government......................................................................................................................................................................................................34
Johnson.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................37
Leadership of martin luther king..................................................................................................................................................................................40
Challenges to Civil rights movement...............................................................................................................................................................................42
, 1
Challenges to BPM...........................................................................................................................................................................................................43
Dates:
● Civil Rights movement: 1945-1968
● 1965- Black Power
● 1966- 1970’s Black Panthers
Syllabus: African Americans and the civil rights movement:
● Origins
● Tactics/Methods (success and failures) and organizations
● the US Supreme Court and legal challenges to segregation in education
● ending of segregation in the south (1955–1980)
● Role of Dr Martin Luther King Jr in the civil rights movement
● the rise of radical African American activism (1965–1968): Black Panthers; Black Power and Malcolm X
● role of governments in civil rights movements in the Americas
, 2
Origins
Origins of Civil rights movement post-1945
Time Frame: Despite the NAACP’s earlier beginnings in the civil rights movement, Arguably, movement grew into full momentum with
the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, with the local African American population engaged in community activism from below.
Introduction
The African American civil rights movement generally grew as a response to the historical system of oppression against black people which
sought to subordinate and inferiorize their position under whites. Racism is arguably entrenched in the history of the United States, with origins
in colonialism and slavery, thus making it difficult to discern the precise origins of the protest movement. Nevertheless, for the purpose of this
essay, one can argue that the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 marked the definite beginnings of the civil rights movement; with the formation
of both community-led and top-down activist groups unified towards a common goal: combating racism and segregation, particularly in the
Southern States. Hence, the civil rights movement can be considered to have originated from persistent racial inequality legitimized by Jim Crow
laws, early successes of veteran civil rights group the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, as well as the limited, albeit
unforeseen support by the federal government to protect African Americans. The combination of these three factors not only raised awareness of
the discrepancy between the USA’s supposedly democratic values and the treatment of its citizens; it also politicized future generations and
inspired them to continue the activist tradition.
1. Legal forces justifying racism after abolishment of slavery
○ Growing acknowledgement of the hypocrisy in the country
○ Southern states implemented laws which allowed
■ whites to whip blacks for indiscipline
■ Send them back to their previous owners
■ Prevent them from being witnesses in courts
, 3
■ Limit areas where they could leave
■ Where laws did not work the KKK was used to terrorize and kill mainly blacks but also white Republicans
○ Jim Crow Laws:
■ Loophole the 14th amendment which granted citizens equal rights
■ Coined “separate but equal”
○ Plessy v Ferguson 1896
■ Court upheld separate but equal
■ Effectively endorsed white supremacy, institutionalizing segregation and thus guaranteed racial discrimination
○ Increased violence going uncountered: Ku Klux Klan de jure segregation translating into de facto racism
■ De jure segregation gave legal grounds for de facto racism
○ → this series of legal actions of discrimination gave birth to the NAACP (1909), which itself became concerned with
battliing the courts
■ Gained prominence in the South
■ Focused on literacy skills to pass voter registration tests
■ By 1900 only 3% of blacks could vote in most of the South
○ The fight against segregation in education lay at the foundations of the civil rights movement
■ Became NAACP’s primary goal: as education was considered the key for african american citizenship and equality
■ Would grant them right to vote, politicize them, rendering them aware of their own power
■ The growing awareness of the discrepancy between America’s democratic values and white supremacy helped garner
support for the civil rights movement
○ Thus the civil rights movement grew as a response to the systematic and institutionalized racism orchestrated by the above
2. NAACP early successes demonstrated power of african americans, inspired movement: politicizing future gens
○ NAACP successes
■ Supreme Court kicked out Oklahoma’s ‘grandfather clause’
