10th Class- First Civil Rights Movements

Effects of Little Rock Nine

It demonstrated that the President would not tolerate open defiance of the law. However, most southern states found ways to resist desegregation and it would take years before black begin with the protests.

White Citizens Councils were quickly formed throughout the South to defend segregation. By 1956, they boasted around a quarter of a million members.The councils challenged desegregation plans in the law courts and Southern politicians, all of whom were White, were supportive. The Ku Klux Klam was revitalized once more.

Rosa Parks, Bus Boycott

December 1955- Montgomery Bus Boycott.

A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying or dealing with a person, organization or a country as an expression of protest, usually for social or political reasons.

Rosa Parks sat in the ‘black section’, then the white section was full, and she had to stand up to give her sit to a White guy, however, she refused to stand and she went to jail.

• For over 381 days, Blacks boycotted the buses.
• They carpooled and walked through all weather conditions.
• NAACP began preparing a legal challenge.
• Rise of Mathin Luther King, urged non- violence.
• The boycott lasted a year. In 1956 the Supreme Court ruled the Montgomery bus segregation law was unconstitutional.

Importance of Bus boycott

• Protest shows what people can achieve when united.
• Boycott shows how effective peaceful and non- violent protest can be.
• Police found it difficult to cope with an organised civil rights protest.
• Showed economic power of black community, 60%- 70% of all passengers.
• 1st time the black community had shown it’s economic power (they refused to go to their work).
• It introduced Marthin Luther King to the civil rights movement.

Segregation becomes Integration

1954- Supreme court bans segregation in schools.

1955- Little Rock Schools unaimously agree to integrate by 1957.

Impacts

Civil Rights Act 1957

ü  1st national act for almost 100 years.

ü  Showed the government was not allowing the states to do as they pleased.

ü  There were limitations to the act. (each state should regulate in which way racial groups were going to be treated).

Supreme Court Victory

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference would have a key role in the movements. Its going to be the organization of MLK for the political platform.

Brotherhood in a context of race segregation.

Marthin Luther King

King became the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) when it was founded in 1957.