Complete 11.03 Notes Outline As You Review Lesson 11.03
Name:
Date:
School:
Facilitator:
11.03 Notes Outline
“We Shall Overcome”
Complete 11.03 Notes Outline as you review lesson 11.03.
Explore #3:
Read the quotes by MLK and JFK.
Explain what you think each man meant by his quote.
What are they suggesting must be done to further the Civil Rights Movement?
President Kennedy Pushes for Progress
In the weeks following the Birmingham protests, the mood of the nation was transformed. People outside the South and around the world had become convinced that change was needed quickly.
In June 1963, one month after the Birmingham protests ended, , who was embarrassed by the violence in the South, proposed civil rights legislation that would open all public facilities to all Americans. In addition to nationalizing state forces in several cases to protect protestors, Kennedy also pushed Congress to approve the which abolished the poll tax.
The March on Washington
A few months later, civil rights organizations came together to plan a march on the nation's capital to demonstrate broad support for Kennedy's . In August 1963, approximately 200,000 white and black supporters converged on the capital to participate in the peaceful and orderly, .
Many well-known speakers, who encouraged non-violent involvement, spoke at the rally. However, the most memorable speaker was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who gave his infamous speech."
The March on Washington left a lasting impact on society. The show of support did indeed help to persuade Congress. The following year, after Kennedy’s death, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed ending segregation in all public facilities once and for all.
The Fight for Voting Rights
(LBJ) played a major role, as Senate majority leader, in getting the first civil rights law since Reconstruction passed in 1957. The gave the attorney general and the federal government more authority over school desegregation and over violations of African-American voting rights. After the death of President Kennedy, LBJ used his experience with Congress to push Kennedy’s proposed Civil Rights Bill through Congress.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
The was a true turning point in the movement. It outlawed discrimination in voting, schools, and jobs by allowing federal funds to be withheld from programs that discriminate and by creating the (EEOC) to investigate charges of job discrimination.
Freedom Summer
Even after the Civil Rights Act passed, change did not come quickly. Many were angry about the new law, especially in Mississippi where leaders and volunteers of major civil rights groups organized in the summer of 1964.
Approximately 1,000 volunteers (African-American and white) worked throughout the state to during . The KKK held rallies and engaged in violence to intimidate the volunteers. The tension heightened when went missing shortly after coming to Mississippi and were later found murdered.
Freedom Summer was initiated to send down a mix of middle-class whites and African-Americans to help register and educate African-Americans in the South. Though many people were registered to vote, it was not without a cost. As many as 80 mob attacks, 1,000 arrests, and several church burnings took place in Mississippi during Freedom Summer.
The Selma March
The next significant march occurred in Selma, Alabama. The was part of an effort to demand voting rights for African-Americans who still had trouble voting in Alabama. On March 7, 1965, the marchers, led by , paraded over the in Selma in route to Montgomery, fifty miles away.
After crossing the bridge, the marchers encountered violence from the state police. The police used tear gas on the marchers and brutalized them with whips and clubs, forcing the marchers into retreat.
The first Selma March attempt is known as " " due to the violence toward the marchers. The images from "Bloody Sunday" were televised and horrified viewers across the nation. The events in Selma, Alabama directly led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Second and Third Selma Marches
The second march, led by , turned into a prayer vigil at the site of the bloody attack after a court order prevented the march from taking place. In the third and final march, President Johnson put the under federal control to protect the 25,000 marchers.
Beginning on March 21, 1965, it successfully ended five days later in Montgomery. The events of the three Selma Marches demonstrated the need for voting rights legislation that would force places, such as Alabama, into compliance.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
Five months after the Selma March, President Johnson signed the . It removed the final barriers from voting ensuring now that all American citizens would enjoy the right and privilege of voting.
According to the Voting Rights Act, federal officials could register voters in places where officials had been preventing African-Americans from voting and eliminate literacy tests and other barriers.
As a result of landmark legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the 24th Amendment, 400,000 African Americans were registered to vote in the South and an entirely new voting population was created in the South.