APRIL 2021
CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT
ABOUT
The civil rights movement was a human rights movement from 1954-1968.
The movement included nonviolent campaigns (marches, sit-ins, boycotts) as well as riots, all in an
effort to give the same rights to every Americans, regardless of their race.
JIM CROW LAWS
These laws segregated people by color in the
south after the Civil war, between 1876 and 1965.
They were named after a white male who
performed as a black slave named "Jim Crow"
In the south, African Americans were forced to
use separate entrances to buildings, separate
elevators and stairways, separate drinking
fountains, restrooms, and separate sections of
public transportation.
BROWN V. BOARD
OF EDUCATION OF
TOPEKA
In 1954, Linda Brown v. Board of Education was a
landmark case brought before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Justices unanimously ruled that separating children
by race in school was unconstitutional.
Linda`s father initially filed the suit in 1951. Thurgood
Marshall brought the suit, along with four others, in front
of the Supreme Court. The Court agreed that the
students in the case were being deprived of the equal
protection of the laws guaranteed by the 14th
Amendment.
MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT
The Montgomery Bus Boycott began four days
after Rosa Parks infamously would not give up
her bus seat to a white man. It lasted for 381
days.
African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama,
refused to ride buses in protest of segregated
seating. The U.S. Supreme Court supported the
ruling of a lower courts decision that
segregated seating sections was a violation of
the 14th Amendment.
MARCH ON WASHINGTON
On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people descended upon Washington, D.C.
The March was officially called the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Along with other keynote speakers, this is where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I
Have a Dream" speech.
CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964
This Act was a landmark law that abolished
segregation in public places. It also banned
employment discrimination based on race,
gender, color, religion, national origin. It was
ultimately signed by President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965
It was also signed into law by President Johnson. It
aimed to ensure that barriers were removed that
were preventing African Americans from voting as
was guaranteed under the 15th Amendment.
African Americans were no longer forced to take a
literacy or pay a poll tax.
KEY FIGURES
JOHN F. KENNEDY
He was the 35th President of the U.S. During the first two years, he was
reluctant to fully embrace the civil rights movement.
Before his assassination, he had started uniting Americans by denouncing
racism in any form and had begun work on the Civil Rights Act.
He was the 36th President of the U.S.
after Kennedy`s assassination, he worked to get the Civil Rights Act,
Voting Rights Act, and Fair Housing Act signed into law.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
He was a nonviolent activist who was
instrumental in the civil rights movement.
His leadership and vision for a united and socially
just America moved many to action and change.
He was assassinated in 1968.
ROSA PARKS
She was born on February 4th, 1913.
She was a civil rights activist and is known for not
giving up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery,
Alabama bus. She was ultimately arrested and
released on bail.
After the arrest, she and her husband both lost their
jobs and were forced to move to Detroit, where she
died in 2005.
THURGOOD MARSHALL
He was born on July 2nd, 1908. He was a civil rights
activist and a political leader. During Brown v. Board
of Education, he was the Brown family`s attorney.
In 1967, he was the first African American appointed
to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Johnson.
MUHAMMAD ALI
He did not only fight in the ring, but also for Civil Rights.
He preached about black pride and black resistance
to white domination. Ali defied the U.S. government
and was against the mainstream media because he
stood up for his principles.
RALPH ABERNATHY
He and Martin Luther King Jr. organized the
Montgomery Bus Boycott. He took over the
presidency of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference after King died. The two were best
friends and were together on most of the
demonstrations.
JOHN LEWIS
Lewis was the youngest of the "Big Six" leaders
who helped organize the March on
Washington, D.C. in 1963.
In 2011 he received the Presidental Medal of
Freedom from President Barack Obama.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION!
“We know through painful experience
that freedom is never voluntarily given
by the oppressor, it must be demanded
by the oppressed.” Martin Luther King Jr.
