18.3 Vocabs - Civil Rights Movement

Richard J. Daley (3) 644

Mayor of Chicago in the 1950s-70s who ran a powerful political machine and controlled the city; he ordered police to attack antiwar protesters which was broadcast on television.

Watts Riots (3) 643

Neighborhood near Los Angeles, CA. The civil rights movement raised African Americans hopes, but their everyday problems continued; for example, poverty and living conditions. Their anger and frustration began to rise and it finally erupted. Riots erupted which lasted for 6 days. 34 were killed and 900 were injured. This riot led to others including in Detroit. U.S. Army tanks and soldiers finally took control of the situation. Damage to property estimated at $250 million.

Racism (3) 642

Prejudice or discrimination against someone because of his or her race.

Black Power (3) 644

Term that meant that African Americans should control the social, political, and economic direction of their struggle. It stressed pride in the African American cultural group by adopting new Afro hairstyles and African-style clothing.

Black Panthers (3) 646

A militant African American political party founded in 1965 who was influenced by Malcolm X's ideas. They believed a revolution was necessary to force whites to grant them equal rights.

Civil Rights Movement - Major Events

African American community in Montgomery, Alabama, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., organizes the Montgomery bus boycott. African American students are blocked from entering Little Rock High School. President Eisenhower sends in federal troops and asks Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Sit-ins across the South to integrate public facilities. Freedom Riders end segregation on interstate bus travel. Martin Luther King, Jr., leads a march in Birmingham, then a March on Washington to support the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Martin Luther King, Jr. leads a march in Selma to pressure Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Civil Rights Act of 1968 (3) 647

This was passed after Martin Luther King was assassinated. This law contained a fair-housing provision outlawing discrimination in housing sales and rentals and gave the Justice Department authority to bring suits against such discrimination.

Kerner Commission (3) 643

This was the name of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders was called. It was headed by Governor Otto Kerner of Illinois to study the causes of the urban riots and to make recommendations to prevent them from happening again. They concluded that racism was to blame for most of the problems in the inner city. President Johnson did not endorse their recommendations because of how much was spent in the Vietnam War.

Civil Rights Movement - Immediate Causes

Arrival of large numbers of African Americans in the North after the Great Migrations gives them increases political influence and greater voting power. African American contributions during WWII led many African Americans to believe it is time to take action to demand change. NAACP strategy of using lawsuits to weaken segregation scores a major victory in 1954 with the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. African American churches serve as organizational bases, and pastors rally African Americans and organize protests.

Enforce (3)

To urge or carry out using force.

Civil Rights Movement - Major Results

Civil Rights Act of 1957; Civil Rights Act of 1964; Voting Rights Act of 1965; Civil Rights Act of 1968; End of legal segregation in schools and public facilities; Restoration of voting rights for African Americans; Ban on discrimination based on race in the workplace; Increased federal power to protect civil rights.

Malcolm X (3) 645

He became a symbol of the black power movement and was one of the most powerful black nationalist leaders in the U.S. He used to be called Malcolm Little but changed his name to this. The "X" symbolized the family name of his African ancestors who had been enslaved. After transforming in prison, he joined the Nation of Islam, which was commonly known as Black Muslims, which preached black nationalism. They believed that African Americans should separate themselves from whites and form their own self-governing communities. They lost patience with the slow progress of civil rights and felt that African Americans needed to act more militantly and demand equality, not wait for it to be given. After he broke from the Nation of Islam, he continued to criticize the organization and because of this, he was shot and killed by organization members in 1965.

Chicago Movement (3) 644

King tried to help with poverty by marching in Chicago through an all-white suburb to demonstrate the need for open housing. Richard Daly proposed a new program to clean up the slums and realtors agreed to promote open housing but this didn't change much.

Stokely Carmichael (3) 644

Leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1966.

Civil Rights Movement - Long-Range Causes

Widespread racial segregation in the American South. Lack of voting rights for African Americans in the American South.