Eq: "in What Ways And For What Reasons Did The Crm In The Us Make Significant Progress In The Period Between 1954-1965?"

Front 1

Main Argument

Back 1

in the long term, very important period, enormous progress for AAs by organizing peaceful protests like sit-ins or marches although in the short term, progress was not immediately noticeable

Front 2

1. WHY did it change?

Back 2

1. first time of a peaceful and united movement
- end of indivual events and beginning of marches, ist-ins and so on with hundreds of supporters
- important figure: MLK
"join hands and sing in the word of the old Negro spiritual."
his "dream" of a united movement was realised in the March on Washington
2. president Eisenhower himself supported the CRM
"We have not taken and we shall not take a single backward step. There must be no second class citizens in this country."
Example: Little Rock where he sent a federal guard to make sure that AA children could attend the school
3. Media coverage increased
Television for example showed Martin Luther's "I have a dream" speech on television which was a peaceful event
At the same time Birmingham Alabama demonstrated the violence of white citizens
4. Economic reason
- AAs refused to work but they were an essential part of the workforce so that shop owners had no other option than giving in to their demands
eg Montgomery bus Boykott, industry deprived of 62% of their income

Front 3

2. HOW: education

Back 3

1. Brown vs Board 1954
- desegregation of schools
2. Little rock
- 9 children enabled to go to school supported by the federal governmenz
- made other schools bound to follow this example
3. James Meredith
- caused bravery and courage to become stronger
- independent minds of Aas who began to stand up for themselves
- big step towards educational equality

Front 4

3. HOW: Transport

Back 4

1. Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955
- first time that MLK joined a protest as a leading role
- with the help of the media the pictures and demands found their way to the supreme court which declared the segregation of transport unconstitutional
- civil rights organisation SCLC founded
2. Freedom rides
- mixed groups, self-organized
- media revealed the xtent of racism in the south

Front 5

4. HOW: Desegregation of public places

Back 5

1. Greensboro 1960
- sit in in a shop where they refused to serve AAs
- sit ins spread all over the country (media)
2. Birmingham Alabama
- protests demanding an end to Segregation
- pictures of aggressive police officers pread by the media - public support for AA demonstrators
- moral decision to support the CRM
3. March on Washington 1963
- best known CR event
- sent out a message of unity and strength ("I have a dream.")
- CRM became more peaceful, which gave it more support by the white population
- public places desegregated

Front 6

5. HOW: Voting

Back 6

1. Voting Rights Campaign
2. Voting Rights Act
- again media spread pictures of racist police officers
- literacy tests and other methods to prevent blacks from voting were banned
- Johnson and his Great Society program: fought for the equality of all men in his country, included voting rights for AAs
- again support of white Americans and the federal government

Front 7

Limitations?

Back 7

1. progress not immediately noticeable
although desegregation changed by law many places especially in the South remained segregated
Schools had not been integrated by 1956 although Brown vs Board of Education had been taken place 2 years ago
2. This led to dissatisfaction of many AAs, CRM in the following years became more radikal which decreased the support among white citizens for the CRM
3. Still strong racist opposition especially in the South
eg 3 weeks after the "I have a dream speech" a bomb attack on a black baptist church killed three children
4. Split in opinion
- some showed sympathy while other southeners were increasingly opposing the CRM
- the south remained unchanged