SSUSH 22 & 23 U.S. Society and Politics World War II to 1970.

SSUSH 22 & 23

U.S. Society and PoliticsU.S. Society and Politics

World War II to 1970

SSUSH 22e

The Civil Rights MovementThe Civil Rights Movement

• A. Phillip Randolph’s proposed march of Washington showed that African Americans recognized their right to be treated the same as whites.

• The Soviet Union made sure that nations around the world knew of the social injustice inside of the United States

• President Truman felt that support civil rights was a matter of national security.

SSUSH 22a

Civil Rights MovementCivil Rights Movement

• Truman’s intention to support civil rights causes a split in the democratic party.

• Southern Democrats start a third party called the “Dixiecrats” and opposed intergration.

• Truman signs an order integrating the Military in 1948 and the process is complete by 1954

SSUSH 22b

Jackie RobinsonJackie Robinson

• One of the most famous figures in American History, he became the first African American to pay baseball in the Major league in 1947

• Before him, black players could only play in the Negro League

• His talent helped him overcome the racial prejudice from fans and teammates

• He retired in 1956 and became a businessman and civil rights leaders

SSUSH 22e

A Movement Gains A Movement Gains MomentunMomentun• NAACP decided it was time to

aggressively go after the segregation laws in court.

• IT sued the Topeka Kansas Board of Education because it would not allow a black girl, Linda Brown, to attend an all-white High School near her home.

SSUSH 22C

Brown Vs. Board of Education of Topeka – US Supreme Court reversed its decision in Plessy V. Fergusen, the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.

SSUSH 25b

A Movement Gains A Movement Gains MomentumMomentum• Thurgood Marshall wins the case

for the NAACP and eventually becomes the first black to set on the Supreme Court.

• The Warren Court found that separate facilities were inherently unequal because they did not offer the same opportunities that were offered in white schools.

SSUSH 22C

White ResponseWhite Response

• Despite the Brown decision , southern states were determined to maintain segregation.

• Governor of Arkansas refused to integrate Little Rock Central High School in 1957

• He called in the National Guard to prevent nine students from entering the school.

• Pres. Eisenhower then nationalized the Guard and sends them home

SSUSH 22C


• Eisenhower then mobilized the 101st Airborne to enforce the Court’s order.

• He made sure that the “Little Rock Nine” safely gained admittance to the school.

• Resistance also occurred at the college level.

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• Mississippi defied a court order and attempted to prevent James Meredith from enrolling in the University of Mississippi.

• University finally admitted Meredith after President Kennedy sent federal authorities to deal with the situation.

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• Alabama’s governor George Wallace, tried to prevent the integration of the University of Alabama by physically blocking the entrance in protest.

• Federal authorities again intervened and forced Wallace to comply.

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• Atlanta avoided much of the violence and turmoil under the leadership of Mayor William Hartsfield

• Coalition of black and white business leaders worked behind the scenes to deal with race relations.

• When asked how the city avoided the problems, Hartsfield said, “ Atlanta is too busy to hate”

SSUSH 22

Montgomery Bus BoycottMontgomery Bus Boycott

• Segregation laws required blacks to sit in the back of the bus and to give up their seats and stand if a white person wanted the seat.

• 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger; she was arrested and taken to jail.


• Parks arrest quickly united the black community.

• They choose Martin Luther King Jr. to lead them in a boycott of city’s buses until Montgomery desegregated its public transportation.

• 50,000 blacks refused to use city buses for over a year, costing the city large amounts of money


• Supreme Court ruled that the Montgomery bus system must by integrated.

• This was a major victory for African Americans

• This made Martin Luther King a national figure for the Civil Rights movement.

Southern Christian Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceLeadership Conference• The Montgomery Bus Boycott gave

birth to the SCLC.• Martin Luther King was its first

president.• Goal was to educate people and

get blacks elected to office.• Methods changed to include mass

demonstrations and public protests

Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Made Atlanta, Ga. the center of the Civil Rights movement.

• He was an extremely gifted man who believed in non-violent protest.

• No matter what violence occurred he urged blacks to remain non-violent

• This method helped the movement gain support.


• One of King’s most famous writings during the Civil Rights movement was “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

• The letter was a response to several white ministers who said that the civil rights movement should be done in the courts and not by protests.

• It proclaimed civil disobedience was a necessary method of achieving equality


• King and others benefited from International pressure and the US could be viewed as unjust or a land of hatred.

• King took advantage of this pressure and delivered his ‘I have a Dream’ speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the March of Washington

Sit-ins and Freedom RidersSit-ins and Freedom Riders

• 1960 – N.C. A&T University students stage ‘sit-in’s at the white only lunch counters

• A Sit In was a nonviolent protest in which blacks sat until they were served or arrested.

• These protests lead to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee (SNCC)

• They devoted themselves to use non-violent protest to gain civil rights for blacks

Sit-Ins and Freedom RidersSit-Ins and Freedom Riders

• 1960 – Supreme Court ruled that segregation was illegal in bus stations open to interstate travel

• 1961 – Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) organized “Freedom Rides” to test the court’s decision.

• Anniston, Alabama a mob attacked the bus and burned it; beat the passengers as they left the bus.

Sit-Ins and Freedom RidersSit-Ins and Freedom Riders

• Jackson, Mississippi the riders were arrested and put in state penitentiary; federal troops protected the riders

• Freedom rides did desegregate some bus stations, but the most important contribution was in drawing national attention to the cause of civil rights

Black PowerBlack Power

• Some younger members of the Civil rights movement rejected the non-violent protest.

• Black power was a philosophy that held blacks should take great pride in the African heritage and be willing to use violence if necessary, to attain and protect their civil rights.

Civil Rights LegislationCivil Rights Legislation

• JFK had proposed new civil rights laws.

• Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated the president.

• The new president, Lyndon B. Johnson urged Congress to pass the legislation proposed by Kennedy.

• Southern congressmen opposed the plan

Civil Rights Act of 1964Civil Rights Act of 1964

• Prohibited segregation in public accommodations (hotels, restaurants, theaters)

• Banned discrimination in education and employment

• Gave the president the power to enforce the law

• This same year the 24th Amendment passed – ending poll taxes

Civil Rights LegislationCivil Rights Legislation

• Voting Rights Act of 1965• Authorized the president to suspend

literacy test for voter registration• To send federal officials to register

voters in the event county officials failed to do so.

• This led to a huge increase in black voters and blacks elected to public office.

Voting Rights Act of 1965Voting Rights Act of 1965

• The Act also provided for Department of Justice oversight to registration, and the Department's approval for any change in voting law in districts that had used a "device" to limit voting and in which less than 50% of the population was registered to vote in 1964. It was signed in 1965, and signed for a 25 year extension by President George W. Bush on July 27, 2006

Warren CourtWarren Court

• (1953-1969) represents a period in the history of the Supreme Court of the United States that was marked by one of the starkest and most dramatic changes in judicial power and philosophy

• Earl Warren was Chief Justice


• Brown vs. Board of Education – declared school segregation unconstitutional

• Mapp vs. Ohio – search warrants must be obtained before searching a persons property.

• Gideon Vs. Wainwright – states are required to provide attorneys for defendants who cannot afford them.


• Miranda Vs. Arizona – defendants must be informed of their rights - ‘Miranda rights’

• Other cases involved the separation of church and state, free speech, and civil rights.

• Earl Warren is remembered as one of the most influential judges in history

Johnson’s Great SocietyJohnson’s Great Society

• Social programs centered around Johnson’s “War on Poverty”

• LBJ was an experienced politician in Washington and was able to push through programs effectively

• Programs included : Head Start for education of low-income children

Great Society ProgramsGreat Society Programs

• National Endowment for the Humanities – gives grants and funding for the Arts and scholarships

• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) –oversees housing needs and rent assistance for low-incoming housing.

• HUD was headed by the first Black to serve in the president’s cabinet – Robert Weaver


• Medicare – program funded by the Federal government to provide health care for the elderly

• Medicaid – health care partially funded by the federal government and partially funded by the states – purpose is to ensure medical care for lower-income families.


• It had noble intentions and some successes, it also required large amounts of money

• Many resented the excessive costs and limited returns.

• This gave rise to Conservatism toward the late 1960s

19681968

• Anti-war movement featured students and other activist calling for the removal of troops from Vietnam

• Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray

• Bobby Kennedy is assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan

Democratic Convention of Democratic Convention of 19681968• LBJ was not running and Kennedy

was dead.• Large numbers of protestors

showed up and massive demonstrations got out of hand

• Hubert Humphrey (Johnson’s VP) was nominated – protest became violent

Chicago SevenChicago Seven

• Chicago Seven were seven (originally eight, when they were known as the Chicago Eight) defendants charged with conspiracy, inciting to riot and other charges related to violent protests that took place in Chicago, Illinois on the occasion of the 1968 Democratic National Convention

Chicago SevenChicago Seven

• The convention, in late August 1968, was the scene of massive demonstrations protesting the Vietnam War, which was at its height

• A pig, "Pigasus the Immortal", was brought into the city to be "nominated" for President.

Migrant WorkersMigrant Workers

• United Farm Workers (UFW) was founded by Cesar Chavez

• It supported the rights of migrant farm workers, many of which were poor and hispanic.

• Used the same types of non-violent protests that MLK used

• Chavez noted for his hunger strikes.

Women’s MovementWomen’s Movement

• 1950s and 1960s women were expected to get married , raise a family rather than pursue a career

• The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan suggested that not all women were happy with this idea.

• Her book began the women’s movement

• She founded the National Organization for Women (NOW)

Women’s MovementWomen’s Movement

• Conservative Phyllis Schlafly campaigned against it.

• She said that many women wanted to remain at home. That there was no more important role than to be a wife and a mother

• ‘Women’s lib’ would destroy family values

Environmentalist Environmentalist MovementMovement• Environmentalist are concerned with

preserving the earth’s resources and species of life.

• Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962 – said that mankinds use of pesticides were poisoning the environment

• This book along with the 60s atmosphere fueled the entire movement.

Environmentalist Environmentalist MovementMovement• US celebrates its first Earth Day in 1970• President Nixon establishes the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the federal agency in charge of policing the environment

• Recently, Al Gore has been the movements most vocal advocate – Inconvenient Truth wins him Noble Prize

Rise of ConservatismRise of Conservatism

• Conservatism is the belief that government should not try to regulate too much –government should be small

• Believe in keeping taxes low; believe in personal freedoms and property rights rather than government controlling how society operates

Rise of Conservatism Rise of Conservatism

• Opposed The Great Society programs

• Opposed Federal government intervention in the Civil Rights movement as a violation of personal rights.

Barry Goldwater Barry Goldwater and the Election of 1964and the Election of 1964• Conservative Senator from Arizona• Appealed to Southern Democrats and

Western conservatives• First election in which the ‘solid south’

put conservative ideals over party loyalty

• 1980- South become solidly Conservative – i.e. Republican; but Johnson wins in a land slide

SSUSH 22 & 23 U.S. Society and Politics World War II to 1970.

Documents