Civil Rights Movement

reflection

“I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon

constitutions, upon laws, and upon courts. These are false hopes; believe

me, these are false hopes. Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no

law, no court can save it . . .” -Judge Learned Hand

reflection

How would you asses the impact of the Freedom Rides? How do people in the film describe the impact that this

campaign had on them personally and on the country as a whole?

reflection

“I had never traveled to the South at that time. And I didn’t have an emotional relationship to

segregation. I had—I understood the facts, and the stories, but there was not an emotional

relationship. When I actually went south, and actually saw signs that said “white” and

“colored” and I actually could not drink out of that water fountain, or go to that ladies’ room, I

had a real emotional reaction . . . So, my response was: who’s trying to change it, change

these things . . .”

-Diane Nash

reflection

“At the end of the day, people have the right to protest in this country. Having said that, there are a lot of processes in

place where people can participate, such as pre-budget consultations, such as

having their voices heard when bills are introduced…If people don’t take

advantage of our democracy and those processes in place, well that is

unfortunate for those who choose not to.”

Albany Movement Believed to have

failed for 2 reasons:

1. Movement did not have a specific goal

“The mistake I made there was to protest against segregation generally rather than against a single and distinct facet of it. Our protest was so vague that we got nothing…”

2. Albany had a wily sheriff

Birmingham, Alabama

Nearly half the population was black

Unemployment rate was two and a half times higher for blacks

The average income of blacks was less than half that of whites

Nicknamed “Bombingham”; There were 50 unsolved racially motivated bombings between 1945 and 1962

Project “C”

Aims were specific:

To end segregation of downtown stores

Fair hiring practices in downtown shops and city jobs

To form a committee to end school segregation

Project “C”

Tactics

Boycott of downtown stores (caused 40% decline in business)

Sit-ins, kneel-ins at white churches, marches

Project “C”

Letter from Birmingham Jail

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the

oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant “Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that

"justice too long delayed is justice denied."

-Martin Luther King Jr.

Children’s Crusade

Project “C”

You’re part of a group meeting with the business leaders to come to an agreement on how to bring the protests to an end. What are your demands? What will you be willing to compromise on?

Keep in mind:

There’s at least 2,500 protestors are in jail, mostly children, and there’s ongoing aggression against blacks

That you have an adversarial relationship with the municipal government and the business community

Your list of stated goals (end segregation, job opportunities downtown, end school segregation)

Downtown businesses are suffering and the city is feeling tense

Resolution

Desegregation of the facilities in Birmingham

Establish a committee to ensure nondiscriminatory hiring practices

Communications between black and white leaders to avoid future demonstrations

The release of prisoners if they could pay bail

JFK

“Race has no place in American life or law”

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Ended ALL legal discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex, or national origin

The Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964

Selma Voting Rights Movement (1965)

More than half the population of Dallas County were black; only 1% were registered to vote

Registrar was only open twice a month for a short period

Those trying to register were still subject to tests that might disqualify them from registering

Selma Voting Rights Movement (1965)

d

The Voting Rights Act of 1965

No voting qualification, prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice or procedure shall be used to deny the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.

The court will appoint federal examiners to enforce the guarantees of the 15th Amendment.

No “test” (e.g., literacy or civics) or “device” (e.g., grandfather clause) may be used as prerequisites for voting.

Federal examiners were sent to States that disenfranchised black voters to make sure the Act was obeyed.

Poll taxes became illegal.

States with Voting Restrictions

If they do not have a government-issued photo identification card.

Eleven percent of Americans do not have a photo ID. Many of them are African American, Latino, young and low-income potential voters.

If they do not have access to the documents necessary to take advantage of voter registration opportunities.

Some states require proof of citizenship upon registration, while others place restrictions on registration drives or same-day registration.

States with Voting Restrictions

If they cannot vote the day of the election and need to vote early.

Weekend and evening hours for early voting have been cut back, despite these times being convenient for many minority voters.

If they have had a past conviction.

People with past convictions will find it more difficult to restore their voting rights in some states under new restrictions.

States with Voting Restrictions

Fair Elections Act

Restrictions on the Chief Electoral Officer

Would end programs to promote voter turn-out

Elimination of Vouching

Vouching is meant to allow someone with proper identification to vouch for somebody that lives in the same polling area

120,000 voters used vouching last election

There is no record of people using vouching to engage in voter fraud