Overview of Civil Rights Movement
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Brown v Board of Education
Separate but equal. For over five decades, these three words dominated racial relations in the United States. Due to the Plessy v Ferguson Supreme Court case, legal discrimination was allowed in the country. That stood until a brave group of individuals decided to challenge the decision.
"Ethical and cultural desegregation. It is a contradiction in terms to scream race pride and equality while at the same time spurning Negro teachers and self-association."
- Zora Neale Hurston
- Zora Neale Hurston
Separate but Equal in the United States
“. . . Human blood may stain Southern soil in many places because of this decision but the dark red stains of that blood will be on the marble steps of the United States Supreme Court building. White and Negro children in the
same schools will lead to miscegenation. Miscegenation leads to mixed marriages and mixed
marriages lead to mongrelization of the human race.”
- Daily News (Jackson, Mississippi): "Bloodstains On White Marble Steps," May 18, 1954
same schools will lead to miscegenation. Miscegenation leads to mixed marriages and mixed
marriages lead to mongrelization of the human race.”
- Daily News (Jackson, Mississippi): "Bloodstains On White Marble Steps," May 18, 1954
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Brown v Board of Education Political Cartoons
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"We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
- Chief Justice Earl Warren
- Chief Justice Earl Warren
The Little Rock Nine
Even though Brown v Board ended the segregation of public schools - it was a long, difficult road to integration. The nine students that integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957 displayed true bravery in the face of blatant racism and hatred.
Integration Goes Forward: Little Rock Nine Images and Primary Documents
Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement
These are the brave men and women that challenged the social and political norms to bring about change. There are those that rose to the forefront, such as Dr. King and Malcolm X. But, it was with the support of the countless United States citizens that helped to bring real change to the country.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. |
"At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love."
- Martin Luther King, Jr. |
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"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Martin Luther King Jr.
Malcolm X |
"I am for violence if non-violence
means we continue postponing a solution to the American black man's problem just to avoid violence." - Malcolm X |
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"We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary."
—Malcolm X, 1965
—Malcolm X, 1965
Rosa Parks |
At the time I was arrested I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of
the people joined in. - Rosa Parks |
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“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right. ” ― Rosa Parks
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A. Philip Randolph |
“Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they do not know each other; they do not know each other because they cannot communicate; they cannot communicate because they are separated.”
― A. Philip Randolph
― A. Philip Randolph
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“At the banquet table of nature, there are no reserved seats. You get what you can take, and you keep what you can hold. If you can't take anything, you won't get anything, and if you can't hold anything, you won't keep anything. And you can't take anything without organization.” ― A. Philip Randolph
Jackie Robinson |
"Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life."
- Jackie Robinson |
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"The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time."- Jackie Robinson
Images of the Civil Rights Leaders
PROTEST: Sit-Ins, Freedom Rides, and the March on Washington (1963)
The masses have joined in! People throughout the country were ready to join in and fight for the rights of African Americans. These brave men and women - both black and white - would do what was necessary, albeit peacefully, to bring about social change.
"The Freedom Riders were remarkable, fearless Americans. They were extraordinary, ordinary people . . . young people who took the reins of history and wouldn't let go.”
~ Mark Samels, American Experience Executive Producer
~ Mark Samels, American Experience Executive Producer
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"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Civil Disobedience Images
"The Riders' dangerous passage through the bus terminals and jails of the Jim Crow South represented only one part of an extended journey for justice that stretched back to the dawn of American history and beyond. But once that passage was completed, there was renewed hope that the nation would eventually find its way to a true and inclusive democracy.”
~ Professor Raymond Arsenault
~ Professor Raymond Arsenault
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
The hard work of countless men and women finally paid off. Although the fight for equality continues to today, change was finally made. The most important piece of civil rights legislation was passed.
"I favor the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and it must be enforced at gunpoint if necessary."
- Ronald Reagan |
"You do not take a person who for years has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race, then say, you're free to compete with all the others.... Much of the Negro community is buried under a blanket of history and circumstance. It is not a lasting solution to lift just one corner of the blanket." - President Lyndon B. Johnson
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