How to Learn About the Civil Rights Movement

During the first half of the twentieth century, many elected and appointed officials began to legally sanction various forms of abuse and discrimination against Black Americans. Most visible in the American South, these forms of discrimination included segregation, denial of economic advancement and widespread violence. During the 1950s, a landmark decision "Brown v. Board of Education" has been attributed as the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Read Brown v. Board of Education. This is the case that officially began the Civil Rights Movement as many states refused to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that the previous law in Plessy v. Ferguson, which determined the "separate but equal" rule, was unconstitutional. Basically Brown v. Board of Education forced states to desegregate public schools and many Southerners were unwilling to submit to the new law of the land.
2. Understand civil disobedience. Civil disobedience was a form of non-violent protest utilized by many civil rights organizations during The Movement. Boycotts, sit-ins, marches and protests were the most common civil disobedience tactics used by the various organizations in response to states' unwillingness to comply with the Supreme Court ruling.
3. Familiarize yourself with civil rights organizations such as NAACP, CORE, SNCC, and SCLC respectively. These were multi-racial civil rights groups that organized protests and boycotts to force southern states to comply with the desegregation order. Additionally, many of these groups were founded or led by key figures in the Civil Rights movement.
4. Read the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law made it illegal to segregate schools or other public places like restaurants and movie theaters. Many elements of this law severely limited states' ability to keep certain groups from registering to vote and using public facilities based on race and ethnicity.
5. Familiarize yourself with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This was a key piece of legislation during the Civil Rights Movement that outlawed literacy tests of applicants that wished to register to vote. Literacy tests were common to keep blacks as well as poor whites away from the polls and effectively without a voice in government.
6. Recognize the violence. The most shocking aspect of the Civil Rights Movement was the extreme level of violence against blacks and civil rights supporters. The unwillingness of Southern law enforcement agencies, both state and federal, to protect civil rights workers only served to increase violent acts. In addition to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the murder of Emmett Till brought widespread media attention to the violence.

Tips & Warnings

• Read "Pillar of Fire."
• Refer to "Coming of Age in Mississippi" for more information.