KEY TERMS:
NAACP - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. A civil rights organization that helps minorities in the United States.
Martin Luther King Jr. - African American civil rights leader, who believed that all men are equal. He also believed in non violent protests to achieve these rights. He was the youngest person ever to recieve the Nobel Peace Prize for his work. Toward the end of his life he worked more on ending poverty and the war in Vietnam. He was famous for the "I have a Dream" speech. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennesse on April 4th 1968.
Malcolm X - He was an African American Muslim minister. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He is considered one of the greatest African Americans in history for his civil rights work. The Autobiography of Malcom X, a book written about himself, was a top ten best nonfiction sellers in the 20th century. In his youth he was sentenced to prision for eight to ten years on numerous crimes. While in prison he became part of a muslim group, which started his Muslim beleifs. On Februrary 21, 1965 he was shot 16 times while speaking at Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom.
Jackie Robinson - He was the first black Major League Baseball player. With his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers he ended racial segregration in professional baseball. Over a ten year career he played in 6 world series games, as well as selected for 6 consecutive All-Star games. He won MVP in 1949, and was put into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. His number 42 was retired, and will never be worn again by any other person in the MLB. As well as playin baseball, he was a major success. He was the first black vice-president to run an American corporation. Robinson was awarded the Presidential Metal of Freedom, and the Congrestional Gold Metal.
Board of Education of Topeka - Brown v. Board of Education (Topeka), was a court case that declared having seprate public schools for blacks and whites was unconstiutional. This case received an unanimous vote and the ruling stated, " seperate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
De-segregating the US Military - The African Americans that were serving for our country in the war dealt with very racist environments. Because of the harsh conditions African Americans were threatening not to serve our country in the war. Executive Order 9981 was signed on July 26, 1948 that stated that you couldn't discriminate in the military. Racism was still in the military, but they were able to serve our country.
Little Rock 9 - This was a group of African American students who attended school at Little Work Central High in 1957. 9 students were not allowed to enter the racially segregated school due to the orders of governor of Arkansas Orval Faubus. Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to keep the 9 students from entering the school; clearly he was in favor of segregation. President Eisenhower met with Faubus over this matter and gave him a strict warning that he should not go against the ruling of the Supreme Court.
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott – At age 42, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat for a white person, this was a major role in civil rights. After this incident Parks became an idol to all civil rights supporters, and eventually led to the Montgomery bus b
oycott. She lost her job as a seamstress because of the incident. She moved to Detroit, Michigan and worked for a U.S. congressman. Parks won many awards like: The Presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Gold Medal, and a statue in our nation’s capital at the National Statuary Hall.
Greensboro sit-ins- Series of nonviolent protest in a department store called Woolworth’s that made the store change its policy on racial segregation.
Freedom Rides- Civil Rights activists who rode buses to the southern states to test each states segregation laws
Birmingham, Alabama—1963- A white man bombed placed on bomb under the stairs of the Baptist Church where the major civil rights activists were supposedly meeting. The bomb went off killing four innocent black girls that were attending Sunday school.
Mississippi Summer Project( Freedom Summer project)- A project in Mississippi that was meant to get as many black voters registered as possible.
Selma, Alabama—1965- 600 civil rights marchers were attack and beating by police with clubs and tear gas.
Voting Rights Act of 1965- allowed blacks to vote.
Civil Rights Act of 1964- ended all segregation and unequal treatment for blacks.
Stokely Carmichael- black activists who helped with the civil rights movements. Died of cancer in which he believed the FBI “gave to him”.
Black Panthers- an African American group that achieved many civil rights accomplishments. It is still to this day considered to be one the most efficient groups of that time period.
Jesse Jackson- African American civil rights activists who received the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1984. He was a Baptist Minister, and was voted the most important black man by 15%.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Jackson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964
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