By: Jennifer Trinh

Table of Contents
1. Preface
2. People to Watch for
3. Chapters

Before the Movement

Movement on the Rise
Changes in the Laws
Fallen Heroes
Comparing Movements
Authors Notes

4. Bibliography

Preface
In 1896, John Howard Ferguson, a judge from Louisiana stated that Homer Plessy
violated the 13th and 14th amendment. Homer Plessy, who was from Louisiana was seven-eighths
white and one-eight black who sat on a white-only car. During the case, the Supreme Court
rejected Plessys explanation based on the 14th amendment and decided to allow racial
segregation based on the United States constitutional law. This event resulted in African
Americans and other minority groups such as Hispanics and Asians discriminated.

People to Watch for

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist
in America during the 1960s. During the civil rights
movement, King led a boycott of the transportation
company in Alabama where non-whites refused to
ride buses because they were forced to give up their
seats for whites. King believed in using peace and
non-violent acts to achieve his goals such as seen in
his famous speech I have a Dream where he tells
people how the world will not be divided by race one
day.

Lester Maddox was considered to have a negative impact on civil rights when he closed down
his restaurant in 1964 so he could prevent himself from serving African Americans. Maddox was
well known for threatening blacks out of his restaurant with weapons such as guns. After his
restaurant was closed, he became the governor of Georgia in 1966 where he guided Georgia into
his beliefs.

When George Wallace ran for governor in Alabama in

1958 where he declined to make race an issue. This

led to him seen as having a negative impact on civil rights. In

1963, Wallace tried to block two black students to prevent
them from enrolling in the University of Alabama. These two
students eventually had to enroll to University of Alabama in
Tuscaloosa where Wallace was satisfied.

Thurgood Marshall was a civil rights activist and defender of

the organization called NAACP (National Association of the
Advancement of Colored People). In 1954, Marshall achieved
his victory in the Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. Since this was
one of the most significant cases in the 20th century, it served as an inspiration to the Civil Rights
Movement.

Dolores Huerta was civil rights activist who fought against

discrimination and worked to improve the lives of farmers
economically and socially. Her partnership with Caesar Chavez
resulted in the improvement of workers lives. Huerta found
Agricultural Workers Association (AWA) and also what was
later called United Farm Workers (UFW).

Growing up as a farm worker, Caesar Chavez became the

founder of the National Farm Workers Association in 1962.
Together with his sister-in-law, Dolores Huerta, he worked
hard to fight for the working conditions and better pay for
farmers. In 1968, Chavez created a boycott that lasted for years

on California grapes to fight for improved conditions. This resulted in several successes for
Chavez.

Betty Friedan was a womans

rights activist who fought
encouraged women to find
new opportunities to benefit
their selves instead of doing
their traditional roles. She
was the co-founder and the
first president of the National
Organization of Women also
created the National Association
for the Repeal of Abortion
Laws to fight for abortion rights
that she believed women
should possess. Besides being an activist, Friedan was also a journalist who wrote The
Feminine Mystique to inspire women.

Hector P. Garcia was an activist that developed the American GI Forum to provide veterans with
educational and medical services. Later, he also organized the GI Forum to fight for segregation
and poll taxes. Throughout his life, Garcia was actively fighting for civil rights and major issues
concerning with Mexican Americans.

Greatest Impact on Civil Rights

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had the greatest impact on civil rights because with his leadership
and guidance, African Americans and minorities were able to achieve more racial equality in
America. Without his help, America would still be separated by race and wouldnt be where it is
today. Besides achieving racial equality, King also teaches to achieve goals with peace and nonviolent acts such as fighting.

Chapter 1-Before the Movement

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Mendez vs. Westminster

Mendez vs. Westminster was a court case that involved racial segregation. When Mendezs four
children attempted to register to go to Westminster Main School, Mendez found out that his
children had to attend Hoover School because all students attending that school were Mexican or
Mexican-American. Although his children were rejected from Westminster, Mendez brought this
case up to the Orange County School Board, which was unsuccessful. Through this case, the
U.S. District Court decided that public schools should be available to any children despite their
background.
Hernandez vs. Texas
Pete Hernandez was a cotton picker who was accused of murdering Joe Espinosa in Edna, Texas
in 1950. Although there was no one that served on a jury for over twenty-five years, a Mexican
American civil rights lawyer named Gustavo Garcia decided to help Hernandez. Eventually,
Hernandez was found guilty and sent to lifetime in prison. From this case, the United States
Supreme Court decided that all Mexican-Americans and other racial groups had protection from
the 14th amendment in the U.S. Constitution.
Delgado vs. Bastrop ISD
The Delgado vs. Bastrop ISD case that involved the racial segregation of Mexican Americans.
This case was the result of American G.I. Bill and the League of United Latin American Citizens
(LULAC) after a time period of ten years. From this case, the U.S. decided to bring segregation
against Mexican Americans to an end.
Edgewood ISD vs. Kirby
Edgewood ISD vs. Kirby was a case that dealt with school financing. In 1968, a group of
Mexican American parents gather in the U.S. District Court because of disagreements on the
finance system of public schools in Texas. From this case, the court decided on Mexican
American children and all races should receive the same resources in public schools and created
an organized public school system.
Sweatt vs. Painter
Sweatt vs. Painter was a case where Heman Sweatt applied to the University of Texas to study
law. However, the one requirement Sweatt did not meet was his race. From a unanimous decision
from the Supreme Court, they decided that Sweatt was protected by the 14th amendment and he
was able to attend the University of Texas of Law.

Chapter 2-Movement on the Rise

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When Rosa Parks was arrested in 1955, the Montgomery bus boycott was an event created to
protest against segregation. One of the leaders of the boycott was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr who
became a successful leader during the civil rights movement. After 13 months, the Supreme
Court decided to end segregation on buses.

In 1960, four African-American male students from North

Carolina University and Technical State University decided
to protest against civil rights by going into a store and
sitting at the white-only counter. As time passed, more
protesters came and sat at white-only counters. Despite the
fact that they were harassed physically and with words, they stayed persistent. Later on, African
Americans were allowed to sit with whites.

In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of

Colored People (NAACP) was established to end racial
segregation. The group believed in using non-violent ways
of protesting to achieve their goals instead of using force.
One of the founders of NAACP was W.E.B. Du Bois who was a civil rights activist.

The Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

was created in 1960 at Shaw University where non-violent
acts were created to fight against civil rights. This group
consisted of young people that wanted to protest against
discrimination. The SNCC organized sit-ins and other
activities that would help them get rid of segregation in a
peaceful way.

believed in the same tactics as

believed in using violence and force
equality whereas other groups such as

In 1966, the Black

Panther Party was
found which consisted
of a group of men who
Malcom X. This group
to achieve racial
the NAACP and
SNCC practiced nonviolence. Members of
this group carried
weapons in public to protest against discrimination.

In 1957, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was created to organize protest
groups. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the leader of the group used black churches to gain support
and power to fight for racial equality. The SCLC focused on better social and economic
conditions for everyone.

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and I Have a

Dream Speech were both important events that helped lead to
gaining equality. Through this march, King gained many
supporters who were also fighting for racial equality and
inspired many with his famous speech I Have a Dream which
he sees the world in another perspective where equality is present.

In the Letter from Birmingham City Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes about how he is
against racism and racial segregation. Later, the letter convinced King to write about racial
segregation and discrimination in newspaper. This eventually led to King gaining many
supporters and start other activities to help protest again segregation.

In 1962, the United Farm Workers Association was founded by

Caesar Chavez. Together with his sister-in-law, Doroles Huerta,
they fought for the social and economic conditions of farm
workers. Through this organization, Chavez was able to lead a
boycott on California grapes to protest for the rights of farmers.

Chapter 3-Changes in the Law

Civil Rights Act of 1964

The Civil Rights Act was created by John F. Kennedy to
bring racial segregation and employment discrimination on
factors including race, color, religion, and gender. The act

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concentrated on the debate whether social benefits should be based on a persons gender and
race. In conclusion, the act was successfully passed when the three branches of the federal
government came up with a decision. Although the act was created by Kennedy, it was signed by
Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964 due to the assassination of Kennedy. Later, the Voting Rights
Act of 1965 was passed where it elaborated on the voting rights of African Americans and other
minorities.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 by the federal, state, and local government where they
came up with the agreement to ban racial discrimination in voting. The Act was signed by
Lyndon B. Johnson since John F. Kennedy was assassinated which surpass the barrier that
prevented African Americans from being able to vote which is stated in the 15th amendment.
Besides breaking the obstacle, the act also banned literacy tests and poll taxes that were banned
by 1966.

Chapter 4-Fallen Heroes

After a week passed when Malcolm Xs house was targeted, he was shot and killed by members
in Nation of Islam. X was strongly against racial discrimination and thought that people should
do everything to bring it to an end, even if it involved violence. Since X was a good public
speaker, he was able to convince people to use violence to end segregation. A group named the

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Black Panther Party used similar tactics as X. Although he died, many people still believed in
Xs violent and forceful strategies.

On November 22,
1963, John F.
Kennedy died
when he was shot
multiple times by
Lee Harvey
Oswald. Although
Kennedys life
was short, he
managed to make
many
accomplishments under his presidency
such as put laws
into place to stop segregation. When Kennedy passed away, the Civil Rights Act was placed to
honor him which ended voting qualification exams and segregation. This allowed African
Americans and other minorities to vote ended discrimination in public places such as schools,
restaurants, and hotels.

On April 4, 1968, Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. was shot dead by James Earl Ray at a motel in
Tennessee. King was considered the leader of the American Civil Rights movement. Not only did
King protest against discrimination, he did it in a peaceful and non-violent way. Kings I Have a
Dream speech inspired many including people around the world. He played major roles in the
Montgomery boycott, March on Washington, and campaigns, inspiring others to not use violence

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as an approach to issues. Even after his death, King still remains to be a symbolic icon of peace
and non-violence.

Advocating for Civil Rights

Although both Malcolm X and Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. were successful fighting for civil
rights, Kings strategy was more effective since his protests were peaceful and non-violent. Also,
organizations such as the NAACP, SNCC, and SCLC were created, following Kings peaceful
ways of fighting segregation. Some significant events where King protests and speaks against
racial discrimination are the Montgomery Bus Boycott, March on Washington, and his famous I
Have a Dream speech. In the Montgomery Bus Boycott, King was able to convince many
African Americans to stop riding buses in a response of
segregation on public buses. King was able to organize
the March on Washington which gathered many citizens
to march for jobs and freedom. Last but not least, Kings
famous I Have a Dream speech was able to inspire
people not only in America but also worldwide on why
racial discrimination needed to end.

Chapter 5-Comparing Movements

American Indian Movement
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In 1968, a group of frustrated people from the Indian community organized a discussion
about issues they were facing. The movement was led by George Mitchell, Dennis Banks, and
Clyde Bellacourt where problems such as unemployment, poor housing, and racism were heard.
As the movement grew larger, groups such as the FBI and CIA attempted to end the movement
which resulted in two deaths, twelve injured, and around twelve hundred captured.

Asian American Movement

Discrimination was not only focused on African Americans but also on minorities such as
Asian Americans. By being inspired by African Americans approach towards segregation, Asian
Americans also started taking an approach where they spoke up for segregation in jobs and
education. Some Asian Americans such as Mao Tse-tung, a Chinese communist leader and
Richard Aoki, a Japanese American veteran helped African Americans with the protest against
discrimination.

American Chicano Mural Movement

The American Chicano Mural Movement, also known as the Chicano Movement consisted
of protesting against political and cultural problems faced by Mexican Americans. The
movement was separated into three parts: restoring land ownerships, fighting for farmers rights,
and also political/educational rights. Through 1960-1970, Mexican American fought hard to gain
back Aztlan, the homeland of a group called Nahua in Mexico. The NFWA and UFW were
created to help farmers with wages and other conditions they faced. As other groups did, the
Chicano Movement also fought against educational and political rights.

Caesar Chavez Labor Rights Movement

The National Farm Workers Association was created by Caesar Chavez in 1962. With the
help of his sister in law, Dolores Huertas, Chavez and Huertas was able to fight for the rights of
farmers using non-violent ways. Chavez used fasting and public speaking to protest that farmers
should have rights also. Chavez also started a boycott on grapes in California hoping to achieve
equality and rights for farmers.

Chapter 6-Authors Notes

The African American Civil Rights movement occurred in the 1950s
and 1960s where African Americans protested against racial segregation
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and discriminated. This movement addresses the failures of

Reconstruction because it allowed suffrage, educational rights, and
public rights among the African American community. For example, the
confederate states required the literacy test and poll taxes to quality for
voting. From all the events that occurred during this time period, it
showed that Reconstruction was a failure because it failed to solve
economic, social, and political rights of African Americans. The purpose
of Reconstruction was to bring America back together but instead, it
failed to occur. Black codes, which restricted many rights of African
Americans were put into place. Although slavery was abolished, the
fight against freedom wasnt over yet. Whites were still seen as the
superior race and that equality didnt exist because of race.
Organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, who saw whites as the only
race that was good enough, still existed to prevent other races from
gaining equality and voting rights.

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