Student Civil Rights

Project
Fernando Molina 6th Period :^)

Table of Contents
Preface
People to watch for
Chapters:
I: Before the Movement
II: Movement on the Rise
III: Changes in Law
IV: Fallen Heroes
V: Comparing Movements
VI: Authors Notes
Bibliography

Preface
What events led to the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson?
The events that lead up to Plessy v. Ferguson were events that involved
segregation between colored people and white americans. Some events could
be the Rosa Parks incident where Rosa Parks sat on the white section of a bus
and refused to give up her seat to a white bus customer. These types of events
lead to the Supreme Court case because it instituted that everyone is equal
because each facility for people were offered the same service between races.
Which was false because white facilities were better than colored ones.

Preface
What was the Supreme Courts decision in the case Plessy v. Ferguson?
The Supreme Courts decision in the case Plessy v. Ferguson supported
segregation because it upheld with the constitution as Separate, but Equal.
The Supreme Court Justices ruled this because all facilities for either whites or
colored offered the same services. The only difference was that they were
handled differently, colored people had poorer services while whites had better
service. It definitely was not equal but, it was equal on incredibly basic terms
that allowed for the manipulation of words.

Preface
What was the impact of Plessy v. Ferguson on the lives of African Americans
and minority groups such as Hispanic, Japanese, and Chinese?
The impact of Plessy v. Ferguson were that southern states abused the ruling
as states created more laws to separate whites and minorities. With saying that,
minorities in the United States did not become equal terms in the south
because the southern states abused the ruling to create more segregation in
the nation.

People to Watch For

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King was a leader in the Civil Rights movement for equality
and peace around the nation, as he travelled around the nation and participated
in sit-ins, wrote papers on the government failing to provide rights for humans
and their identity in the nation. Dr. King revolutionized the nation with his I have
a Dream speech in Washington, D.C as the his words trembled the reflecting
pool, people all over the nation felt his words and convinced people that we are
all equal.

People to Watch For

Lester Maddox
Democratic political figure who believed in segregation. This can be seen as
Lester Maddox ousted African Americans from his restaurant, Lesters Grill. He
described the sit-in by the African Americans as an invasion on his restaurant.
He also supported the Ku-Klux-Klan as one of their political leaders in the
Georgia government. Lester Maddox was also appointed lieutenant governor by
president Jimmy Carter.

People to Watch For

George Wallace
George Wallace was the longest running governor of Alabama from 1963 to
1987. George Wallace was remembered as a supporter of segregation for most
of his time in office until an assassination attempt left Wallace paralyzed and
remained populist over the years after his assassination attempt.

People to Watch For

Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was a United States Supreme Court Justice from 1967 to
1991. Thurgood Marshall was known best for his victory in Brown v. Board of
Education. Thurgood Marshall effectively ended segregation and reversed
Plessy v. Ferguson ruling it unconstitutional. This allowed for integration
between all facilities in the nation.

People to Watch For

Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta was a leader for labor and civil rights activist that fought for the
rights of immigrants in the United States. Dolores Huerta was an early member
of the United Farm Workers because of her contributions to the early group of
National Farmers Association with Cesar Chavez.

People to Watch For

Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez was an activist for the Labor Movement, and the Civil Rights
Movement. Cesar Chavez is known for being a Hispanic civil rights activist
because he encouraged hispanics to work together and join the movement for
more rights for Latinos nationwide. He was also popularized by his phrase, Si,
Se, Puede.

People to Watch For

Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was a womens rights activist. She was a leading figure in the
womens rights movement because she wrote The Feminine Mystique that
took women around the nation by storm. She was elected as first president of
the National Organization for Women or NOW and it helped ratify the Equal
Rights Amendment.

People to Watch For

Hector P. Garcia
Hector P. Garcia was a veteran of World War II and a civil rights advocate.
Hector P. Garcia created the American G.I Forum to help veterans to receive an
education after they have served in the army. It was an outreach to veterans
returning to the United States to have protected rights to education and civil
rights.

Chapter 1: Before the Movement

Mendez Vs. Westminster
Mendez Vs. Westminster was a federal court case that caused 5 MexicanAmerican citizens to go to court with the Westminster ISD over the segregation
of Mexican-American students in school. The ruling was that segregation in the
school district was unconstitutional and it allowed for integration in the school
district.

Chapter 1: Before the Movement

Hernandez Vs. Texas
Hernandez Vs. Texas was a Supreme Court case that involved Pete Hernandez
convicted as a murderer. The problem was that the jury was not of Pete
Hernandezs peers, there were no Mexican-American jurors, this allowed for
Pete Hernandezs lawyers to go to court with the Texan court system to enforce
the 14th Amendment to allow other races to participate in court as jurors.

Chapter 1: Before the Movement

Delgado Vs. Bastrop ISD
Delgado Vs. Bastrop ISD was a federal court case that was based on
segregation of Mexican-American children not receiving education. There were
very few facilities for Mexican-Americans, only being vocational education. The
school district was tried for not providing education to Mexican-American
students because the students took a large part of the student body. The court
ruled the case as unconstitutional and it allowed for integration in the school
district.

Chapter 1: Before the Movement

Edgewood ISD Vs. Kirby
Edgewood ISD Vs. Kirby was a federal case concerning the funding for poor
students was considered discrimination because other races received a good
amount of funding. Edgewood ISD argued that commissioner of education
William Kirby did not provide efficient and equal funding for schools. Edgewood
ISD also argued that other school districts had wealthier student bodies had
much more funding because of its property value. The outcome was that the
court justice found the funding structure unconstitutional and ordered William
Kirby to create an equal structure of funding for school districts.

Chapter 1: Before the Movement

Sweatt Vs. Painter
Sweatt Vs. Painter was a Supreme Court case that challenged the Plessy Vs.
Ferguson, Separate but Equal ruling. Herman Marion Sweatt was denied
acceptance to University of Texas School of Law because president of the
university rejected Separate but Equal ruling. Sweatt took the case to the
Supreme Court and it found that University of Texas failed to provide equal
facilities for colored people for its admission. It also found that the materials and
teachers of the school were not equal to its white counterparts. The ruling was
that Painters actions were unconstitutional and it allowed for colored to attend
University of Texas School of Law.

Chapter 2: Movement on the Rise

Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was an event lead by civil rights activists that
boycotted Montgomery, Alabama. Colored people did not ride the Montgomery
buses. The events eventually lead to the federal court ruling that the
Montgomery Bus system was unconstitutional for having segregation in buses
following the Rosa Parks case and Browder Vs. Gayle incidents.

Chapter 2: Movement on the Rise

Greensboro Sit-Ins
Greensboro Sit-Ins were events that were protests for colored and white people
to be served equally. The sit-ins allowed for protesters to peacefully protest
against segregation in stores. The sit-ins allowed for media coverage across
the nation of the segregation laws. President Eisenhower spoke about the topic
and expressed gratitude for people who were fighting for civil rights.

Chapter 2: Movement on the Rise

NAACP
The NAACP or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
was created in 1909 to fight for civil rights of colored people. Its efforts of cases
and events lead to Brown Vs. Board of Education which ruled that Plessy Vs.
Ferguson was unconstitutional and ended segregation in the United States.

Chapter 2: Movement on the Rise

SNCC
The SNCC or the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was an
influential committee that funded for sit-ins and freedom rides across the nation.
The SNCC can be described the destroyers of the psychological shackles of
colored people by offering its freedom rides and sit-in to raise more awareness
of the segregation problems in the south.

Chapter 2: Movement on the Rise

Black Panthers
The Black Panthers was an organization that touted self-defense of colored
people in the United States. It was an organization that believed in militarization
of people to protect their rights as citizens. The black panthers revolutionized
society by mass organization and community programs by providing for the
minorities in the United States with social services not offered to them by the
government.

Chapter 2: Movement on the Rise

SCLC
The SCLC or the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was an
organization lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The SCLC was an organization
that rose through power with the help of African American churches and
community events to create resistance peacefully against segregation and to
promote civil rights for all minorities in the United States.

Chapter 2: Movement on the Rise

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom/I Have a Dream Speech
The March on Washington was an incredibly large peace event lead by social
activists and civil rights leaders to speak to the government about the injustice
of minority groups using segregation. The most famous speech at the March on
Washington was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s I have a dream speech. It heavily
influenced the people of the United States to go against segregation because of
religious reasons.

Chapter 2: Movement on the Rise

Martin Luther King: Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Letter from a Birmingham Jail was an essay written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
in a jail when he was arrested on April 12 during a protest. Dr. Kings letter
described how people are supposed to break rules that are not right because it
is in our instincts. He also wrote that the best way to combat the segregation
laws is to protest peacefully because violence would lead to more problems
over the silent protests in sit-ins because of their effect of shame of the
American people over violence and fear.

Chapter 2: Movement on the Rise

National Farm Workers Association
The National Farm Workers Association was an organization that was lead by
Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. It was an association that promoted the
strikes against segregation and civil rights in the farming business. The
organization also had community events and boycotts to raise the minimum
wage for minorities and immigrants in Texas.

Chapter 3: Changes in the Law

Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was an act ratified by the legislation of the United
States the made discrimination of race, religion, or sex illegal. It destroyed
segregation across the nation and it removed the voter laws for minorities from
preventing them to vote. The act was signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson in
July 2nd, 1964.

Chapter 3: Changes in the Law

Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a law enacted to stop discrimination during
the voting process. It was created to enforce the rights guaranteed by the 14th
and 15th amendments. The law was signed by president Lyndon B. Johnson in
August 6th, 1956.

Chapter 4: Fallen Heroes

Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a rights activist born in Nebraska. Malcolm X believed in
violence to create change. He did not believe in peaceful protests because it
did not offer change to the people. A change of environment makes people
change. He demanded his rights using weapons and fears by creating his
Islamic radical group to demand for equality for colored people.

Chapter 4: Fallen Heroes

John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States and also
president that verbally supported integration of people in the United States
during his presidency. President Kennedy during his State of The Union
address stated that segregation created a negative conscience in the American
mind because it was wrong to deny people of all colors their rights dictated by
the constitution of the United States.

Chapter 4: Fallen Heroes

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most famous civil rights leaders in
American history because of his I Have a Dream speech during the
Washington March. Dr. King lead the peaceful protests against segregation of
colored people by using sit-ins and boycotts. Dr. King believed that everyone
was equal in the eyes of the Christian god. He believed that equality was
important because segregation divided the nation and created hate between
the races. He wanted to live in a nation that promoted peace, love, and God.

Chapter 4: Fallen Heroes

In my opinion, I believe that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a better approach of
advocating civil rights. Like Nelson Mandela, Dr. King expressed his ideas with
peace and sit-ins because he did not believe in violence towards your fellow
man. He believed in peace between all races, there was no need for violence
because there was the overwhelming silent truth that the nation grasped onto.
People need to have their rights. People are equal. People should not be
segregated because of religion. He caught the attention of people using his
words and peaceful actions. He did not force people to give him his deserved
rights. He gained positive notoriety over Malcolm Xs violent protests.

Chapter 5: Comparing Movements

American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement was a movement to promote Native American
individualism of the Native American faith and culture. The movement was to
raise concern of racism and Native American removal of territory. The
movement condemned racism and Americanizing of the Native American life.

Chapter 5: Comparing Movements

Asian-American Movement
The Asian-American Movement was a movement to increase and resist
awareness of oppression of Asian-Americans in the United States. The minority
of Asian-Americans were severely opposed American Terms and wanted to be
known as Oriental or Asian American. It also challenged schools to include
curriculum for ethnic groups such as Asian, African, Chicano, Latino, and Native
American.

Chapter 5: Comparing Movements

American Chicano Movement
The American Chicano Movement was a movement to promote education and
empowerment for Mexican Americans in the United States. The movement
fought for rights of Mexican Americans in the United States such as voting
discrimination for Mexican Americans and racial segregation against Mexican
Americans.

Chapter 5: Comparing Movements

Cesar Chavez Labor Rights Movement
The Cesar Chavez Labor Rights Movement was a labor rights movement that
lead to a higher minimum wage for workers and more rights for farmers and
immigrants. The movement raised awareness by going on boycotts and other
peaceful methods. Eventually, the movement got higher wages on farmers and
immigrants and the movement allowed for the improvement of farmers in
California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida.

Chapter 6: Authors Notes

The 1950-60 African American Civil Rights Movement corrected the issues that
the Reconstruction period could not fix like civil rights after the civil for
minorities in the south of the country. The civil rights movement killed Jim Crow
laws in the south, this allowed for people to stop segregation laws between
whites and minorities. The civil rights movement also paved the way for
minorities to vote without discriminating tests. The reconstruction era failed to
provide a system for people to be equal with each other following the civil war
because of slavery. It failed to create unity after the civil war and created
segregation, dividing the nation with a whites only poster and colored only
poster to identify the separation of people. To identify the unequal injustice the
reconstruction era had on minorities when it was supposed to bring people
together after war.