Formative Assessment
Topic.11 Study Concepts
MLK and Civil Disobedience
-Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Pray for guidance and commit yourself to complete nonviolence in word and action as you enter the bus... Be loving enough to absorb evil and understanding enough to turn an enemy into a friend. If cursed, do not curse back. If pushed, do not push back. If struck, do not strike back, but evidence love and good will at all times. If another person is being molested, do not arise to go to his defense, but pray for the oppressor and use moral and spiritual force to carry on the struggle for justice.” When someone puts you down, they do it to feel like they've won against you. They expect a reaction out of you; a hurt and angry reaction. However, Martin Luther King Jr. believed that if you turned around and opened your arms to hug them, the impact would be much greater. Not one person will feel like they've won if you hug them instead.
Power of the “Mob”
-An organization can easily be destroyed by using violence. Not only that, but a movement can be brought to an end by assassinating the leaders one by one. Therefore, larger numbers of people and greater force can result in more power either way.
Plessy v. Ferguson vs. Brown v. Board of Education
-In Plessy v. Ferguson, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that a Louisiana law mandating separate but equal accommodations for blacks and whites on intrastate railroads was constitutional. This Supreme Court decision was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education. Brown v. Board of Education was the mark that began the Civil Rights Movement. In 1950, Oliver Brown sued Topeka, Kansas School Board on behalf of his eight year old daughter. Based on where they lived, Brown's daughter was unable to attend the nearest school because it was a “white” school. Therefore, she'd have to travel a much farther distance to attend school on a daily basis. Topeka's lawyers argued that their policy met the “separate but equal” law. In the end, the Supreme Court declared that segregated schools were inherently unequal and unconstitutional. The Supreme Court believed that “gradual desegregation” would be the best way to go.
Civil Rights Goals
-African Americans wanted to be treated equally, but not separate and equally. Therefore, they wanted segregation to come to an end.
Eisenhower's Role in Little Rock
-Orville Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine from entering the school. Even though President Eisenhower never supported the Brown v. Board of Education decision, he strongly believed in upholding the law of the land. Therefore, his response to Faubus was to send in the 101st Airborne to Little Rock to protect the students and to allow them to enter the school.
Rights of the Accused
-Gideon v. Wainwright: 6th Amendment requires counsel for defendants who are unable to afford their own attorneys.
-Escobedo v. Illinois: Criminal suspects have the right to counsel during police interrogation.
-Miranda v. Arizona: Criminal suspects must be informed of their right to consult with counsel prior to interrogation.
Chavez and the United Farm Workers
-Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American who was born in Arizona. He founded the United Farm Workers (UFW). He helped to organize strikes. He organized civil disobedience for migrant workers. He organized the Delano Grape Strike, which was a boycott on table and wine grapes. He participated in several fasts to support different social issues. He was anti-immigration. He fought for Mexican-American's rights.
FHA and ADA
-FHA stands for the Fair Housing Act. This act outlawed refusal to sell or rent a building to any person because of their race, color, religion, etc. ADA stands for Americans with Disabilities Act. This act requires facilities to provide equal access for Americans with disabilities. For example, ramps, elevators, handicapped bathroom stalls, shorter sinks, etc.
Purpose of Filibusters
-Prevent the opposing side from talking
-Used in House of Representatives and Senate
-Used to stop Civil Rights Legislation Sit-Ins and Other Protests
-Lunch counter sit-ins were when people who believed in equal rights would sit down in a restaurant, pick up a menu, and wait to be served. If they were not served, they would continue to sit there while the people against them would throw anything such as food and drinks at them until the police showed up to arrest them. The catch was... after the first group was arrested, the second group would come and so on and so forth. The lunch counter sit-ins began in 1960 and by 1961, 70,000 people had participated, which made it very effective.
-Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, even though she was sitting in the black section. This brought along the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For 381 days, blacks boycotted buses in Montgomery by carpooling. The Supreme Court ruled Montgomery City ordinance unconstitutional, which led to blacks being able to sit wherever they wished.
-The Freedom Riders were bus loads of people who were brought to the deep south of the United States to violate the Jim Crow laws.
