This chapter focuses on one of the most important events of the twentieth century - the growth of a movement committed to justice and equality for all Americans. The civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s led to the most important progress since Emancipation in 1865. The Supreme Court and Congress secured the rights of African Americans by making the segregation of the races illegal, guaranteeing them the right to vote, and launching a vast social and cultural change in American life. All of this occurred in the midst of continued Cold War tensions.
Students will be able to:
Evaluate the importance of Brown v. Board of Education in changing schools.
Draw conclusions about the success of nonviolent protest during the civil rights era.
Identify the various individuals who led the civil rights movement.
Analyze the importance of civil rights legislation.
Compare and contrast the views of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with those of Malcolm X and other young leaders.