Civil Rights after 1945... 1950s and 60s

Achievements of the Civil Rights movement post 1945 Summary. 

1940s–1950s

• 1948 – Truman desegregates the armed forces: Executive Order 9981 ended official racial segregation in the military.
  
  

• 1954 – Brown v. Board of Education: The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.
  
  

• 1955–56 – Montgomery Bus Boycott: Sparked by Rosa Parks’ arrest, the boycott (led by Martin Luther King Jr.) led to a Supreme Court ruling banning segregation on buses.
  
  

• 1957 – Civil Rights Act: First since Reconstruction; created the Civil Rights Commission and gave the Justice Department power to enforce voting rights.
  
  

1960s

• 1960 – Sit-in movement: Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins began widespread nonviolent protests against segregation.
  
  

• 1961 – Freedom Rides: Challenged segregation in interstate bus travel; riders faced violence but forced federal action.
  
  

• 1963 – March on Washington: “I Have a Dream” speech; pushed national momentum for change, unity and the end to segregation and discrimination.
  
  

• 1964 – Civil Rights Act: Landmark law outlawed segregation in public places, employment, and federally funded programs.
  
  

• 1965 – Voting Rights Act: Banned literacy tests and other discriminatory voting barriers; led to huge increases in African American voter registration.
  
  

• 1967 – Loving v. Virginia: Supreme Court struck down laws banning interracial marriage.
  
  

1970s–1990s

• 1971 – Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg: Court upheld school busing as a tool to enforce integration.
  
  

• 1972 – Equal Employment Opportunity Act: Strengthened enforcement of job discrimination laws.
  
  

• 1991 – Civil Rights Act: Expanded workers’ rights to sue for discrimination and harassment.
  
  

2000s–Present

• 2008 – Election of Barack Obama: First African American president, seen as symbolic progress.
  
  

• Ongoing: Expanding civil rights to LGBTQ+ Americans (e.g., Obergefell v. Hodges 2015, legalized same-sex marriage).

3. Look at the major achievements in each decade outlined above. Analyse each decade. Make a list for each decade answering the questions below.  

What were Civil Rights activists focused on in each decade particular? How did that change over time and what successes did it lead to? How did the creation of new laws enforce change? 

Challenges

Resistance and Violence

• 1950s–60s: White Citizens’ Councils and Ku Klux Klan violence targeted activists; murders of Emmett Till (1955), Medgar Evers (1963), Chaney/Goodman/Schwerner (1964).
  
  

• 1963 – Birmingham campaign: Protesters, including children, were attacked by police dogs and fire hoses.
  
  

• 1964 – Mississippi Freedom Summer: Volunteers faced intimidation, arrests, and killings.
  
  

Political and Social Backlash

• “Massive Resistance”: Southern states closed or privatized schools rather than integrate.
  
  

• 1960s urban unrest: Riots in Watts (1965), Detroit (1967), Newark (1967) reflected frustration with poverty and police brutality.
  
  

• Rise of “Law and Order” politics: Nixon and later politicians appealed to white voters uneasy about civil rights gains.
  
  

Continuing Inequality

• De facto segregation: Despite legal victories, housing and schooling remained racially divided due to economic and residential patterns.
  
  

• Voting Rights Act weakened (2013): Shelby County v. Holder struck down federal pre-clearance rules, leading to new state restrictions on voting.
  
  

• Police violence and mass incarceration: Ongoing challenges highlighted by Rodney King (1991), Black Lives Matter (2013–present), George Floyd (2020).
  
  

• Economic disparity: Gaps in wealth, education, healthcare, and employment persist.

4. What is the nature of the resistance to change during these decades? Write a paragraph. 

Research 2 examples: what happened and assess the impact of it on the Civil Rights Movement. Share this with the class next lesson.