Civil Rights in America

This week marks the birthday of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., which has been celebrated as a national holiday since 1986. Assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968, King was a significant inspirational figure during the Civil Rights Movement.

Spanning a decade, this well-educated preacher led thousands of people on nonviolent marches in protest of racial inequalities, such as forcing the use of separate public facilities like schools, restrooms, bus seats, drinking fountains and restaurants. In a typical year, King traveled 780,000 miles and made over 200 speeches, becoming a clear, single voice for a repressed people and heralding the collapse of segregation.

The movement essentially began in 1954, when the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. This meant that formerly "whites only" schools must accept black students as well and provide them the same quality of education.

Desegregating American society is a process that continued throughout the 20th Century, and some would argue that intolerance among the nation's mix of ethnic and racial groups even persists into the 21st Century. Certainly people's fears of terrorism, immigration, competition for educational opportunities and jobs, as well as the loss of a shared cultural identity, can lead to insecurities that fuel prejudice.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. this week, you'll explore the history of segregation and the Civil Rights Movement.

The Jim Crow Laws

For this week's lesson, you'll start at the end of the Civil War, about the time black slaves were freed. Although President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation basically abolished slavery in 1877, prejudice against black Americans remained rampant, especially in the Southern states. Many free blacks remained slaves to state segregation laws -- referred to as the Jim Crow Laws -- along with the region's prevailing social prejudices.

Visit the PBS site, The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. Begin at A Century of Segregation, and click each timeline tab -- from the Emancipation Proclamation to Reconstruction Ends -- for a pop-up window summarizing each event. What was Reconstruction, and how did it define this period of American history? How was the Ku Klux Klan formed, and who became members? What were the Enforcement Acts?

Next, read some of the Jim Crow Stories. Jump into the mix by meeting some of the People of this era. Choose a few of the profiles, like Jessie Daniel Ames, Charles Evers, or Richard Wright. How did segregation affect each of these people and those they knew? How did they each contribute to the civil rights movement of this era?

While citizens living in the South felt the impacts of segregation daily, government agents were wrestling with the divisions it caused at their level as well. For a look into these political figures, explore A National Struggle. Read how The President, The Congress, and The Supreme Court influenced the creation and enforcement of various segregation laws. Which branch was particularly active in establishing and keeping Jim Crow Laws? Could one branch have maintained this situation without the agreement of the other two? What was the importance of the Plessy vs. Ferguson case?

If you have a Flash player, you can also explore the Interactive Maps section. Learn about the major factors that contributed to the establishment of the Jim Crow Laws, along with how they impacted Colleges & Universities, Population & Migration, and Lynching & Riots.

Before leaving this site, check out its Tools & Activities section. Try Voting Then & Now, or face the Racial Realities. What obstacles are related to laws and which to personal attitudes? How are some a mixture of both?

The Civil Rights Movement

When the Supreme Court ruled the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision was unconstitutional 58 years later by their Brown vs. the Board of Education verdict, it further heightened racial tensions in the South.

Begin exploring the Civil Rights Movement at the Africanaonline site. Aside from MLK, meet some of the other noteworthy activists, such as Rosa Parks and Malcolm X. How did each of them contribute to the movement? How were their actions and beliefs similar or different from each other?

Also review the Timeline, Major Events, and Riots to get a better understanding of the scope of this critical era -- through the 20th Century and across the nation. If you have time, stop by Little Rock, Mississippi, Selma, and Montgomery to read about significant events that happened in those places.

How do you think your life would be different if you were a resident in a Southern state during this time period? How would it vary, depending if you were black or white, male or female?

Can you identify any personal attitudes or laws in today's society that seem to be prejudice against one type of people? Why or why not?