EOTO: Civil Rights Era
On November 7th, 2022, my Talking About Freedom class held Mock Trials and EOTO presentations. I was a part of the Mock Trial group. So, this is a blogpost about the information that I learned from the EOTO groups presentation.
The KKK
The KKK was founded in 1865 and it expanded by 1870 in the South. The KKK was the Souths way of resisting the Republican Party's reconstruction era.
Lynching
Lynching is a form of violence where you cause harm without trial beforehand. It is a form of execution.
16th Street Baptist Church Bombing
On Sunday, September 15th, 1963, four young girls died by a bombing during church. The attack was done by the KKK. This was not the first time a bombing has happened in the city of Birmingham during this time. This had caused the city to be nicknamed "Bombingham."
3 Civil Rights Workers
On June 21st, 1964, three workers were tortured before being murdered by the KKK. The three workers had fought for civil rights.
The Lynching of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a 14-year-old black child from Chicago. He had been visiting Mississippi and had gone into a candy store. There he was accused of flirting with a white woman. He was promptly lynched then murdered by the woman's husband and the husband's brother. At Emmett Till's funeral, Emmett's mother wanted an open casket so those watching could witness how terrible the hate crime was.
Edmund Pettus Bridge
This event was a civil rights march that had been a peaceful protest that turrned violent. It was televised, so those who were watching began realizing the issues.
The Assassination of Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers was a Civil Rights leader between the 1950s and 1960s. He had joined the NAACP in 1951 and was a broadcaster of the Civil Rights protests. On June 12th, 1963, he was assassinated by Byron de la Beckwith, who eventually went to prison for his crime in 1994.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Although the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments had been passed, states still had Jim Crow laws and required literary tests to keep the country segregated. So, JFK had eventually been convinced to create the Civil Rights Act to protect the rights of black Americans.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks had wanted to sit down on the bus instead of stand. She had been sitting in the "correct" segregated section of the bus and had been asked to stand so a white man could sit. She denied him before she was promptly arrested for not giving up her seat. She had said that she was tired. This has often been misinterpreted as her being tired from work, though in actuality, she meant that she was tired of how she had been treated because of Jim Crow/segregation laws.
The Creation and Rise of the NAACP
The NAACP was founded in New York City during February of 1909. It was created as a response to the 1908 Springfield riot in Illinois. By 1919, the NAACP had nearly 100,000 members. They were a crucial player in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s.
The March on Washington
On August 28th, 1963, 200,000 people went to the US capital to protest segregation and the mistreatment of black people by the United States. Speakers took the podium to speak. One of those speakers being Martin Luther King Jr., who had his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. At the march, many security precautions were taken as people thought that the event would turn violent. Thus leading to President John F. Kennedy threatening to revoke the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if things had turned sour. Luckily, the march stayed peaceful and didn't have any rambunctious groups.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act reinforced the 15th Amendment for black men to vote. The event that led up to it becoming a law was Bloody Sunday.
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
This organization provided financial support for black Americans and created better futures for them. The organization has worked with 37 historically black colleges.
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