Civil Rights Movement

34 Pages·2011·4.683 MB·English

by  Jim Ollhoff

THE CIVIL
RIGHTS
MOVEMENT
BY JIM OLLHOFF
V
ISIT US AT
. .
WWW ABDOPUBLISHING COM
Published by ABDO Publishing Company, 8000 West 78th Street, Suite 310, Edina,
MN 55439. Copyright ©2011 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights
reserved in all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without
written permission from the publisher. ABDO & Daughters™ is a trademark and logo of
ABDO Publishing Company.
Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota.
112010
012011
Editor: John Hamilton
Graphic Design: John Hamilton
Cover Design: Neil Klinepier
Cover Photo: Getty Images
Interior Photos and Illustrations: Corbis-pgs 10-11, 12, 23; Getty Images-pgs 12, 13,
15, 19, 22, 24, 25, 26-27, 27, 28-28; Granger Collection-pgs 4-5, 8, 9, 14, 16-17, 18,
20-21; iStockphoto-pgs 6-7.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ollhoff, Jim, 1959-
The civil rights movement / Jim Ollhoff.
p. cm. -- (African-American history)
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-61714-709-8
1. Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century--Juvenile literature. 2.
African Americans--Civil rights--History--20th century--Juvenile literature. 3. United
States--Race relations--Juvenile literature. I. Title.
E185.61.O37 2011
323.0973--dc22
2010038246
CONTENTS
The Civil Rights Movement .................................................................................4
Segregation in the Schools ....................................................................................6
A Murder That Rocked the Nation ...................................................................10
The Rise of Martin Luther King Jr. ...................................................................14
The Bus to Civil Rights ........................................................................................16
Nonviolent Protests ..............................................................................................20
Birmingham, Alabama .........................................................................................24
The March on Washington .................................................................................26
Breaking Down the Walls of Racism ................................................................28
Glossary ...................................................................................................................30
Index ........................................................................................................................32
THE CIVIL
RIGHTS
MOVEMENT
Racism is like a brick wall made of always will be. There will
hatred, fear, and ignorance. From probably always be people who
1954 to 1964, that wall started to are full of hatred for one group or
come down, little by little, brick another. However, the civil rights
by brick. During this decade, the movement was a time when the
civil rights movement saw a racist ugliness of great injustice was
and unjust society begin to make revealed for everyone to see.
real progress. It took the courage Before the civil rights movement,
of brilliant black leaders. It took injustices and inequality were
court cases and federal action. tolerated in the United States.
It took nonviolent resistance. There is still racism today,
And, tragically, it took the blood and equality is still only a dream
of innocent people, killed for for many. But the courage of
seeking freedom and equality. the leaders of the civil rights
There has always been racism. movement brought a new
Unfortunately, there probably freedom for African Americans.
4
Martin Luther King Jr. leads a
protest march from Selma, Alabama,
to the state capital of Montgomery
in March 1965. The protesters were
demanding voter registration rights
for African Americans.
Martin Luther King Jr.
5
SEGREGATION
IN THE
SCHOOLS
Since the late 1800s, state courts cases questioning segregation laws.
had ruled that schools could be Thurgood Marshall argued the
segregated. In other words, they case for the black community. He
said it was okay to have “whites- said that separate schools meant
only” schools and “blacks-only” that the schools were unequal,
schools. However, in the 1930s and did not give black children
and in the years following, many a fair education. The Supreme
people challenged that belief. Court agreed, and struck down
In 1954, the United States segregation in schools in the case
Supreme Court heard a series of of Brown v. Board of Education.
6
7
Elizabeth Eckford
(in sunglasses)
is verbally
abused as she
walks to class in
September 1957
at Little Rock
Central High
School, in Little
Rock, Arkansas.
Some communities ignored Faubus sent in Arkansas National
the Supreme Court’s ruling. Guard soldiers to keep the
Others partially ignored it. Little peace and turn away the African
Rock, Arkansas, became a famous American students.
battleground. In September 1957, By the end of September 1957,
a number of black students tried to President Dwight Eisenhower,
enroll at an all-white high school. angered by the governor’s
White segregationists opposed disobedience of the Supreme
the black enrollment. Tempers Court ruling, sent in federal
and lawsuits increased. Finally, troops to enforce integration and
segregationist Governor Orval protect the black students.
8