The origins of the civil rights movement - The civil rights movement in America - KS3 History - homework help for year 7, 8 and 9. - BBC Bitesize (2024)

Key points

  • Following the American Civil War and the abolition of the slave trade, there were still many people who wanted to keep racist rules and systems. This was particularly the case in the southern states of the USA.

  • Jim Crow laws denied Black people rights by enforcing segregation and discrimination in southern states.

  • The Ku Klux Klan targeted Black, immigrant, Jewish and Catholic people in the 1920s.

  • The 1954 Brown v Topeka case was an important turning point in the civil rights movement, as it showed that the Supreme Court was prepared to take action to end segregation in the USA.

Video about the origins of the civil rights movement

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Background

In 1865, the American Civil War between the northern and southern states ended. The southern states were also known as the states.

The northern states declared victory and the years immediately after were known as the Reconstruction era. Slavery was abolished, Black Americans were granted American citizenship, and Black men were allowed to vote.

The racist attitudes of some southern states meant that they opposed these changes. Some people turned to violence against Black Americans and those who supported them, including other white Americans.

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The Ku Klux Klan

In 1865, a organisation called the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was formed. Membership of the KKK was kept secret. Klan members wore white robes and white pointed hats, which also covered their faces, to hide their identities. The KKK leader was known as the ‘Grand Wizard’. Racist members of the KKK carried out violent attacks against many Black Americans. They also targeted other groups of people, including Jews, immigrants and Catholics. Black people were , assaulted and .

In southern states, such as Texas and Mississippi, Klan members would walk openly through the streets. Some police officers, judges and government officials were members of the Klan.

In 1870 and 1871, the government passed the Enforcement Acts, which were laws that aimed to prevent and prosecute crimes committed by KKK members. After this, the KKK’s power declined for several years.

In 1915, the KKK re-emerged after a film called ‘The Birth of a Nation’ was released. Its racist depictions of Black Americans attracted KKK members, and their popularity increased. The KKK also had a surge in membership after World War One, as there was an increased against from some American people, including politicians.

The origins of the civil rights movement - The civil rights movement in America - KS3 History - homework help for year 7, 8 and 9. - BBC Bitesize (1)

In 1921, President Warren G. Harding approved the Emergency Act. This placed a limit on the number of immigrants from different countries who were legally allowed to live in the USA. Immigrants faced violence from people already living in the USA, as they wrongly believed that immigrants were taking jobs that belonged to white Americans.

By the mid-1920s, the KKK had 5 million members. To try and escape the violence, many Black Americans moved to northern states, including Illinois, Michigan and New York. This was known as the Great Migration. Northern states did not have the same laws as the south, but Black Americans still faced racism and .

The origins of the civil rights movement - The civil rights movement in America - KS3 History - homework help for year 7, 8 and 9. - BBC Bitesize (2)

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Segregation in the USA

Jim Crow laws

The origins of the civil rights movement - The civil rights movement in America - KS3 History - homework help for year 7, 8 and 9. - BBC Bitesize (3)

In 1896, a case determined that segregation between Black and white Americans did not the US , as long as the facilities for each group were of the same quality. This became known as ‘separate but equal’.

Jim Crow laws enforced segregation in the south, meaning it was legal to have separate facilities for Black and white Americans. Segregated spaces included:

  • Schools
  • Waiting rooms
  • Public transport
  • Libraries
  • Cinemas

Even though facilities were meant to be equal, the reality was very different. Facilities for Black Americans were frequently of much poorer quality than those for white citizens. Many schools for Black Americans were overcrowded, and would only have access to a limited curriculum. School buildings would have structural issues, such as leaky roofs. Some cities would only have enough funding for one school and would prioritise schools for white American children, leaving Black American children without an education.

Legal and financial inequalities

Racist attitudes were often reflected in the law. The fifteenth amendment of 1870 gave every man the right to vote, regardless of their race or colour. Some states then passed a law that meant people had to pass a literacy test to be allowed to vote in democratic elections. Black Americans were more likely to have literacy issues due to a lack of investment in Black education.

Some states also imposed ‘grandfather’ clauses, which gave a person an automatic right to vote if their grandfather had voting rights in that state. This meant that most white Americans were eligible to vote without ever having to take the literacy test.

Racist discrimination was also clear in wages. Black Americans were often paid less than white Americans in the same job.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

The origins of the civil rights movement - The civil rights movement in America - KS3 History - homework help for year 7, 8 and 9. - BBC Bitesize (5)

In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was set up by W.E.B. Du Bois, Mary White Ovington and Ida B. Wells-Barnett. They campaigned for changes to the law and equal treatment for Black Americans. The NAACP also provided funding so that Black people could have access to .

After World War Two, the NAACP started to take legal action to challenge the ‘separate but equal’ ruling and bring an end to segregation.

The origins of the civil rights movement - The civil rights movement in America - KS3 History - homework help for year 7, 8 and 9. - BBC Bitesize (6)

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Brown v Topeka

The origins of the civil rights movement - The civil rights movement in America - KS3 History - homework help for year 7, 8 and 9. - BBC Bitesize (7)

In 1951, an eight-year-old Black girl named Linda Brown wasn’t allowed to attend her nearest school in Topeka, Kansas, as it was for white children only. She had to travel much further, on the bus, to a school for Black children. Linda’s father, Oliver Brown, and the NAACP took legal action against the Topeka Board of Education in the Supreme Court.

In 1954, the Supreme Court passed a ruling determining that segregated schools in Topeka were not of equal quality. It said that they violated the ‘separate but equal’ policy. The Supreme Court went on to rule that segregation in schools should end immediately. This decision was met with anger and resentment in some southern states, but the ruling was supported by President Eisenhower, along with his successors, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

The Brown v Topeka case was a landmark in showing that the Supreme Court was willing to take action to end segregation in America.

The origins of the civil rights movement - The civil rights movement in America - KS3 History - homework help for year 7, 8 and 9. - BBC Bitesize (8)

What did the Supreme Court ruling say?

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Test your knowledge

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History Detectives game. gameHistory Detectives game

Analyse and evaluate evidence to uncover some of history’s burning questions in this game

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The origins of the civil rights movement - The civil rights movement in America - KS3 History - homework help for year 7, 8 and 9.  - BBC Bitesize (2024)

FAQs

What was the origin of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States? ›

The American civil rights movement that came to prominence in the 1950s had its roots in the 19th-century struggle to abolish slavery. Basic civil rights were granted to emancipated African Americans during the Reconstruction era (1865–77) that followed the Civil War.

What was the Civil Rights Movement KS3? ›

The Civil Rights Movement was a social and political movement where Black Americans fought to gain equal rights in the 1950s and 1960s.

What are the 10 civil rights? ›

Examples of civil rights include the right to vote, the right to a fair trial, the right to government services, the right to a public education, the right to gainful employment, the right to housing, the right to use public facilities, freedom of religion.

What is the main goal of the civil rights movement? ›

In the middle of the 20th century, a nationwide movement for equal rights for African Americans and for an end to racial segregation and exclusion arose across the United States.

What is the origin of the civil rights movement as it relates to constitutional interpretation? ›

Explanation: The civil rights movement originated with the legal definition of private property and its relation to constitutional interpretation. This movement aimed to address and combat racial discrimination and segregation in the United States, particularly against African Americans, and secure their equal rights.

What are the civil rights summary? ›

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing.

Who came up with Separate but Equal? ›

“Separate but equal” refers to the infamously racist decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that allowed the use of segregation laws by states and local governments.

Why was ending segregation so difficult? ›

In cities where segregation existed but was not codified into law, courts were much more limited in their ability to enforce integration. Integration was further hindered by court cases like Milliken v. Bradley, which severely limited the power of the courts to enforce desegregation across school districts.

What are civil rights for kids? ›

Civil rights protect you from being discriminated against by the government. Civil rights also work to provide equality for all people. This means that all citizens have equal opportunities for things like work, education and marriage no matter what.

What nickname was given to the segregation laws in the southern United States? ›

When southern legislatures passed laws of racial segregation directed against African Americans at the end of the 19th century, these statutes became known as Jim Crow laws.

What did the civil rights movement teach us? ›

It aimed to give African Americans the same citizenship rights that whites took for granted. It was a war waged on many fronts. In the 1960s it achieved impressive judicial and legislative victories against discrimination in public accommodations and voting.

What best defines civil rights movement? ›

The phrase that best defines the civil rights movement is the fight for fair treatment for all Americans regardless of race.

The Civil Rights Movement | Encyclopedia.comEncyclopedia.comhttps://www.encyclopedia.com ›

3: The Civil Rights MovementSocial reform movements begin when a large group of people, feeling frustrated and unhappy with some aspects of society, join togeth...
Historical background or events prior to the Civil Rights Movement; Significant protests and Supreme Court rulings during the movement; Laws that were passed to...
The Civil Rights Movement was a political campaign to eradicate and abolish racial segregation throughout the United States of America.

How did the civil rights movement begin quizlet? ›

In 1955, after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus, Dr. Martin L. King led a boycott of city busses. After 11 months the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public transportation was illegal.

What led to the beginnings of the civil rights movement during the Progressive Era? ›

Therefore, the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement during the Progressive Era were driven by a complex interplay of factors: ongoing racial oppression, growth of Black institutions and leadership, the influence of progressive ideas, emerging activist organizations, and international events.

Why was the civil rights movement considered a turning point in American history? ›

It aimed to give African Americans the same citizenship rights that whites took for granted. It was a war waged on many fronts. In the 1960s it achieved impressive judicial and legislative victories against discrimination in public accommodations and voting.

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