GA People & Events in the Civil Rights Movement

Georgia People, Groups, & Events in the Civil Rights Movement

​SS8H11b

• I can describe the role of Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Brown, the SNCC and the SCLC, and the Albany Movement and March on Washington in the Civil Rights Movement.

​Martin Luther King, Jr. & the SCLC

• Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, and he became a minister & national leader in the battle for civil rights in the U.S.

• MLK believed in using nonviolent methods, such as marches, demonstrations & boycotts, to make social change

• MLK helped to form a civil rights group called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

  • he wanted to lead anti-discrimination marches & protests throughout the South

​Southern Christian Leadership Conference

• The SCLC was formed shortly after the Montgomery Bus Boycott, where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger

  • this boycott showed that nonviolent protests could work

• Martin Luther King, Jr. became the first president

• Originally, the SCLC wanted to do more bus boycotts across the South

  • the group wanted to do more, so they decided to focus on ending all forms of segregation

• The SCLC began using sit-ins at lunch counters in the South, expanded its efforts to other public places, and promotoed Black voter registration

• The SCLC struggled to gain attention in the beginning because people were afraid to be associated with the group due to fear of attacks from the Ku Klux Klan or angry mobs

• The group slowly gained members and momentum, and eventually joined protests across the nation

​Southern Christian Leadership Conference Sit-ins

• Look at these two pictures from sit-ins done during the Civil Rights Movement.

• Did white Americans agree with these sit-ins? How can you tell?

• How were African Americans treated during them?

​John Lewis

• John Lewis was born & raised in segregated Alabama

• From a young age he realized change needed to happen

• He listened to speeches made by MLK and this influenced him to join the Civil Rights Movement

• While in college, he organized a sit-in in Nashville, Tennessee & even volunteered to be part of the Freedom Rides, which was a series of nonviolent protests where white whites & blacks rode together on buses throughout the South

  • he was beaten several different times by angry mobs

• He was arrested more than 40 times during the Civil Rights Movement, but he never gave up & continued advocating for nonviolence as a way to create change

​John Lewis

• Lewis served as chairmen for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

• Even after the Civil Rights Movement ended, Lewis continued to stand up for those who needed someone to be their voice

• He had a career in politics, where he was able to use his voice to help others

• He represented Georgia's 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 until his death in 2020

  • he represented metro Atlanta

Open Ended

How did BOTH Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis contribute to the Civil Rights Movement?

Match

Match the following

• refusing to buy, sell, or use something

• influenced by MLK, participated in the Civil Rights Movement & was a representative for GA in Congress

• protest where a demonstrator refuses to move from where they are sitting

• national leader for civil rights in the U.S. & involved with the SCLC

• civil rights group that marched and protested throughout the South; MLK was first president

boycott

John Lewis

sit-in

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

• boycott

• John Lewis

• sit-in

• Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Southern Christian Leadership Conference

​The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

• In 1960, high school & college students formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

• They often worked alongside the SCLC to organize peaceful protests

• Beginning with sit-ins at lunch counters in the South, the SNCC continued to expand its efforts to stop segregation through boycotts, marches, and freedom rides

• The group was often met with extreme violence at its protests, but its members did not let fear stop them

​The Albany Movement

• From fall 1961 - summer 1962, a desegregation movement took place in Albany, GA, called the Albany Movement

• It involved several civil rights organizations, including the NAACP and the SNCC

• Ultimately, the goal of the Albany Movement was to end all types of segregation in the city, from buses and trains to libraries, hospitals, and juries

  • to reach this goal, the Albany Movement used mass demonstrations, sit-ins, and boycotts

• Many protestors were arrested, even MLK when he came to Albany to bring national attention to the cause

• Even with MLK, the desegregation efforts failed

  • MLK said they tried to do too many things instead of focusing on one apsect of segregation

Multiple Choice

Which civil rights group was NOT involved in the Albany Movement?

• NAACP

• SCLC

• SNCC

Multiple Choice

Why was the Albany Movement unsuccessful in desegregating Albany?

• it tried to do too many things instead of focusing on one aspect of segregation

• it had too many leaders with conflicting motives

• it was too peaceful in its protests and needed more force

• the police were too mean to African American protestors

​The March on Washington

• Civil rights activists were active in many states across the South, but in 1963 leaders set their sights on Washington, D.C.

• To truly gain their civil rights, African American and Black citizens needed to get Congress involved in making federal legislation

• In August 1963, more than 250,000 people, both blacks & whites, converged on the nation’s capital to demand equal rights for African American and Black citizens

  • a clear message was sent to Congress: vote "yes" on civil rights legislation

• The March on Washington sent shock waves through America, largely due to its peaceful methods.

• At the march, MLK delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, encouraging Americans to strive for a world where Black and white children could play and live together in peace.

Multiple Choice

What was the reason for the March on Washington?

• to show huge numbers of Americans supported equal rights for African American citizens

• to intimidate Congress with the masses of people willing to fight

• to start a lengthy sit-in and demand an immidate change from Congress

Multiple Choice

Who gave the "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington?

• John Lewis

• Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Herman Taldmadge

• Ernest Vandiver

Multiple Choice

True or False: A peaceful march is less effective than using violence because most people are willing to participate in and support violent protests.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, the SCLC, the SNCC, the Alabany Movement, and the March on Washington believed in using or used which method of protests?

• violence - riots, destroying property

• peaceful - boycotts, sit-ins, marches