Freedom is Not
Enough
SEPARATE BUT EQUAL
A look into the past
Proclamation Emancipation was proposed by Abraham Lincoln and
issued Jan 1st 1863.
This pushed for the 13th amendment which freed 3 million slaves among
the Confederate States and permanently abolished slavery in the Union
Following the Reconstruction era (1865-1877), Southern States were
readmitted into the Union based Northern terms.
With the assassination of Lincoln, President Andrew Jackson helped
reestablish the Democratic Party in the South
A look into the past
After the 13th amendment, Congress passed the 14th and 15th
amendment
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the
privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any
state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due
process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the
equal protection of the laws 14th amendment
The 15th amendment gave African American men the right to vote
Jim Crow laws
Even though the 13th, 14th and 15th amendment helped to protect
the laws of recently freed slaves, former Southern Confederate
states had other plans in mind.
In the 1890s, Confederate States began restricting African
Americans from voting.
Literary tests, Grandfather clause, poll taxes and other voting registration
obstacles
Plessy V. Ferguson
Homer Plessy was arrested for riding in a white car in 1892.
Plessy passed as white but due to being 1/8 black, he was legally
colored
Plessy and his lawyers argued that this was a violation of the 13th
and 14th amendment
The decision set the precedent for separate but equal
Destination: North
The Great Migration (1900-1970)
The Promised Land or as the North was referred to, was the vision
of freedom for men and women
The Industrial North needed a labor source, threatening the
Southern way of life
Roughly six million blacks emigrated from the southern states
Separate but Equal
As set forth by the Supreme Court due to Plessy V. Ferguson there
would be separate facilities for blacks and whites, which was
constitutional as long as the were equal
Affected much of the public life of blacks and other minorities such
as bathrooms, schools, theaters.
Changes in the Outfield
Jackie Robinson was the first black baseball player to integrate to
the Major League Baseball in 1947
Encountered major backlash from baseball fans resulting death
threats, injuries, insults and humiliation
Paved the way for desegregating the American sports culture.
Brown V. the Board of Education
1954
Linda Browns parents sued the Topeka school district since their
daughter had to travel a large distance her segregated school.
The Supreme Court decision declared segregation in public schools
violated the 14th amendement
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested and fined for not giving up her seat
since all of the white seats were all taken up
In protest, Parks, her husband and other members of NAACP
boycotted the Montgomery bus system demanding courtesy, hiring
black drivers, and a first come first serve policy
Segregation of the bus seating violated the 14th amendment so 381
days later, the Montgomery bus system was integrated.
1964s Pivotal Point
After many years of struggle, John F. Kennedys first proposal was
signed into effect by Lyndon B. Johnson.
This legislation known as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned
segregation in public schools and employment discrimination.
This success paved the way for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which
prohibited voting restrictions and discriminatory voting practices. It
also prompted for legislation that banned discrimination in sale,
rental and financing of property also known as Fair Housing Act of
1968.
Little Rock Nine, Looking Back
Questions to Consider
Why do you think inequality endured almost a century in the case of
African Americans? Was it an economical benefit or a southern way of
life?
The Civil Rights era was over 50 years ago meaning that most of our
grandparents lived this in oppressive period. What do you think your
grandparents had to endure when going to school, work, or simply to
the grocery store? Regardless of what ethnicity you are.
Putting into perspective restrictions and discriminatory obstacles, how
would you, a perspective driver feel if there was extremely high fees for
your driving exam based on your ethnicity, gender or sex? Or if there
were different driving exam procedures and rigorous steps to apply and
get your license?
Acknoledgement
This presentation was adapted from PBS The Rise and Fall of Jim
Crow stories http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories.html
