Success of, and opposition to, the civil rights movement
Successes of the civil rights movement
During the 1950s, black civil rights groups had achieved several victories. For example:
- They had helped to bring about a national change in the law via the 1957 Civil Rights Act, which set up a committee to investigate To treat someone differently or unfairly because they belong to a particular group..
- They had organised a national campaign to end some examples of segregation, such as where black people could buy houses and where they could sit on public transport between states.
One of their most important victories was the The ultimate court of appeal in the USA. It makes the final decision on whether a law is permitted by the US Constitution. decision in the Brown v Board of Education of Topeka case in 1957. Across the South, many black students were unable to attend nearby schools because they did not admit black students. Some black parents were determined to change this and took their local education authority to court. They hoped to win the right to send their children to their nearest school.
Eventually, a case brought by Oliver Brown reached the Supreme Court. The court decided the 鈥榮eparate-but-equal鈥 rule did not work in public education as separate educational facilities were, by their nature, unequal. It said that schools should be Removal of laws that separate people from different races in public places and day-to-day life..
Opposition groups
Local white opposition
The Brown v Topeka decision shocked many white supporters of segregation. It was seen as the end of the idea of 鈥榮eparate but equal鈥. In some areas, white opposition groups, called White Citizens鈥 Councils, were set up to oppose desegregation.
Many white people from the South joined the A white supremacist organisation that used violence and intimidation to target black, immigrant, Jewish and Catholic people. Its members believe, based on incorrect and unscientific ideas about evolution, that white people are superior and should therefore hold the power in society. (KKK) after the Brown v Topeka decision. This revived the violence and brutality of earlier campaigns by the KKK.
Politicians opposed to civil rights
Dixiecrats
In the 1948 presidential election, the Democrats campaigned nationally to improve civil rights for black Americans. However, some of their politicians in the South were opposed to this. They formed another party, the States鈥 Rights Democratic Party, and put forward their own presidential candidate. The Dixiecrats, as they were nicknamed, almost prevented the Democratic candidate, Harry Truman, from winning the election and becoming president.
Southern Manifesto
After the Brown v Topeka decision, around 100 congresspeople representing the South strengthened their resistance to desegregation. They created the Southern Manifesto in 1956 to prevent the desegregation of schools. They offered their support to any state that resisted change in schools. This gave White Citizens鈥 Councils and state governments the feeling that their resistance was supported by the important politicians in the South.
State government opposition
The 1957 Civil Rights Act aimed to help black people to vote. However, some state government officials in the South opposed progress. Judges in the South often sided against black people who used the new law to challenge discrimination.
Officials often used passive tactics, such as hiding in their offices, to stop black people from registering to vote. Some state governments also changed the rules about where their voters could live, so as to exclude black people. All of these actions slowed or stopped improved civil rights for black Americans.