Civil rights movement in the United States: Nature & characteristics of discrimination

Nature of Discrimination in the US

Jim Crow Laws: Various state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the American South, prominently used Southern discrimination systems that relied on ‘separate but equal’ facilities.
Literacy Tests, Grandfather Clauses, Poll Taxes: Used to disenfranchise black voters and maintain political white supremacy.
Lynching: Mob violence directed at black people, often involving hanging, was an extreme form of discrimination.
Housing and Employment Discrimination: Discriminatory practices often prevented African Americans from securing good jobs and housing.
Segregation: Involves the physical separation of races in daily life, such as on public transport, in schools, and public amenities, which ensured white dominance.

Pervasive: Discrimination was widespread and affected almost every aspect of life for African Americans, including education, employment, housing, voting rights, and social treatment.
Institutionalized: Much of this discrimination was legislated and carried out by governmental and local authorities.
Violent: Discrimination often involved physical harm, such as racial attacks and lynchings.
Ongoing: Despite efforts to change, discrimination has had lingering effects, and some form of it continues today.

Martin Luther King Jr.: Employed nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs. Known for his ‘I have a Dream’ speech during the March on Washington in 1963.
Rosa Parks: Her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a public bus led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was one of the first major public stands against discrimination.
Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam: Advocated for black supremacy, the rejection of pacifism and integration, and separate black and white states.
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC): Played a major role in the 1960s civil rights movement through sit-ins and Freedom Rides.
National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP): Legal action was its main tactic, with the Brown v. Board of Education case as a significant victory.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Supreme Court case that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956): Sparked by Rosa Parks’ arrest, it was non-violent protest against segregated public transport and led to its end.
Little Rock Nine (1957): A group of black students were blocked from entering a school in Arkansas by the National Guard, federal intervention allowed their admission.
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963): Attracted more than 200,000 protesters, it demonstrated the wide support for civil rights and featured Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech.
Civil Rights Act (1964): Landmark legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex, or national origin.
Voting Rights Act (1965): Eliminated discriminatory practices like literacy tests, which had been used to disenfranchise African Americans.