Leaders In The Civil Rights Movement

Leaders

The 1960's Civil Rights Movement had numerous leaders who had a lasting and influential impact towards the movement. Inspiring people and leading the movement towards desegregation, racial equality and legal recognition for African Americans in the US. The significant leaders in the movement being James Farmer, Roy Wilkins,. John Lewis, A.Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King,Jr, Whitney Young and Rosa Parks.

Political

No social or political movement in the 20th century has had such a profound effect on the legal and political institutes in the US. The African American Civil Rights Movement achieved numerous legislative amendments throughout the movement, the most significant being the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act

of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Economic
The African American Civil Rights Movement was known for social and political impact however, the movement economic impact and effect on African American's in the US. It's still debated today whether or not the civil rights movement was successful in relation to African American's economy stability. In particular to do with issue of employment, housing, and poverty among African American's in the US.
Historical Inquiry Mind Map
The 1960's African American Civil Rights Movement
Social and Cultural
The 1960's African American Civil Rights Movement had a profound effect on American society and culture, racial segregation was previously a social norm before the movement.

The movement changed the landscape of American society and opened it up to excluded groups and gave these groups a model for protest and change. It demonstrated that nonviolent protests and struggle was a viable method of social and cultural change.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rosa Parks

James Farmer

The 'Big Six'

The term "Big Six" refers to the leaders of the six prominent civil rights organisations during the movement. The leaders include (from left to right in the image below) John Lewis, Whitney Young, Jr., A. Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, and Roy Wilkins.

John Lewis

Whitney Young, Jr.

Roy Wilkins

A. Philip Randolph

Significant Events

James Farmer was the founder of the Congress of Racial Equality in 1942. Farmer was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and was a leading activist in the non-violent protests and ending segregation in the US. He initiated and organised the Freedom Rides in 1961, which was one of the most influential non-violent protest during the movement. The Freedom Rides ended segregation on inter-state public transport in the US. Farmer was a passionate civil rights activist, who risked his life numerous times in order to fight for African American civil rights. He received several honors throughout his life, in particular

receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bill Clinton in 1998.
Roy Wilkins was a key figure in the civil rights movement and was named director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1955. Wilkins was on the key players in the Brown v. Board of Education case which ruled segregation in public schools illegal, as well as being a vocal member of the Civil rights act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He participated in the major demonstrations of the March on Washington in 1963 and the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. He believed in gaining equality and civil rights through legislation and constitutional means. Wilkins was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1967 by President Lyndon Johnson.

John Lewis was the youngest member of the "Big Six". He grew up during the era of desegregation and the civil rights movement . Being inspired by the influential leader Martin Luther King, Jr. he became apart of the movement. He was a freedom rider and spoke on behalf of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee at the March of Washington in 1963, as well as leading the Selma to Montgomery Marches to which he became well known for. His speech at the March of Washington was influential and memorable with his strong words of "we all recognise the fact that if any radical social, political and economic changes are to take place in our society, the people, the masses, must bring them about". He left he SNCC 1966 and in 1970 became director of the Voter of Education project, to which helped register millions of minority voters. In 1986, he won a seat on the Atlanta City Council and was elected to the House of Representatives.
A. Philip Randolph emerged from the labor movement into the civil rights movement. Throughout his leadership in the civil rights movement he continuously put the interest of the African American workers at the height of his agenda in the movement. In 1925, he founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and he successfully built the first African American Trade Union. Randolph was the principle organiser for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, during which he spoke at. His main aim in the civil rights movement was to gain better and equal wages for African Americans as well as improved working conditions. Randolph used mass protests to influence the government to change policies, which eventually President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued and executive order that banned racial discrimination on government defense factories as well as the first Fair Employment Practices Committee.
Whitney Young, Jr. was one of the members of the "Big Six" and was head of the National Urban League as well as being passionate about African American economic empowerment. The National Urban League was a service agency that aimed at eliminating racial segregation and discrimination. He was an African American activist that helped bridge the gap between white political and business leaders and poorer African Americans. He was credited for persuading corporate America and major organisations in aiding the civil rights movement in supporting jobs, housing, education and rehabilitation for African Americans. Young also served as President for the National Association of Social Workers. In 1969, he was awarded with the Highest Civilian Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Employment
Housing
Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most influential leaders in the African American Civil Rights Movement. Through King's leadership the civil rights movement in the US achieved more progress towards desegregation and racial equality then the previously before. He is regarded as America's prominent advocate for non-violent protests and one of the most influential leaders in world history. King was inspired by his Christian Faith as well as Gandhi, which was ultimately his reason behind the means of non-violent and peaceful protests in order to gain racial equality. In 1955, he served as the spokesman for the Montgomery Bus Boycott then in 1957 was elected President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. King was a significant leader during the Birmingham Campaign, where he led numerous non-violent protests as well as where he wrote "The Letter from Birmingham Jail", in the letter King wrote about his philosophy towards the movement which was a integral text for the movement. He was also one of the driving forces behind the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,which is where he delivered his iconic, memorable and influential "I have a dream" speech, subsequently enforced his status as a social change leader as well as it helping to inspire a nation towards change. In 1964, he became the youngest person aged 34 to win the Noble Peace Prize. King's input into the Civil Rights Movement in the US ultimately led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Rosa Parks was a significant leader in the 1960's African American Civil Rights Movement, as people could look up to her and her power as an influence in the movement. It begun with the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, where Parks was traveling on a public bus when she was asked to surrender her seat for a white passenger and refused. Parks nationally became a recognised symbol for her strength and dignity in the civil rights movement. Parks left a lasting legacy in the US and was awarded numerous awards such as NAACP's highest award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom on the 9th September 1996, presented by President Bill Clinton, as well as the prestigious Martin Luther King, Jr award. Her initiative, courage and leadership was an integral part of the civil rights movement and impacted the progress towards racial equality and desegregation in the US. Her lonely act of defiance begun the movement into its pinnacle.

“People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in” - Rosa Parks
The 1960's African American Civil Rights Movement impacted the economy in the US in particular with the improvement of African American's employment rates in the US. With the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended discrimination in public places and employment on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion or national origin. No longer could employees discriminate in the means of hiring, firing, promotions, pay and other employment related decisions. This Act subsequently impacted the US economy because of the African American Civil Rights Movement, African Americans were able to be employed and therefor were earning money that leads to people buying more that ultimately impacts the economy. Below are some statistics that show the effects of the civil rights movement on African American incomes and unemployment compared to White Americans.

A graph showing the unemployment rates by race from 1973-2012 annual wages.
From the graph you can come to the conclusion of the gap of unemployment rates between White and African Americans still after the Civil Rights Act of 1965, inequality still remains especially to this day in regards to employment.
Statistics
Percentage of unemployment for White and Black Americans in 1970 and 1980

Percentage of unemployment among all American men in 1970: 3.8%
Percentage of unemployment among
white men in 1970: 3.6%
Percentage of unemployment among
black men in 1970: 6.3%

Percentage of unemployment among all American women in 1970: 5.2%
Percentage of unemployment among
white women in 1970: 4.8%
Percentage of unemployment among
black women in 1970: 8%

Percentage of unemployment among all American men in 1980: 6.5%
Percentage of unemployment among
white men in 1980: 5.9%
Percentage of unemployment among
black men in 1980: 12.5%

Percentage of unemployment among all American women in 1980: 6.5%
Percentage of unemployment among
white women in 1980: 5.7%
Percentage of unemployment among
black women in 1980: 11.5%

Historical Statistics of the United States: Millennial Edition, ed. Susan Carter, Scott Sigmund Gartner, Michael Haines, Alan Olmsted, Richard Sutch and Gavin Wright (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), http://hsus.cambridge.org/, accessed 5 January 2009.
Salary Statistics for White and Black workers in 1949 and 1959

Median yearly earned income of full-time
white male workers
in
1949
: $3,150
... of full-time
white female workers: $2,150
... of full-time
black male workers: $1,950
... of full-time
black female workers: $1,150

Median yearly earned income of full-time
white male workers
in
1959
: $5,550
... of full-time
white female workers: $3,350
... of full-time
black male workers: $3,450
... of full-time
black female workers: $2,050
Four days after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination the Fair Housing Act of 1968 was put into place which outlawed the refusal to sell or rent to someone based on colour race, religion, sex or national origin. this was a result of the civil rights movement campaigning against housing discrimination in the US. Despite the historic achievement of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, segregation in relation to housing still continued in the US. From 1950 to 1980, African American's living in urban areas in the US increased from 6.1 million to 15.3 million, this was a result of White American's moving out of the cities into suburban areas taking employment opportunities away from African Americans that were needed in order to remain in suburban communities. Therefor, this led to African Americans moving to urban or ghetto areas with communities that were highly populated, high levels of unemployment and crime.
Poverty
From this graph you are able to come to the conclusion that you can see the gap between White and African Americans homeownership from 1994-2009. You can see that White Americans begin at 70% and continue to rise, where as African Americans begin at just above 40% and continue to gradually rise to just below 50% still considerably lower then White Americans even a while after the 1960's civil rights movement.
U.S. Census Bureau: Page has moved. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/hvs/annual09/ann09t22.xls
A graph showing the percentage of African American families living in poverty from 1959 to 2012. It also shows the difference between Black families with no male present to all Black families. You can see from the graph that there has been a gradual decline from the 1960's which shows that the civil rights movement has had a positive impact towards minimizing the percentage of poverty within African Americans.
In the midst of the civil rights movement, President Johnson declared that the US had an "unconditional war on poverty", to which he then he signed the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964 as an effort to try and eradicate poverty among African Americans. As well as the Economic Opportunity Act the Office of Economic Opportunity was created in order to administer the local application of federal funds aiming at poverty. It is perceived that the factor the civil rights movement only focused on was desegregation and to secure legal recognition and citizenship, when the movement was heavily focused on the improvement of poverty and employment. Before Martin Luther King, Jr's assassination he aimed at promoting the link between the civil rights movement and poverty. In 1968, the midst of the movement, the main organisations aimed at turning the movement towards the problem of poverty among African Americans in the US. The main effort in relation to the Civil Rights Movement was the Poor People's Campaign in 1968, that aimed at gaining economic justice for poor people in the US. King called it the "new phase" in the civil rights movement.
Poor People's Campaign
This graph shows the median household income by race from 1967 to 2011. It shows the gap between African American's and White Americans on the basis of income.
The Poor People's Campaign was a campaign in 1968 with the goal to address the issue of unemployment, housing shortages, and the impact of poverty on people in the US.

Organised by the SCLC and predominately lead by Martin Luther King, Jr. The campaigned was not only aimed at African Americans but all Americans who are impacted by poverty. In 1967, King called this the "new phase" of the movement and was his last campaign before his assassination on April 4th, 1968. The SCLC planned a nationwide demonstration in which they would set up tents on the mall in Washington and would remain there in till their demands were met. The original date for the protest was on 22nd April, 1968, however with King's assassination the protest was postponed to the 12th March, 1968. More then 7,000 Americans from all different racial backgrounds came from all over the country to take part in this demonstration. The camp ended on June 19th, 1968, two weeks after it begun. Overall, the event was seen as a disaster due to weather and was largely ignored by the Congress and the media. It was seen as an overall failure for the movement, however it did make people acknowledge interethnic organizing and

demonstrations.
Education
Education was a major focus in the 1960's Civil Rights Movement, the belief being that in a fair and equal society everyone regardless of their race should have the right to an education. Education throughout the movement remained at the forefront. The Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954, was one of the most significant and prominent achievements in the movement. This decision was were the court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in schools in the US breached the Equal Protect Article of the 14th Amendment to the constitution. Although this law was put into place in the South in particular it was very much refused and segregation continued and was called the "massive resistance". A famous demonstration against racial segregation in the US was 'Little Rock Nine' in Arkansas, 1957, as well as 'Little Rock Nine' there was the integration of the University of Alabama and University of Ole Miss, both highly highly publicized in the media. At the University of Albama incident where George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama physically blocked an African American student from entering the school to enroll. To the extent that federal officers were sent into enforce the ruling. These are highly recognized examples of where the societal norms and views were so strong in the South against African Americans, and their view on change was highly negative and rejected. Made the drive to end segregation in education even more strong and powerful.
Statistics
School enrollment rate among
white children in 1870: 54.4%
... among
non-white children in 1870: 9.9%

School enrollment rate among
white children in 1963: 89.8%
... among
non-white children in 1963: 88%
Percentage of the
white male population with a high school diploma in 1940: 13%
... of the
white female population with a high school diploma in 1940: 17.5%
... of the
black male population in 1940: 3.8%
... of the
black female population in 1940: 5.1%

Percentage of the
white male population with a high school diploma in 1964: 27.6%
... of the
white female population with a high school diploma in 1964: 34.8%
... of the
black male population in 1964: 14.6%
... of the
black female population in 1964: 19.2%

Historical Statistics of the United States: Millennial Edition, ed. Susan Carter, Scott Sigmund Gartner, Michael Haines, Alan Olmsted, Richard Sutch and Gavin Wright (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), http://hsus.cambridge.org/, accessed 5 January 2009.
Graph showing college graduate by race from 1950 to 2000 from the ages 25-29 year old's. This graph demonstrates the discrpinecy between African Americans and White Americans in relation to education graduates. You can see that African American graduates continue to gradually increase but there still remains a large gap between the races.
Graph showing the percent of 5 to 19 year old's enrolled in school by race from 1850 to 1991. This graph shows the dramatic increase throughout the movement and how from 1980 to 1991 there is very little to no gap between African American and White American children in regards to the enrollment in education. A huge difference from 1850 where there is 0% enrolled.
African American Culture
Health
Voting Rights
Law & Policy
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter" - Martin Luther King, Jr.
The civil rights movement in the US well known issues focus on the desegregation and racial equality in relation to education, housing, employment and legal recognition. However, the same struggle was occurred in regards to Americas health care system. The struggle to integrate health care was rather brief, quiet and private compared to the other main issues of the movement. At the time of the Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the health care systems saw the same segregation and in most communities activists saw it as too much of a difficult issue and rather focused on education, public places and voting rights. Resulting in a small group of African American doctors and civil right lawyers to begin a campaign targeting this issue. Following this in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the inclusion of the Title VI, prohibiting the provision of federal funds to organisations or programs that were engaged in racial segregation of discrimination. This was tested with the enactment of Medicare in 1966, over 1,000 hospitals begun to integrate their medical staff. This was successful progress for the movement however, it wasn't the same for health care systems outside of the hospital, that remain segregated.
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