3è3 Af-Am USA

African-Americans in the U.S.A.

Author: 3ème 3 Director: Mrs Leblond

2024

In the U.S.A., the end of the Civil War in 1865 meant the end of slavery but African Americans still didn’t have equal rights.In 1870, all eligible men could vote but black people were discouraged / couldn’t.In 1896, laws stated racial segregation, these laws are called Jim Crow Laws and the slogan is « SEPARATE but EQUAL ». The Civil Rights Movement was a movement which fought to stop racism and increase racial equality. Black people and some white people protested for true equality between Black and white people. To fight, they used : boycotts, peaceful protests (= demonstrations), creation of associations, speeches, marches and sit-ins.

01. Rosa Parks

The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement

Rosa Parks her full first name is Rose Louise McClauy . She was born in 1913 on farm in Pine Level, Alabama. JOB: NAACP is on organisation of minitority group citizens of states and eliminate race préjudice. Rosa Parks is nicknamed "The mother of the civil rights movement" because in 1955, she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus.She is arrested by the police because she choice on the afternoons of first of December to site on white places of bus even thought to not sit-in this places and she had repercussions. After was arrested all days bus boycott was organized on Rosa trial December 5 1955 and fined she appeals her judgement and becomes the face of a national movement for the défense objective right's. Important people we can relate her to is Martin Luther King and ....

02. Greensboro sit-in

1960, Greensboro, North Carolina

The Greensboro sit-in was a civil right protest . The february ,1, 1960, four students : Blair Jr , David Richmond , Franklin McCain and Joseph Mc Neil sit-in in a restaurant for White people : Woolworth‘s lunch in Greensboro, North Carolina.So, four African-Americans went in a restaurant , they sat down at the lunch counter and refused to leave.The policemen came but were unable to take action because the students weren’t provocative. All the medias arrived in full force to cover the event.The february,5 , 300 students joined this protest. This movement soon spread to the others schools of the South.The more there were protests, the more there were oppositions of White people who they were very violent. One person was brutallity killed. Woolworth’s and others etablishments was forced to change their segregationist policies. The Greensboro-sit -in was a critical turning point for the fight for Civil Rights Movement and made this national.It’s use the nonviolence and inspired many associations to take up the cause of integration in the South.

03. Freedom Riders

Freedom Riders was a group with white and African-American civil in Southern USA in 1961. Freedom Riders tried to use « whites-only » restroom and lunch counters at bus stations in Alabama , South Carolina and other Southern states because they protested against the segregated on bus terminals. They were lynched from white people but they drew international attention to the civil right movement. The Interstate Commerce Commission issued regulations prohibiting segregation in interstate transit terminals. The route of the Freedom Riders was :Washington, DC - New Orleans - Louisiana - Virginia - North Carolina - South Carolina - Georgia - Alabama.

04. Ruby Bridges

1. A black girl in a white school.

3 The problem we all live with.

The consequences of her story are that people changed their minds and psychiatrist ,Robert Coles,wrote a book "the story of Ruby bridges". Norman Rockwell did a painting representing Ruby the first day she went to school .

Ruby was born on September,8,1954 in Tylertown, Mississippi . She is famous because she went at an all-white school at six years old ,and she was a black little girl. Normally she couldn’t go in this school because schools were segregated but she went anyway.

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4. Heritage

Barack Obama said « I think it's fair to say that if it hadn't been for you guys, I might not be here and we wouldn't be looking at this together » because he means that if Ruby were not been in this white school , things would not change, people would not change their mind , and they wouldn’t voted for a black man like Barack Obama.

2. Opposition

Some people helped her like her teacher, and some people sent money to her family and there were people who encouraged her.some people were racists and they were against the presence of Ruby in the white school ,so they protested and woman tried to poison Ruby .

The problem we all live with - N. Rockwell, 1964

Description:

The painting is represented Ruby in a she white dress white shoes and school’s equipment to show her dignity and her innocence. She is on the way to go to school and she is escorted by four deputy U.S marshals, they’re protecting her from other people who don’t want her in the school of their children. On the wall behind her are written « niggers » « KKK », to show the animosity of some people against her. There is a splattered tomato thrown against the wall. The painting represents the racism against an innocent little girl : she’s just on the way to school !

05. Angela Davis

and the Black Panther movement

ACTIVIST:

Her full name was Angela Yvonne Davis and she was born in Birmingham. She was an activist scholar and writer who fought for the racial equality ( she was a Black person). She went to Brandeis University in Massachussetts were she studied philosophy. As a graduate student at the University of California,San Diego, in the late 1960’s,she joined a group called « Black Panthers ». She was a strong supporter of the Soledad brothers: 3 men who were accused of killing a prison guard after several African-Americans had been killed by another guard. Soledad was the name of the prison. Devis spend 18 months in jail because she was brought up and several charges,including murders ( it was obviously false). She was acquitted in june 1972. She knew some of the 4 African Americans girls killed in the Birmingam church bombings of 1963. She was part of the civil rights movement. She was a communist and she fought for the African American’s rights. She gave speeches, she was the author of several books like: « Women,Race and Class ». Her new battle was the women rights, she made an honorary co-chair at the Women’s March on Washington.

06.

Martin Luther King Jr

Martin Luther King was born on the 15th of January 1929, in Atlanta. He was first a pastor then an orator.He was famous for his peaceful protest. He knew important people such as the NAACP. In 1951, King got a high title in his church. In 1955, he was chosen to lead the boycott of the bus that Rosa Parks rode. In 1963´ king was arrested. On the 28 of August 1963, he led more than 20000 people in a massive demonstration. The march was a demonstration for the right of vote for black peoples.and he gave the speech “I have a dream”.He said i have a dream many time and he said other things about the ideal dream he wanted. In 1964, he helped pass the civil rights act. In 1963, he received the Nobel peace price. On April 4th 1968, he was shot in Memphis.On august 28 1963 he was the leader of the march.

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07. SELMA

The march for the right to vote

The movie :The movie is about segregation and racism.After the end of segregation, African-Americans have the right to vote but in some states, it is difficult : they can only vote on some conditions, government officers make it difficult for African-Americans to vote. Martin Luther King helps African-Americans to fight for their right.Something good : White and Black people get together and protest for the right of African-Americans.It is an interesting topic because it is human. The movie is very moving.Something bad : there is a lot of racism and violence.African-Americans are called / call themselves « negroes ».

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