KIDS CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY MUSEUM

Kids Civil Rights History Museum

Created by Bianca V.

CLICK A ROOM to learn about some important Civil Rights movements!

Selma

Buses

Legislation

Buses

On December 1, 1955, a woman by the name Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat on a bus to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama. She was a respected member in the black community, so her arrest lead to a call for action. They printed out flyers telling all African-Americans to boycott the buses the following Monday. Martin Luther King, who was apart of the Montgomery Improvement Association, lead this boycott. On that day, buses that drove through blackneighborhoods were empty. 99% of African-Americans refused to take the bus. 17,000 black bus riders found other ways to get to work by biking, walking, or carpooling to help the elderly. Although this protest was peaceful, some were stll met with violence. Martin Luther King and his friend, Ralph Abernathy, were arrested and had their houses bombed along with 4 churches. However, the bus company still lost thousands of dollars in revenue. This made Supreme Court declare that segregated buses we unconstitutional on November 23, 1956.

Rosa Parks & Montgomery Bus Boycott

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Rosa Parks & Montgomery Bus Boycott Artifacts

Bikes were used as one way of transporation instead of riding the bus.

This is the letter Rosa Parks wrote in jail during the time.

Flyers were printed out all over Montgomery to alert others about the boycott.

The old bike is worn out from its age and hasbeen used as transportation for over a year. They never rode the bus until it was desegregated, which shows how determined they were!

The final artifact, Rosa Parks's letter, was her talking about how she was done getting pushed around and giving in to segregation. She wanted change, and so it happened.

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The one out of the many flyers printed out showed how the black community really came together as one and stopped segregation on buses.

Legislation

New laws were passed during the Civil Rights Movement, including the 24th Amendment, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Each of these laws advanced civil rights by giving African Americans more oppurtunities and freedom. Starting with the 24th Amendment, it stated that "Youcan not charge a person a tax (fee) in order to vote". This made it easier for those who may not be able to afford a fee but still wanted to vote. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 "outlaws discrimination based on color, religion, sex, or national origin. It made segregation illegal. This showed everyone shall be treated equally. The last piece of legislation which is the Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned literacy tests and "ensured African-Americans the right to vote without obstacles". Some African-Americans never learned how to read or write since they didn't have any education on it, so this guaranteed them being able to vote. All of these laws were created due to the effect of the many marches, protests, and boycotts.

Civil Rights Legislation

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Civil Rights Legislation Artifacts

Signs and posters were hung up before the laws about paying for poll taxes.

A newspaper was made about the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Medals were presented to those who participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.

The first artificact is to showhow they were honored because of their resilience to keep fighting for their rights. Their actions got us to where we are today.

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The second one is in the museum because it shows how poll taxes really prevented some African-Americans from voting. Paying poll taxes would "protect your rights and privileges" as said by the poster.

The Civil Rights Act was important to those all around as it spread on news. It was a big change considering it meant that everyone was able to have fair treatment.

Selma

There were 3 marches that took place in Selma, Alabama. The marches set out to bring attention to the difficult process of registering to vote in many areas. Voter registration campaigns were met with intimidation, opposition, and violence. The first march took place on March 7, 1965 and was organized by a man named JohnLewis. The demonstration's purpose was part of a voting registration campaign in Selma which consistently resisted black voting. The marchers were met with violence from heavily armed state troopers who used tear-gas clubs to dispel the participants. This day soon became known as "Bloody Sunday". The second march took place two days later by Martin Luther King and other civil rightssupporters. This "symbolic" march highlighted the voting issue. It ended abruptly at a barricade of troopers. Martin Luther King then decided to turn the march back around at the Edmus Pettus Bridge, the same exact place where the violent conflict happened. The third and last march took place from March 21-March 25, 1965, and was again led byMartin Luther King. It was attended by 3,200 marchers and was protected by 2,000 army soliders. Each day, the marchers would walk a pace of 12 miles. By the time they reached Montgomery, the numbers swelled to 25,000 of them. Because of these marches, the Voting Rights Act was passed. 250,000 new black voters had been registered by the end of 1965.

Selma Marches of 1965

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Selma Marches of 1965 Artifacts

This is a photograph of the violence that took place on "Bloody Sunday"

This is the Edmund Pettus Bridge in present day.

Tear Gas Billy Clubs were used to stop the first march.

The first artifacts are to show and educate how much the marches were wanted to stop. State troopers went as far as using tear gas clubs to end the civil rights protest.

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The images give a bit more understanding to the violent conflict that took place. You can really see how chaotic it is!

The image of the Edmus Pettus Bridge in modern day is inspiring and symbolic to fighting for freedom. It's now recognized as a National Historical Landmark.