Children in the Civil Rights Era

Children in the Civil Rights Era — page 1

Children in the Civil Rights Era — page 2 — CHAPTER 1 TIME FOR CHANGE In 1865 the US government passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution ending slavery in the United States Racial discrimination however did not end In 1869 a court case provided a legal basis for segregation Plessy v Ferguson stated that black and white train passengers had to ride in separate cars The law allowed businesses to separate people based on race Its slogan was separate but equal Citizens in Atlanta Georgia march in protest of segregation in (cid:10)(cid:9)(cid:8)(cid:7) 5

Children in the Civil Rights Era — page 3 — Jim Crow laws also segregated waiting rooms restaurants and movie theaters States across the country created laws that called for segregation in public places In time these laws came to be known as Jim Crow laws Black people were banned from many stores parks swimming pools and public bathrooms Black and white children attended different schools By the 1950s Jim Crow laws affected nearly every part of public life As a result black people had less access than white people to good jobs schools and 6

Children in the Civil Rights Era — page 4 — homes They also faced barriers in exercising their right to vote Election officials often tried to prevent black people from voting They made the application process harder for them High poll taxes and difficult literacy tests disqualified many black people from voting Challenging racism was dangerous Black people could be arrested beaten or killed for disobeying Jim Crow laws White supremacy groups such as the Ku Klux Klan used violence to scare people into silence By the 1950s the time for change had come Membership of the NAACP had increased in the (cid:1)(cid:127)(cid:173)(cid:2)s Church and social organizations formed Adults and young people stood up for their civil rights They risked losing their homes families and lives As black people joined together the demand for civil rights became a movement 7

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