Fighting for Equality in the ’60s

American History in the 1960s

U.S. History, 11th grade
Lauren Rasmussen
Objectives
● To study major events that occurred in the
1960s in relation to civil rights
● To understand how African American
activism influenced and inspired other
minority groups to also fight for civil rights
● To understand the impact that each fight
for civil rights has had on our society
Content Standards
● 11.10.5 Discuss the diffusion of the civil
rights movement of African Americans
from the churches of the rural South and
the urban North, including the resistance
to racial desegregation in Little Rock and
Birmingham, and how the advances
influenced the agendas, strategies, and
effectiveness of the quests of American
Indians, Asian Americans, and Hispanic
Americans for civil rights and equal
opportunities.
“For What it’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield
Listen to the lyrics of this song. Why do you think this song was released in 1966?
What events could have triggered the artist to write this song? Do you think this
song portrays a good or bad image of the 1960s?

Hook
African Americans and Civil Rights
● The fight for Civil Rights by African Americans began much before the 1960s
● During the 1960s, African Americans call to action was finally recognized by
the United States government
● Certain events paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Brown v. Board of Education, 1957
● Landmark case
● Reversed the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) case
● Chief Justice Earl Warren stated, “separate
educational facilities were inherently unequal”
● Unanimously ruled that racial segregation in
public schools violated the 14th Amendment
● Immediate desegregation of public schools
Little Rock Nine, 1957
● Nine African American students enrolled in a
formerly all-white high school, Central High
School, in Little Rock, Arkansas
● The governor, Orval Faubus, attempted to
block the students from entering the school
using the Arkansas National Guard
● In response, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
sent federal troops to escort the nine
students into their school
Greensboro Sit-ins, 1960
● Four African American students sat at a whites-only lunch counter in a
Woolworth’s
● The students were refused service and continued to return to protest
segregationist policies
● These peaceful protests sparked a movement among college students
Freedom Riders, 1961
● Black and white students took bus trips together through the South to protest
segregation
● Bus riders were confronted with violence incited by white protesters
● Some riders were arrested by police
● These events brought major awareness to their cause
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
● August 28, 1963
● The largest demonstration
on the nation’s capital
● Civil rights leaders called
for voting rights, equal
employment, and an end to
racial segregation
● Martin Luther King Jr.
delivered his “I Have a
Dream” speech
Civil Rights Act of 1964
● President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964
● This act protected citizens against discrimination on the basis of race,
religion, and sex
● Called for immediate desegregation of public spaces
● Established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
March on Selma, 1965
● Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC) focused on Selma, Alabama to register
voters
● A young African American demonstrator was shot by a state
trooper, which sparked a protest march from Selma to
Montgomery
● Demonstrators were met with brutal violence by state troopers
● Such violence was shown on television news, causing outrage
● A district court later ordered Alabama to permit the march
● On March 21st, marchers were protected by Army troops and
the National Guard in order to conduct their demonstration
Now You Try
● Compare and contrast two events that we just discussed in your notes guide.

● Why do you think these events were important in the fight for civil rights for
African Americans?
● What role did college students play in the fight for civil rights? Why would
college students have such a great impact?

Progress Monitoring
African American Influence on Equal Rights
● The effectiveness of the Civil Rights Movement conducted by African
Americans influenced how other minority groups fought for rights
● African American activism influenced activism among
○ Mexican Americans
○ Asian Americans
○ Native Americans
Mexican Americans
● During the 1960s, Mexican Americans also faced discrimination
● The Chicano Movement emerged
● 3 goals of the Chicano Movement:
○ Restoration of land
○ Farm workers rights
○ Education reform
United Farm Workers Association, 1965
● Union launched by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta
● Led a national boycott of grapes, grape pickers went
on strike
● Fought for safer working conditions and better pay
● Grape growers finally acknowledged the United Farm
Workers as a union
Los Angeles Walkouts, 1968
● Latino students conducted city-wide protests in Los
Angeles, demanding fair treatment from their school
district
● Latino students were discriminated against by policies
that
○ Punished students for speaking Spanish at school
○ Banned restroom use during lunch
○ Discouraged students from attending college
● Protesters were met with police brutality
● Walkouts resulted in school reform and higher
enrollment rates in college for Latino Americans
Now You Try
● In what ways did African American Activism directly influence Mexican
American activism for equality?
● What kind of struggles did both African American and Mexican American
individuals face in American society?

Progress Monitoring
Asian Americans
● African American activism played a role in inspiring Asian Americans to fight
against discrimination
● Asian American students at UCLA formed the Asian American Political
Alliance (AAPA)
● “Yellow Power” (1969)
● Sought to eliminate the “model minority” stereotype
Native Americans
● Native Americans attempted to reclaim Alcatraz because it
was viewed as a symbol of American indifference towards
Native Americans
● Demonstrators stayed on the island in peaceful protest
(1969)
● Activists squated at Alcatraz because they wanted their
land back
● After 19 months, protesters were forced to leave in defeat
● This occurrence later opened up opportunities for Native
Americans to stage protests at Mount Rushmore and
Plymouth Rock
Events following the passage of the Civil Rights
Act
Civil Rights Act of 1964 Los Angeles Walkouts Native Americans
passed occupy Alcatraz
LA students walked out
To protect Americans of class to protest Demonstrators
against discrimination on discrimination in their peacefully protested
the basis of race, sex, education against the US
religion 1965 1969 government over land
rights

1964 1968 1969

United Farm Workers
Asian American Political
Association
Alliance
Mexican Americans
Organized to eliminate
organized a union for
the “model minority”
farm workers in order to
stereotype
fight for better working
conditions
Table/Graph
Culminating Questions
● Think about how organized protests have resurfaced in light of the new
presidential administration in 2016.
● In what ways are current protest events (Women’s March, Black Lives Matter,
March for Our Lives, Dakota Access Pipeline protests, etc.) similar and
different from the protests of the 1960s?

Culminating Questions/Activity
Culminating Activity
● Now that you have learned about the events that have paved the way for equal
opportunity protests, write a few paragraphs about how the events of the
1960s directly impact our lives today.

Culminating Activity