1.
CAUSE
EFFECT
Research the events in U.S. civil rights history. You may start from the Civil Rights Act and work backwards, or you may select a point in time from which to start and work forward through the development of the Civil Rights movement.
2. Select eight events that had a significant impact on the advancement of civil rights.
3. Order those events on a timeline, providing either specific dates or a time frame in which the event happened. 4. Refer to your research again to write a description of the event that will support its placement on your timeline. You must use at least four different sources in your timeline descriptions. Your description statements should help your reader understand the effect of the event or explain how the event caused other events that led up to the Civil Rights Act.
5. Provide a parenthetical citation to give credit for direct quotations or paraphrased material used in your descriptions.
6. Provide a references list to organize the sources that you used in your timeline.
1. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
- Cause: Segregation laws in the South led to the creation of "separate but equal" facilities for African Americans.
- Effect: This Supreme Court case upheld the constitutionality of segregation, setting the stage for further discrimination against African Americans for decades to come.
(Source: History.com)
2. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
- Cause: African American students were forced to attend segregated schools, leading to unequal educational opportunities.
- Effect: This landmark Supreme Court case overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
(Source: PBS)
3. Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)
- Cause: The arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus sparked outrage among the African American community.
- Effect: This boycott led by Martin Luther King Jr. demonstrated the power of nonviolent protest and ultimately led to the desegregation of public buses in Montgomery.
(Source: History.com)
4. Little Rock Nine (1957)
- Cause: The Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education did not result in immediate desegregation of schools in the South.
- Effect: The enrollment of nine African American students at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, escorted by federal troops, highlighted the resistance to desegregation and the need for federal intervention to protect civil rights.
(Source: National Park Service)
5. March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963)
- Cause: African Americans continued to face economic and social inequality despite legal victories in the civil rights movement.
- Effect: This peaceful protest, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, brought national attention to the struggle for civil rights and pressured Congress to pass new laws to ensure equal rights for all Americans.
(Source: History.com)
6. Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Cause: The continued discrimination and violence against African Americans in the South prompted the need for federal legislation to enforce equal rights for all citizens.
- Effect: This landmark legislation signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, marking a major victory for the civil rights movement.
(Source: National Archives)
7. Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Cause: African Americans were still facing barriers to voting, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
- Effect: This legislation signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson aimed to eliminate discriminatory voting practices and ensure that African Americans could exercise their right to vote without obstacles.
(Source: History.com)
8. Fair Housing Act of 1968
- Cause: African Americans continued to face housing discrimination and segregation in cities across the country.
- Effect: This act signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, or sex, addressing one of the final frontiers of civil rights reform.
(Source: National Fair Housing Alliance)
References:
- History.com. (n.d.). Civil Rights Movement. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement
- PBS. (n.d.). The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/
- National Park Service. (n.d.). Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. https://www.nps.gov/chsc/index.htm
- National Archives. (n.d.). Civil Rights Act of 1964. https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act#documents