Civil Rights in American History lecture notes part 3

Martin Luther King, Jr. rose to national prominence through his leadership of the Montgomery bus boycott.

In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King wrote, “I have consistently preached that non-violence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.”

King presents a four-step process to prepare for a demonstration: collection of facts, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action.

King asked people who wanted to participate in his protests to sign a commitment card that
stipulated that the protester meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus and refrain from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.

The Nation of Islam believed that the solution to the problem of racism in America was a separate nation for black people.

Malcolm X believed that the re-education of black Americans required the rejection of traditional Christianity.

According to Dr. Morel, Malcolm X did not consider politics a legitimate activity for black
Americans.

According to Dr. Moreno, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had its origins in the Supreme Court’s
decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

Dr. Moreno argues that Title VII’s employment requirements moved beyond the traditional
understanding of rights and toward group-based entitlements.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first major civil rights law to make discrimination on the basis of sex illegal.

President John F. Kennedy first used the term “affirmative action” in an executive order.

In his speech at Howard University in 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson argued that the new goal of the
civil rights movement was equality in results.

According to Dr. Moreno, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was interpreted to maximize the impact of minority voting, rather than simply protect the right to vote.

Under the Philadelphia Plan, construction trades were the first groups targeted for affirmative action.

Source: "Civil Rights in American History" course from Hillsdale.edu.