Civil Rights Movement Fundamentals

📋 Course Outline

1. Pre-Civil Rights Roots
2. Jim Crow Laws
3. Major Figures
4. Key Events
5. Legislation Milestones
6. Nonviolent Protest Strategies
7. Media Influence
8. Opposition and Violence
9. Legacy and Impact
10. Civil Rights Theories

📖 1. Pre-Civil Rights Roots

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Slavery: The forced labor and ownership of African Americans as property from 1619 until 1865, foundational to racial inequality in the U.S.
• Reconstruction Era (1865-1877): The period after the Civil War aimed at rebuilding the South and integrating freed slaves into society, but systemic racism persisted.
• Jim Crow Laws: State and local laws enacted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans.
• Segregation: The legal or social separation of different racial groups, especially in public facilities and institutions.
• Disenfranchisement: The systematic denial of voting rights to African Americans through mechanisms like literacy tests, poll taxes, and intimidation.
• Civil Rights Movement: The ongoing struggle, starting before the 1950s, to end racial discrimination and secure equal rights for African Americans.

📝 Essential Points