Civil Rights Actions and Legislation
March on Washington
Founded in 1909 by a group of white and African American scholars, the NAACP worked to spread awareness about the need for equal rights in the United States, while also challenging other civil rights issues. They focused a great deal on anti-lynching laws and segregation in public schools. The NAACP represented families of African Americans in Brown v. Board of Education, which deemed “separate but equal” unconstitutional. This group worked alongside a few others to fight for changes in civil rights. Specifically, the NAACP helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, and lobbied for legislation that led to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
In 1963, the March on Washington brought together more than two hundred thousand Americans for a peaceful political rally focused on jobs and freedom, and the challenges African Americans still faced throughout the country. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was among the many notable leaders at the march. He delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech about a vision of a racially equitable nation. The March on Washington sparked the ideas of change that needed to take place to promote equality in the United States
The March
Prior to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the South was still segregated. Civil rights leaders, like Martin Luther King, Jr. felt it was necessary to take greater risks to promote and fight for the equality of all citizens. View The March from eMediaVASM to explore how segregation and discrimination in Alabama eventually led to the March on Washington.
Civil Rights Legislation
Changes in legislation soon followed the March on Washington. President Lyndon B. Johnson was experienced and knowledgeable about the issues that caused the Civil Rights Movement. When Johnson became the president of the United States after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. Many years later, another piece of legislation was signed into law by President George Herbert Walker Bush. In this interactivity, learn about these three important pieces of civil rights legislation. Click the player button to begin.
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Civil Rights Actions and Legislation Review
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