Enquiry question: How successful was Martin Luther King in achieving equality?
Campaign details Impact on Civil Rights Movement and equality
Selma, March 1965 Selma had a population of 29,000 with 50% of this population
black.
Despite campaigns led by the SNCC, only 23 were registered
voters.
King aimed to pressure the federal government into action by
leading a protest march from Selma, Alabama to the state capital,
Montgomery.
525 - 600 civil rights marchers headed southeast out of Selma, led
by SNCC and SCLC. The protest went according to plan until the
marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they
encountered a wall of state troopers and county posse waiting for
them on the other side.
Sheriff Jim Clark – wore a badge saying “Never” (integrate)
In response to the voting drive, Clark recruited a horse mounted
posse of Ku Klux Klan members and supporters. He also used
cattle rods in the Selma Campaign – aggressive violent response.
The Chicago Problems in ghettos resulted in King change his focus. Housing was
Campaign: 1966 poor and white prejudice made it difficult for black Americans to
(Chicago Freedom move elsewhere.
Movement)
Poor-quality education made it hard to break out of the poverty
cycle. In the early 1960’s, only 32% of black students graduated
Wanted to raise awareness for the lack of black voters
in the deep south in Montgomery.
Persuade congress to have more black voters by
exposing the white violence.
Bloody Sunday – troopers beat them with sticks and
fired tear gas at the demonstrators. Media televised
images of the brutal attack on the marchers. 17
marchers were hospitalized and 50 treated for lesser
injuries.
Congress passed the Voting Rights Act (1965) –
removed literacy and constitutional votes that were in
place to stop black registration. Still have a way to go –
lack of education of blacks and low unemployment.
Still issues with housing.
Decreased the power of southern white registrars.
In 1968, Mississippi had 59% of blacks voting.
Doubled from 1969-1980
Charles Evers was the first black elected as mayor of
Fayette, Mississippi
Drew attention to the poor standard of living in the
ghettos.
Led reporters around ghettos with no heating or AC.
Mayor Daley told King he would improve housing, but
he didn’t stick by that when MLK left Chicago – not
from high school in comparison to 56% of whites.
Black people constituted 11% of the US population, yet 46% of
unemployed people were black.
The Watts Riots in Los Angeles of 1965 brought this issue home to
MLK – he began to change his focus to economic equality. This
was how he would now define ‘freedom’.
The Watts Rebellion, also known as the Watts Riots, was a large
series of riots that broke out August 11, 1965, in the predominantly
Black neighborhood of Watts in Los Angeles. The Watts Rebellion
lasted for six days, resulting in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries and 4,000
arrests, involving 34,000 people and ending in the destruction of
1,000 buildings, totaling $40 million in damages
In 1966 King attempted to lead a campaign to desegregate housing
in the northern city of Chicago – defacto segregation still clearly
existed in the United States – a clear limitation of the 1964 Civil
Rights Act.
It was also clear to MLK that black Americans were starting to
resort to violence (illustrated by Watts Riots) to have their voices
heard – this prompted him to launch the campaign.
Why Chicago: Out of it’s 3 million residents, 700,000 were black
Americans who were unemployed.
King spent two months drawing attention to the appalling
conditions experienced by those living in Chicago and led marches
around white districts where black Americans could not afford to
buy homes.
very effective.
Not a successful campaign.
Despite 4-million-pound grant for Chicago housing.
Watts riot demonstrated the violence involved in the
civil rights movement.
Poor People’s Campaign – Many black Chicagoans
were losing hope. MLK wanted to create a civil
disobedience campaign to draw national attention for
all ethnic minorities.
MLK went against President Johnson when King
criticised the Vietnam War.
Many people lost faith in MLK and turned to black
militant powers instead. There was an increase in police
brutality so the vulnerable black americans were being
attacked and not protected.
Black americans were starting to turn to black rioting
through the Watts riot.
1967 – MLK openly opposed Vietnam whereas
Johnson supported it.
 Ghettos and the poverty cycle:

 1900 – 90% of the black population lived in the South, majority in rural areas
 1970 – 70% lived in cities, a majority in the north
 Black neighbourhoods were much poorer and blacks were barred from moving into white neighbourhoods due to racism from white families and
estate agents. They were also more expensive.
 Ghettos contained the worse schools, hospitals and facilities, furthering the poverty cycle.