AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: 1960s Desegregation Efforts (Day 274/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about 1960s Desegregation Efforts as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

School Desegregation in the South, 1964

Despite the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional, the implementation of the desegregation of public schools was largely nonexistent.

Three African American Civil Rights protesters and Woolworth's Sit-In, Durham, NC, 10 February 1960, Wikimedia Commons

To push the nation to reckon with the inequalities of segregation, African American students and civil rights activists engaged in many protests including sit-ins at segregated lunch counters.

Freedom Bus Burning, USA Today

Civil Rights organizations like the Congress of Racial Equality sponsored protests including the Freedom Rides which aimed to desegregate interstate transportation, which further exposed the brutality of racism when violent whites assaulted the student riders. 

MLK, March on Washington, MPR

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 was a pivotal moment, drawing over 250,000 participants and culminating in Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. 

Lyndon Johnson Signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Wikimedia Commons

Catalyzed by the activism and momentum built from the March on Washington, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, outlawing segregation in public facilities and employment discrimination based on race. 

Despite facing fierce resistance in some parts of the country, desegregation efforts continued to gain momentum in the country during the 1960s.

Join me tomorrow as I explain 1960s Voting Rights Activism in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!