II. The Civil Rights Movement

A. The Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education outlawed school segregation and was the legal beginning of the civil rights movement.

B. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. became one of the most important and effective of the civil rights leaders.

C. Basing their actions on the Constitution, black Americans broke segregation laws, used boycotts and sit-ins, and marched on Washington to win their civil rights.

A. In the 1960s and 1970s, American Indians formed political organizations, staged protests, and pressured Congress and state legislatures to fight for their rights.

B. New laws were passed that guaranteed American Indians basic rights and gave them more control over programs that affected them.

C. In several court cases, American Indians won land that had been illegally or unfairly taken from them.

A. In the 1960s, women joined together to fight for their equal rights.

B. Citing the Civil Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment, women won a series of judicial and legislative victories in the 1960s and 1970s.

C. Although women have gained new opportunities in jobs and education, they did not gain enough support to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

A. During World War II, the relocation of Japanese Americans into prison-like camps was upheld by the Supreme Court.

B. As Americans continue to struggle for equality and liberty they need to know the Constitution and understand their rights.

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