Changes

In 1957, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and began to emerge as a leader in what became known as the Civil Rights Movement.  Rev. King advocated nonviolent resistance by African Americans, culminating in a speech to a massive crowd of 250,000 that marched on Washington for civil rights in 1963.  Rev. King's speech, known as "I Have a Dream," was delivered from the base of the Lincoln Memorial and relied on passages in the Bible to urge an end to discrimination based on race.  Rev. King was tragically assassinated in Memphis in 1968.

In 1957, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and began to emerge as a leader in what became known as the Civil Rights Movement.  Rev. King advocated nonviolent resistance by African Americans, culminating in a speech to a massive crowd of 250,000 that marched on Washington for civil rights in 1963.  Rev. King's speech, known as "I Have a Dream," was delivered from the base of the Lincoln Memorial and relied on passages in the Bible to urge an end to discrimination based on race.  Rev. King was tragically assassinated in Memphis in 1968.

The Civil Rights Movement grew in size and intensity throughout the 1960s.  In 1960, there were organized protests called "sit-ins" conducted against restaurants that would not serve African Americans in the South.  Large groups of people would enter the restaurants and simply "sit in" without moving, ordering, paying, or leaving, thereby causing the business to lose money of refusal by restaurants in South to serve African Americans.  These "sit ins"  began in North Carolina and soon spread.  Also in 1960, the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee formed to organize more sit-ins.  This was a more radical group that scorned integration and interracial cooperation.  By 1966, it was demanding "black power."

The Civil Rights Movement grew in size and intensity throughout the 1960s.  In 1960, there were organized protests called "sit-ins" conducted against restaurants that would not serve African Americans in the South.  Large groups of people would enter the restaurants and simply "sit in" without moving, ordering, paying, or leaving, thereby causing the business to lose money because of its refusal to serve African Americans.  These "sit ins"  began in North Carolina and soon spread.  Also in 1960, the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee formed to organize more sit-ins.  This was a more radical group that scorned integration and interracial cooperation.  By 1966, it was demanding "black power."

In May 1961, a campaign to end segregation on public transportation started, known as the "Freedom Rides."  It consisted of blacks and whites riding buses and trains from D.C. to points in the South, such as New Orleans, in order to challenge local laws requiring segregation.  It was met with violence in the "deep South" (e.g., Mississippi and Alabama) and some future congressmen, such as the African American congressmen John Lewis, were beaten.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-21-mlk-lewis_N.htm</ref>

In May 1961, a campaign to end segregation on public transportation started, known as the "Freedom Rides."  It consisted of blacks and whites riding buses and trains from D.C. to points in the South, such as New Orleans, in order to challenge local laws requiring segregation.  It was met with violence in the "deep South" (e.g., Mississippi and Alabama) and some future congressmen, such as the African American congressmen John Lewis, were beaten.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-21-mlk-lewis_N.htm</ref>