Birmingham+Children's+Crusade+Notes

ThinkQuest Internet Challenge Team. "Birmingham, Alabama." //The Civil Rights Movement//. Web. 5 May 2011. . Event
 * May 2nd 1963 in Birmingham Alabama
 * Known as "Bomingham" because many black churches were bombed
 * 1,000 A.A kids marched in Children's crusade
 * Sang we shall overcome
 * Sprayed with high power hosees that ripped off clothes
 * 959 boys and girls were arressted
 * Led to people being disgusted with how the government was dealing with the protests
 * Eventually on May 10 A.A. and whites met to discuss integration

Boerst, William J. //Marching in Birmingham//. Greensboro, NC: Morgan Reynolds Pub., 2008. Print. Event
 * A.A. kept retaliating towards the police so the police let out the dogs
 * JFK criticized protestors "School children participating in street demonstrations is a dangerous business. An injured, maimes or dead child is a price that none of us can afford."

"Children’s Crusade ." //Martin Luther King Jr. and the Golobal Freedom Struggle//. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2011. <[] encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_childrens_crusade/>.

- 1963 attempt to desegregate Birmingham Alabama - Children were recruited for demonstrations. - Adults were scared of participating in demonstrations and losing their jobs while children had nothing to lose. - Trained high school children the tactics of nonviolent direct action - On May 2nd thousands of African American Children skipped classes - Gathered at Sixth Street Baptist Church to march to downtown Birmingham. - Hundreds were immediately arrested - Gathered the next day to march again - Bull Conner directed the local police to stop the demonstration - Children were blasted by high pressure water hoses - Clubbed by police officers - And attacked by police dogs - On the night of May 3rd Martian Luther King offered encouragement to the parents of the young protesters with a speech... “Don’t worry about your children; they are going to be alright. Don’t hold them back if they want to go to jail, for they are not only doing a job for themselves, but for all of America and for all of mankind.” - Ended on May 10th when SCLC agreed to desegregate downtown stores and release all protesters from jail. - Birmingham Board of Education said that all children who participated in the movement were to be expelled. - NAACP took this to court
 * EVENT**

- The success in Birmingham provided momentum for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and paved the way for passage of the Civil Rights act.
 * IMPACT**

PBS Online. "American Experience.Eyes on the Prize.The Story of the Movement | PBS."// PBS: Public Broadcasting Service //. PBS, 1997-2006. Web. 06 May 2011. <[]>.

Context
 * U.S. and Soviets establish a "hot line", allowing direct communication between leaders
 * Supreme Court mandates free legal representation for poor defendants
 * W.E.B. DuBois dies
 * Julia Child becomes known for her French cooking
 * Sidney Poitier wins Oscar for Best Actor (first African American to win)
 * James Baldwin authors //The Fire Next Time// and demands "the unconditional freedom of the Negro"
 * First liver and lung transplants occur

Event
 * Birmingham was the largest city in Alabama, notorious for segregation and violent racial hatred
 * Governor Wallace declared, "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever"
 * Activists called this movement "Project C," the "c" representing confrontation
 * Once Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested, he wrote a letter from prison entitled "Letter From Birmingham Jail," thus justifying this movement
 * In early May, activists began to recruit children to participate in marches and by the end of the first day, 700 marchers had been arrested
 * Following the first day, 1000 children arrived to protest peacefully and the segregationist Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor turned fire hoses and police dogs on them
 * After 5 days, 2500 protesters were arrested, 200 being children
 * Birmingham business leaders made a compromise 38 days after the confrontation began, promising to desegregate public buildings and start an employment program for African Americans
 * Wallace says the deal wasn't made by legitimate leaders of Birmingham
 * Klan bombs MLK's hotel, though he left earlier, which led to violence where civilians were beaten by police
 * Riots follow and spread through the nation, reinforcing the fact that peaceful protesting has its limits