U.S. History / Unit 9: Civil Rights and a Changing Nation
9.3 A Changing Movement
Notes
By the mid-1960s, some activists questioned nonviolence and integration as the main goals.
- Malcolm X, a minister in the Nation of Islam, urged Black pride and self-defense. He later broke with the group and was assassinated in 1965.
- Black Power (Stokely Carmichael) stressed self-reliance and political and economic power. The Black Panther Party (1966) ran community programs and openly carried guns for self-defense.
- Urban uprisings in Watts (1965), Detroit and Newark (1967) grew out of poverty, unemployment and police conflict. The Kerner Commission (1968) warned that America was "moving toward two societies, one black, one white."
- Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis in April 1968. Days later, Congress passed the Fair Housing Act, banning discrimination in housing.
Practice
How did Malcolm X's early message differ from Martin Luther King Jr.'s?
Their approaches differed, though both fought racism; Malcolm X's views changed later in his life.
The Fair Housing Act of 1968 banned:
It passed shortly after King's assassination.
The Kerner Commission concluded that urban unrest in the 1960s was caused mainly by:
The report blamed racism and inequality.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 9 test.