Civil Rights 931
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Despite the Fourteenth Amendment
and later the Fifteenth Amendment,
which forbade states from denying any-
one the right to vote on account of
race, African Americans continued to
live as second-class citizens, especially
in the South.
During the 1950s and 1960s,
African Americans and other Americans
led a powerful movement to fight for
racial equality. The movement often
met with strong resistance, such as in
Birmingham, Alabama, where police
sprayed demonstrators with high-pres-
sure fire hoses (right). Nevertheless, it
succeeded in securing for African
Americans the civil rights promised by
the Constitution and the Declaration of
Independence. The civil rights move-
ment has also been the basis
for other groups gaining equal
rights, including other minori-
ties, women, and people with
disabilities.
1950s
& 1960s
▼
HUMAN RIGHTS
President Jimmy Carter considered human rights an
important foreign policy issue. Human rights are what
Americans think of as their civil rights, including the
right to vote and to receive a fair trial. The Carter admin-
istration tried to encourage greater freedom abroad by
taking such steps as cutting off military aid to countries
with poor human rights records.
While these efforts met with mixed results, the
issue of human rights has continued to influence U.S.
foreign policy. In the 1990s, for example, the U.S. gov-
ernment tried to push China toward increasing human
rights while keeping alive its trade ties with that country.
As a private citizen, Jimmy Carter has also contin-
ued to champion human rights causes. In 1982, he and
his wife, Rosalynn, founded the Carter Center, whose
programs seek to end human rights abuses and pro-
mote democracy worldwide.
1970s
▼
THINKING CRITICALLY
THINKING CRITICALLY
CONNECT TO HISTORY
1. Analyzing Issues
The Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Amendments both provided for the voting rights of
African Americans. Based on what you have read in the
chapter, how were these rights denied African
Americans? How were they finally secured?
SEE SKILLBUILDER HANDBOOK, PAGE R14.
CONNECT TO TODAY
2. Writing About Rights
Have you or anyone you’ve
known had their civil rights denied them in any way?
Research a current-day instance of an alleged civil
rights injustice. Write an account of the issue and
share it with your class.
IRESEARCH LINKS
CLASSZONE.COM