Sit-Ins & the African-American Civil Rights Movement

By Joey Zoida and Zach Amirr

What are Sit-Ins?

• A Sit-In is a highly effective nonviolent protest where protesters remain in a certain area until their requests have been met.

History

• The idea of Sit Ins came from the Indian practice of Dharna, fasting outside the home of someone who owed one a debt.

• Sit-Ins were used in the Indian independence movement, African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968), and South African strikes.

Greensboro Sit-In• Greensboro Sit-In was when four African American students were

refused service in a Woolworths store in North Carolina. • So, the students stayed sitting behind the counter until closing. The

next day, 20 more African American students sat behind the counters, but still getting refused service.

• The next day, over 300 African American students showed up. • This Sit-In gained a lot of media attention, resulting in the store chain

reversing its policy of racial segregation, as well as many other food chains in the South.

Consequences

• The consequence of this nonviolent strike is being removed from the area by force and thrown in jail.

• Protestors were often injured, and they got sympathy from the public, increasing the chances of the demonstrators reaching their goal.

• Violence of these Sit-Ins led to the African-American Civil Rights Movement.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

About Civil Rights Act

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbade discrimination on the basis of sex as well as race in hiring, promoting, and firing.\

• This act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964.

Civil Rights continued• The Civil Rights prohibited discrimination in public

places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal.

• At first the powers given to enforce the act was weak, but were supplemented in later years.

• This act lead up to the signing of the Voting Rights Act, also signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson.