Focus Task- Optimists vs. Pessimists

1. OPTIMIST EVIDENCE: 
- During WWII significant steps were taken to prevent racial discrimination in the army and employment. 
- In 1950 the Supreme Court ruled that states had to provide equal education for white and black students. 
- In 1952 Brown v. Board declared that segregated education could not be equal, therefore integration was necessary. 
- Montgomery Bus Boycott was an effective, non-violent way to protest desegregation, and it worked because the bus services became segregated. 
- Black and white students worked together and created SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), which organized freedom rides, and sit in lunch counters, and tried to get blacks in the South to register to vote. 
- Many towns were moved by the Civil Rights movement and completely desegregated their towns. 
-President Kennedy committed himself to a wide range of programs of laws and regulations to end segregation. 
- The amount of blacks registered to vote increased dramatically from 1945 to 1966 (from 5-60%). 
- MLK's "I have a dream" speech had a tremendous impact on the American public opinion. 
-Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, which made it illegal for the government to discriminate in areas such as housing and employment. 
- Voting Rights Bill passed in 1965. 
2. PESSIMIST EVIDENCE:
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