key term - Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

Definition

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was a civil rights organization that played a pivotal role in the African American struggle for equality during the 1960s. It was founded by student activists who sought to challenge racial segregation and discrimination through nonviolent direct action.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. SNCC was founded in 1960 by student activists, including Ella Baker, who had been involved in the Greensboro sit-ins earlier that year.
2. The organization played a crucial role in the Freedom Rides, which challenged segregation on interstate buses and bus terminals in the South.
3. SNCC activists were instrumental in organizing and leading the voter registration drives and Freedom Summer project in Mississippi, which aimed to register African American voters.
4. The organization's focus shifted in the mid-1960s, with members becoming increasingly radicalized and embracing a more confrontational approach to civil rights activism.
5. SNCC's legacy continues to be felt in the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality, with its emphasis on grassroots organizing and youth leadership inspiring subsequent generations of activists.

Review Questions

• Describe the origins and early focus of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
  • The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in 1960 by student activists, including Ella Baker, who had been involved in the Greensboro sit-ins earlier that year. SNCC's early focus was on challenging racial segregation and discrimination through nonviolent direct action, such as organizing and participating in sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and voter registration drives. The organization played a crucial role in mobilizing student activists and grassroots communities to confront the systemic barriers faced by African Americans in the South during the civil rights movement.
• Explain the significance of SNCC's involvement in the Freedom Rides and voter registration drives in Mississippi
  • SNCC activists were instrumental in organizing and leading the Freedom Rides, which challenged segregation on interstate buses and bus terminals in the South. The organization also played a pivotal role in the voter registration drives and Freedom Summer project in Mississippi, which aimed to register African American voters. These efforts were crucial in highlighting the ongoing disenfranchisement of African Americans and mobilizing support for federal intervention to protect voting rights. SNCC's focus on grassroots organizing and youth leadership inspired subsequent generations of civil rights activists and helped to shape the broader strategy of the African American struggle for equality.
• Analyze how SNCC's approach and focus evolved over time, and the impact of this shift on the civil rights movement
  • In the mid-1960s, SNCC's focus shifted, with members becoming increasingly radicalized and embracing a more confrontational approach to civil rights activism. This shift reflected the growing frustration and impatience among younger activists who felt that the pace of change was too slow and that more aggressive tactics were needed to achieve meaningful progress. While this shift in strategy was controversial and led to tensions within the broader civil rights movement, it also helped to inspire and galvanize a new generation of activists who were committed to the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality. SNCC's legacy continues to be felt in the work of contemporary social justice movements, which have built upon the organization's emphasis on grassroots organizing and youth leadership.

Related terms

Civil Rights Movement:

The African American civil rights movement was a decades-long struggle for racial equality and justice, with the 1950s and 1960s representing its most active and influential period.

Nonviolent Resistance: A philosophy and strategy of social and political change that rejects the use of physical violence and instead employs tactics such as sit-ins, boycotts, and peaceful protests.

Voter Registration Drives: Organized efforts to increase voter registration, particularly among African American communities that faced systemic barriers to political participation.