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African Americans and the struggle for equality
Martin Luther King Jr - Black Struggle for Civil Rights in the 1960s
Martin luther king jr and civil rights
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Remembering The Children’s Crusade, or known as one of the most stupefying events in history, could take anyone back in the days of segregation and great detriment to our own people. On May 2, 1963, a group of student protesters, in which were motivated by Martin Luther King Jr., partook in the 1963 campaign to desegregate Birmingham, Alabama. More than a thousand students skipped their classes and marched to downtown Birmingham using tactics of nonviolent direct action (Carson). The first day, hundreds were arrested and taken to jail in school buses and paddy wagons. On the second day, the children were surged with high-pressure fire hoses, attacked by police dogs, clubbed, and dragged to jail (Ward, Kelsey and Avery). The punishing of the African American race was harsh; when those punishments were mixed with how they protested for civil rights, it only got worse. Not all the time does one stop and realize that some whites felt the need to help out in some ways. Whether they could relate or they just truly had sympathy, these whites helped protest. When someone protests, they are expressing their objection to something. Whether it was more a silent protest or an aggressive protest, punishments to both races were given. During the Civil Rights Movement, white and black protesters were given some rare and extreme punishments for simply standing up for what they believed in. Even though whites and blacks protested together, not all of them got punished in the same ways. Even though it wasn’t folderol committed by either race, racists saw it as this and would do anything to keep segregation intact. Sometimes, the whites would be shunned, by society, and not hurt physically. While the blacks, on the other hand, were brutally kille... ... middle of paper ... .... Janice Kelsey and Charles Avery Jr. Biography.com, 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. . FBI. "Federal Civil Rights Statutes." FBI. FBI, 26 Aug. 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. . Foner, Eric and John A. Garraty. "Freedom Rides." The Reader's Companion to American History. 1 Dec. 1991: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 May. 2014. . The General Court. "General Laws." : CHAPTER 265, Section 37. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. . ProQuest Staff. "Civil Rights Timeline." Leading Issues Timelines. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
The hypocrisy and double standard that allowed whites to bring harm to blacks without fear of any repercussions had existed for years before the murder Tyson wrote about occurred in May of 1970 (Tyson 2004, 1). Lynching of black men was common place in the south as Billie Holiday sang her song “Strange Fruit” and the eyes of justice looked the other way. On the other side of the coin, justice was brought swiftly to those blacks who stepped out of line and brought harm to the white race. Take for instance Nate Turner, the slave who led a rebellion against whites. Even the Teel’s brought their own form of justice to Henry Marrow because he “said something” to one of their white wives (1).
Centuries of both figurative and literal binding held down countless individuals from reaching their full potential, and in turn held down the entirety of the mankind from progressing forward, Despite laws that emerged in hopes to create equality, years of “Separate but equal” lies perpetuated across from sea to shining sea. Other nations took notice to how America treated its citizens with concern, but yet the discrimination continued. Years of voices fighting for change fell on deaf ears. Typically, only in incidents such as Freedom Summer where white students who fought for equal rights died did the attention of the national public tune to the true horror and extremity white supremacists were taking to hold back change. (cite). Through reading Tyson’s book, one is able to further reach an understanding of the clash of rage, despair, anguish, and frustration felt by those fighting for equal
This documentary is based on Raymond Arsenault’s book “Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice”. It was a radical idea organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) that alarmed not only those who challenged the civil rights but also deliberately defied Jim Crows Law that were enacted between 1876 and 1965, by challenging the status quo by riding the interstate buses in the South in mixed racial groups. This law segregated public services like public transportation, public places, public schools, restrooms, restaurants, and even drinking fountains for black and whites. Though these activists were faced by various bitter racism, mob violence and imprisonment, they were successful in desegregating the buses and bus facilities in the Deep South in September 22, 1961. They strove for nonviolent protest for justice and freedom of African Americans freedom.
Works Cited The "Civil Rights" Cornell University Law School, Inc. 2010. Web. The Web. The Web. 1 Apr. 2011.
Weisbrot, Robert. Freedom Bound: A History Of America’s Civil Rights Movement. New York: Plume, 1991
Smith, V. Chapman . "American Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights Timeline." American Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights Timeline. N.p., 4 July 1995. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. .
The focus of the video documentary "Ain't Scared of your Jails" is on the courage displayed by thousands of African-American people who joined the ranks of the civil rights movement and gave it new direction. In 1960, lunch counter sit-ins spread across the south. In 1961, Freedom Rides were running throughout the southern states. These rides consisted of African Americans switching places with white Americans on public transportation buses. The whites sat in the back and black people sat in the front of the public buses. Many freedom riders faced violence and defied death threats as they strived to stop segregation by participating in these rides. In interstate bus travel under the Mason-Dixon Line, the growing movement toward racial equality influenced the 1960 presidential campaign. Federal rights verses state rights became an issue.
One hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation was written, African Americans were still fighting for equal rights in every day life. The first real success of this movement did not come until the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954 which was followed by many boycotts and protests. The largest of these protests, the March on Washington, was held on August 28, 1963 “for jobs and freedom” (March on Washington 11). An incredible amount of preparation went into the event to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people attending from around the nation and to deal with any potential incidents.
The children crusades were tragic events that happened in the thirteenth century. The first crusade of twenty thousand children was headed to Jerusalem and was led by a ten year old boy named Nicholas of Cologne. Most of the children that went on the first crusade were sold as slaves. The second crusade of thirty thousand children were led by another boy named Stephen of France. Most of the children of the second crusade were either sold as slaves or died.
According to NOBODY TURN ME AROUND: March On Washington, it said: "We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality." (Euchner 180) This quote tells us that people with darker skin suffered prejudice in the form of physical brutality. They were suffering for having 'colored skin'. It was really not fair for them to suffer because America promised to be a country of freedom and equality. That is the final thing that all of the authors who wrote about the subject on the struggle for freedom have mentioned.
Throughout the American South, of many Negro’s childhood, the system of segregation determined the patterns of life. Blacks attended separate schools from whites, were barred from pools and parks where whites swam and played, from cafes and hotels where whites ate and slept. On sidewalks, they were expected to step aside for whites. It took a brave person to challenge this system, when those that did suffered a white storm of rancour. Affronting this hatred, with assistance from the Federal Government, were nine courageous school children, permitted into the 1957/8 school year at Little Rock Central High. The unofficial leader of this band of students was Ernest Green.
Web. The Web. The Web. 08 Mar. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'.
Web. The Web. The Web. 08 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'.
“We didn’t hate white people,” she said softly. “We didn’t even know any. We hated the system. That’s what we were protesting about.” - Spoken by Janise Wesley Kelsey who participated in the children's crusade of 1963. During the Civil Rights movement, the children's crusade of 1963 became an international outburst. School aged childrens, some even seven or eight marched to end segregation in Birmingham Alabama. They were directed by Martin Luther King Jr. to plan the non violent protest on sixth street baptist church. Although, the local police didn’t react nicely, they kept marching on and made a beautiful achievement. The march was so significant in the world at the time because, of the age of the marchers, the town, and the achievement.
Massive protests against racial segregation and discrimination broke out in the southern United States that came to national attention during the middle of the 1950’s. This movement started in centuries-long attempts by African slaves to resist slavery. After the Civil War American slaves were given basic civil rights. However, even though these rights were guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment they were not federally enforced. The struggle these African-Americans faced to have their rights ...