Civil Rights Movement Research Paper

636 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The US civil rights movement

Was the Civil Rights Movement violent? While many parts were, the Woolworth’s sit-in was one example of a peaceful protest. Just by sitting in a lunch counter day after day, four brilliant men managed to change America’s view on segregation and positively impact the world. On February 1, 1960 in Greensboro, North Carolina, four African-American college students decided to initiate a sit-in (Murray). The Greensboro Four, Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil were determined to keep their peaceful protest under control. They meticulously planned their movement for days. Ralph Johns, a local white business man, helped them bring their plan to life by getting the attention of the news channels. The plan was to go …show more content…

Many of the peaceful protesters were arrested for trespassing. They were also harassed by many white men. The white men would try to scare them away by spitting on them and yelling abusive phrases. They even went as far as throwing eggs and setting peoples clothes on fire (Murray). The sit-in was delayed at one point because there were multiple bomb threats on the people. While the movement was still wildly successful, some facilities did not integrate, they just shut down (Cohen). However, even through the rough time the protesters managed to stay strong in their …show more content…

(Greensboro Sit-In). Because this protest became so recognized, the trend of peaceful protests spread like wildfire. It was broadcasted all over the news and people were inspired. In fact, the movement spread to 55 college towns and 13 states (Greensboro Sit-In). The actions of the four men made an long-lasting impact on the world. By that summer, most dining areas were integrated. TIME Magazine states that. “The lunch-counter sit-ins spawned wade-ins at pools and beaches, kneel-ins at churches, read-ins at libraries, and walk-ins at theaters and amusement parks.” Woolworth’s was the first lunch counter to change their policy and start allowing service to African Americans (Murray). The SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) was founded in April in order to keep the ideas and beliefs of the people going. The SNCC was one of the main forces of the civil rights movement, but was later

Show More
Related

  • The Greesboro Four

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Greensboro Sit-In and the Sit-In Movement." History. A&E Television Networks, LLC. Web. 7 Dec. 2013. .

    Read More

  • The Freedom Riders: Sacrifices in the South

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    After choosing no bail, Perkins spent two nights in jail. However, this was nothing for Perkins, who had spent two years in the army and engaged in other civil rights movements. After leaving the military, Perkins joined in on the lunch sit-ins to end counter segregation. Because of his great accomplishments and bravery, the CORE thought he would be a positive addition to the group; therefore, they asked him to join in August of 1960... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • The Importance of Sit-Ins to the Black Civil Rights Movement

    1269 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sit-ins were a form of peaceful protest where a person, in this case an African American or a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, would sit in a restaurant that was known to deny service to African Americans and would refuse to give up the seat until served by the establishment. In effect, this would force the establishment to either integrate their establishment or call the police. If the latter was done, it was usually publicized. The media is of great importance because it forces the public to see what is going on. It also encouraged other cities to follow suit and perform them in their locales. The movement also spread to other sectors like housing and retail.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Nonviolent Action In Congressman Lewis's March Book 1)

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    They were willing to break unjust laws to achieve a just law. In John Lewis’ March book One, we see examples of Lewis’s days when he, himself, took part in sit-ins at dinners to be served meals. At the counters of diners, they were rejected by waitress to be served meals. In the book, we witness the brutality and beatings young protesters at counters received as well as in the movie “The Butler”. Both scenes show the consequences protesters faced once in white people’s territory. The goal of the sit-ins was to fight for equality in dining areas and restaurants. With all the violence faced during sit-ins in both book one and two, the protesters continuous pressure to integrate diners and restaurants proved to be effective because a bill was later signed to desegregate diners because of race. In today’s generation, a sit-in would not be effective because this generation’s youth does not have the will and mentality to withstand abuse from whites without fighting back. Violence answers to violence as we have seen recent violence demonstrated by young black protesters in other

    Read More

  • The Thirteenth Amendment and Slavery in The United States

    1964 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1865, congress passed the thirteenth amendment, which was ratified on December 6, 1865. The thirteenth amendment abolished slavery in the United States permanently. It was thought by many African Americans that there would finally be peace, and that they too would be treated as fairly as the whites. This was sadly not the case. African Americans were brutally segregated and entrusted to hard times and conditions. Whites began to insist on racial segregation, which had been practiced before, and gave the feeling of superiority to the whites over African Americans. Many whites resisted the social changes, leading to revolting movements such as the Ku Klux Klan, whose members attacked African americans to maintain white dominance. This sparked the civil rights movement. Also called “freedom struggles”, these movements took place to obtain equal rights for African Americans. The sit in’s had a major impact on the psychological impact on African Americans. Not only was it the first African American sitting in, but other students started to follow the path of the Greensboro four and started to participate in sit ins as well. The sit in’s allowed for the civil rights for African Americans to be finally broadcasted live throughout the world. Even though the protesters heckled and beaten, they still sat and never moved, showing the resiliency of the protesters, and was a great role model for other African American protesters who decided it was time to fight against discrimination and fight for rights.

    Read More

  • March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom of 1963

    1253 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over 200,000 demonstrators participated in the March on Washington in the nation’s capital on August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to gain civil rights for African Americans. There was a wide diversity in those who participated, with a quarter of all the demonstrators being white (Ross). Even southern people came to contribute, which caused them to be harassed and threatened for coming to the march. The March on Washington became a very successful event for the rights of African Americans, and amended several peoples’ view-points towards the topic, even President John Kennedy’s.

    Read More

  • The Civil Rights Movement and the Decline in Racisim

    487 Words  | 1 Pages

    It began on February 1, 1960, in Greensboro, North Carolina when four black students seated themselves at the whites only lunch counter and refused to leave until they were served. After the first sit-in, it began happening all over the country and by the end of the year, 70,000 blacks staged sit-ins. Throughout this, over 3,600 people were arrested. This movement was successful, but it demonstrated non-violent protests. After this movement began, several organizations developed. Such programs include; The NAACP, SNCC, SCLC, CORE, and the Black Panthers. The NAACP stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, while the SNCC stands for the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee. The SCLC stands for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference who started a segregation protest traveling to Birmingham, Alabama who had the reputation of one of the most segregated cities in the United States. On May 2, 1963, over six hundred protesters were arrested, and the majority was teenage high schoolers. The next day, the police chief, Bull Conor, ordered his police officers to shoot the protestors with high-powered water hoses ordered their dogs to attack them. By the end of the march, only twenty people reached the City Hall. After the Birmingham demonstrations, the blacks gained support from the people from the North because they witnessed how violent the South was towards the black protestors. The CORE is for the Congress of Racial Equality and started the first series of Freedom Riders in May of 1961. They traveled on two interstate buses starting in Washington D.C. and traveling to New Orleans. The people who disagreed with this movement threw stones and burnt these traveling buses in order to show their dislikeness of the blacks. All of these programs promoted rights for African Americans. The Black Panthers was organized by the SNCC and became popular in the late 60's. It was founded in Oakland, California after they protested the bill that outlawed carrying loaded weapons in public.

    Read More

  • Success and Failure of the Civil Rights Movement

    1574 Words  | 4 Pages

    This is not only shown by the successful nature of the bus boycott, but it is shown through the success of Martin Luther King’s SCLC, or Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The conference was notable for peaceful protesting, nonviolence, and civil disobedience. Thanks to the SCLC, sit-ins and boycotts became popular during this time, adding to the movement’s accomplishments. The effective nature of the sit-in was shown during 1960 when a group of four black college students sat down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in hopes of being served. While they were not served the first time they commenced their sit-in, they were not forced to leave the establishment; their lack of response to the heckling and ill-treatment they received inspired blacks throughout the deep South to imitate their actions....

    Read More

  • Ain't Scared of your Jails

    1527 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the first documented incidents of the sit-ins for the civil rights movement was on February 1, 1960 in Nashville, Tennessee. Four college African-Americans sat at a lunch counter and refused to leave. During this time, blacks were not allowed to sit at certain lunch counters that were reserved for white people. These black students sat at a white lunch counter and refused to leave. This sit-in was a direct challenge to southern tradition. Trained in non-violence, the students refused to fight back and later were arrested by Nashville police. The students were drawn to activist Jim Lossen and his workshops of non-violence. The non-violent workshops were training on how to practice non-violent protests. John Lewis, Angela Butler, and Diane Nash led students to the first lunch counter sit-in. Diane Nash said, "We were scared to death because we didn't know what was going to happen." For two weeks there were no incidences with violence. This all changed on February 27, 1960, when white people started to beat the students. Nashville police did nothing to protect the black students. The students remained true to their training in non-violence and refused to fight back. When the police vans arrived, more than eighty demonstrators were arrested and summarily charged for disorderly conduct. The demonstrators knew they would be arrested. So, they planned that as soon as the first wave of demonstrators was arrested, a second wave of demonstrators would take their place. If and when the second wave of demonstrators were arrested and removed, a third would take their place. The students planned for multiple waves of demonstrators.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Research Paper

    1944 Words  | 4 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When most Americans hear that name the first thing that comes to mind is his “Dream”. But that is not all he was. His life was more than a fight against segregation, it was segregation. He lived it and overcame it to not only better himself but to prove it could be done and to better his fellow man.

    Read More

  • Essay On Jesse Jackson

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jackson initially became involved in the Civil Rights movement when he was a student at North Carolina A&T. He also joined the Greensboro chapter of the Council on Racial Equality (CORE), a party that had ran early sit-ins to protest segregated lunch counters. In early 1963 Jackson planned various marches, sit-ins, and mass arrests to push for the desegregation of local restaurants and theaters. His management in these events earned him acknowledgment within the regional movement.

    Read More

  • SNCC

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, was created on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh in April 1960. SNCC was created after a group of black college students from North Carolina A&T University refused to leave a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina where they had been denied service. This sparked a wave of other sit-ins in college towns across the South. SNCC coordinated these sit-ins across the nation, supported their leaders, and publicized their activities. SNCC sought to affirm the philosophical or religious ideal of nonviolence as the foundation of their purpose. In the violently changing political climate of the 60’s, SNCC struggled to define its purpose as it fought white oppression. Out of SNCC came some of today's black leaders, such as former Washington, D.C. mayor Marion Barry, Congressman John Lewis and NAACP chairman Julian Bond. Together with hundreds of other students, they left a lasting impact on American history.

    Read More

  • Informal Organizations In The Civil Rights Movement

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    The determination, blood, and sweat of the students who participated in the sit-ins paid off at the end, because of how well the group was organized and structured. The sit-ins spread across the South quickly, because the activist, although they were college students, worked “through local movement centers, planned, coordinated, and sustained them” (Polletta). The college students were able to keep their organization well coordinated and this helped the movement prosper, because there was a method of doing things that worked. If the SNCC was not as organized and structured, the movement may have not been so impactful, because an organization cannot spread and gain attention if it has poor communication and coordination skills. There needed to be a strong backing in order to join such a group, because it was a risk to join at the time. The organized and structure of the SNCC and the sit-in movement allowed them to have backing from leading political figures. “John F. Kennedy gave his breakthrough civil rights address in June 1963, in which he declared civil rights as a moral issue,” he said that it is a right for facilities to serve and open to the public. He compared this to education and voting (Schmidt). The organization was successful enough to catch the eye of a presidential candidate, this could not be done if the organizational structure was unorganized and unstructured. This shows

    Read More

  • Segregation

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sit-in- A sit-in, in reference to The American Civil Rights Movement, is an event in which African-Americans would go to whites only restaurants and would not leave until they were served. This was a way African-Americans would show their discontent with segregation in society. By doing this, they were saying they wanted to be able to eat in the same restaurants as Caucasians. Sit-ins were not just about eating in the same restaurants, African-Americans wanted to be permitted to use all the same businesses as Caucasians. Often times, African-Americans who were conducting a sit-in were harassed. Sit-ins were another way African-Americans would express discontent with segregation. Sit-ins were a way African-Americans would make the point they wanted immigration, just like “the Nine” did by going to Central High School. Melba and the rest of “the Nine” were, in a way, performing a sit-in by going to Central. They went to Central and did not want to leave until they were taught and had graduated (most of “the Nine” did have to leave for their own safety, even though they did not necessarily want to). This can be compared to African-Americans entering a restaurant and not leaving until they received service. In both cases, integrationists went into a public facility and didn’t leave until serviced (food or education) or forced to leave.

    Read More

  • Essay On Civil Rights Movement

    2889 Words  | 6 Pages

    American Civil Rights Movement By Eric Eckhart The American Civil Rights movement was a movement in which African Americans were once slaves and over many generations fought in nonviolent means such as protests, sit-ins, boycotts, and many other forms of civil disobedience in order to receive equal rights as whites in society. The American civil rights movement never really had either a starting or a stopping date in history. However, these African American citizens had remarkable courage to never stop, until these un-just laws were changed and they received what they had been fighting for all along, their inalienable rights as human beings and to be equal to all other human beings. Up until this very day there are still racial issues where some people feel supreme over other people due to race.

    Read More

More about Civil Rights Movement Research Paper

Open Document