The Civil Rights Movement brought many accomplishments to African Americans such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The key issues that African Americans fought for were voting rights, integration and racial equality. They were tired of the discrimination and humiliation they received as a result of the segregation laws imposed on them. “State laws mandated racial separation in schools, parks, playgrounds, restaurants, hotels, public transportation, theaters, restrooms and so on” (Blumberg 40). Lawsuits had been tried to gain rights such as the unsuccessful Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 and the successful Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Although, the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka declared the “separate but equal” clause unconstitutional, de facto segregation continued in the South. During the 1960s, two methods were used: nonviolence and violence. Violence proved to be ineffective since it perpetuated social tensions among Whites and Blacks. Nonviolence was the most effective method in bringing social change in America during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement because it attracted sympathy towards Black people, provoked positive media attention, and promoted unity among African Americans. The use of violence during the Civil Rights Movement proved to be ineffective because it furthered social tensions between Whites and Blacks. The people who generated violence were mainly the Black Panthers advocating Black Power. Black Power called for nationality, unity, self-pride, self-defense and the separation from the White race (Blumberg 9). The idea of separation of the White race competed with integration since Black Power wanted “African Americans to establish their own ... ... middle of paper ... ... Smith. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2010. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Web. 27 May 2011. Mark, Irving. Great Debates U.S.A. Morristown: Silver Burdett Company, 1969. Stephens, Otis H. Jr. John M. Scheb II. "Civil Rights Movement." Encyclopedia of American Civil Rights and Liberties: Volume 1, A-G. Ed. John M. Scheb, Kara Stooksbury, Otis H. Stephens. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2006. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Web. 25 May 2011. Ware, Leland. “Black Power Movement.” Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture. Ed. Jessie Carney Smith. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2010. ABC- CLIO eBook Collection. Web. 26 May 2011. Ware, Leland. “Carmichael Stokely (Kwame Ture) (1941-98), Civil Rights Activist.” Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture. Ed. Jessie Carney Smith. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2010. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Web. 26 May 2011.
During the twentieth century Black people faced a huge amount of discrimination from the whites and found it very difficult to achieve civil rights. They were at one stage deprived of voting, being entitled the same things as blacks and going to a white school. In order for blacks to achieve civil rights they really needed someone to follow, they needed a leader. Many black leaders did emerge for the fight for civil rights, such as, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Marcus Garvey, some had some ways of thinking some had others. Two of the most powerful and influential leaders of the twentieth century were Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. These two leaders had different approaches, and different views towards white people, perhaps their different approaches of violence and non-violence stem from their original opinions of how capable the whites are of being "good", but fought for the same thing. Freedom.
The movements that emerged after 1955 were church-based, cross-class movements that stressed legalistic civil rights. This was the era of effective leaders like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. whom acknowledged the failure of the movement to address the persistent realities of poverty and economic discrimination. This movement dismantled segregation eliminated racism in southern politics empowered black officeholders and changed the day to day interactions between the races. Movements to obtain civil rights for black Americans have had a special historical significance. It has endured challenges not only by white supremacist groups but that of new black militant organizations (Black Panther Party) that rallied for violence. In spite of agitations/obstacles this movement has broken many race barriers and allowed for accommodations for blacks. Sit- in and non-violent boycott movements have been effective techniques used to break segregation barriers. Such
In the 1960s, the nation was faced tumultuous times. There was racial tension between the white citizens and black citizens of America. Whites could not understand why the African Americans were so upset; they had their freedom from slavery and job opportunities. However, the African American was dissatisfied with the small crumbs of God given rights that all American citizens were entitled to. Two men propelled to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement as leaders; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Their agenda was to seek equal rights for all Americans. But both men differ on the approaches needed to reach these goals; one believed using nonviolence was the answer while the other advocated violence Many people argue that the
One of the key moments that led to the great success this movement had in the 1960s was the ruling of the Brown v. Board of Education supreme court case in 1954. The case directed by the NAACP was an attempt to overturn the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that occurred in the late 19th century. The court made a unanimous decision in support for overruling the previous case ...
In the issue of Civil Rights, civil disobedience is a better way to go that aggression. When the African Americans were passive, they were able to achieve more civil rights. People saw that these African Americans were regular people struggling to get rights that they had been deprived of for hundreds of years. Martin Luther King Jr.'s mark on history still is seen today, while Malcolm X was just a spark of anger, blown out by the reciprocation of violent responses.
Although the conclusion of the Civil War during the mid-1860s demolished the official practice of slavery, the oppression and exploitation of African Americans has continued. Although the rights and opportunities of African Americans were greatly improved during Reconstruction, cases such a 1896’s Plessy v. Ferguson, which served as the legal basis for segregation, continue to diminish the recognized humanity of African Americans as equal people. Furthermore, the practice of the sharecropping system impoverished unemployed African Americans, recreating slavery. As economic and social conditions worsened, the civil rights movement began to emerge as the oppressed responded to their conditions, searching for equality and protected citizenship.With such goals in mind, associations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which came to the legal defense of African Americans and aided the march for civil rights reforms, emerged. By working against the laws restricting African Americans, the NAACP saw progress with the winning of cases like Brown v. Board of Education, which allowed the integration of public schools after its passing in 1954 and 1955. In the years following the reform instituted by the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education, the fervor of the civil rights movement increased; mass nonviolent protests against the unfair treatment of blacks became more frequent. New leaders, such as Martin Luther King, manifested themselves. The civil rights activists thus found themselves searching for the “noble dream” unconsciously conceived by the democratic ideals of the Founding Fathers to be instilled.
On December 1st, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the front of a bus to a white man. It was this simple act of defiance that, arguably, began the Civil Rights movement which lasted from 1955 through the 1960’s and altered the face of our nation forever. Following the arrest of Rosa Parks for her simple denial, African Americans in Montgomery began boycotting the bus system, one of the first major stands against racism in the 1950’s. On the heels of the Brown v. Board of Education segregation trial which had ruled in favor of school integration, this boycott, which proved successful after the seat separation was removed, effectively began the civil rights movement with which we are now so familiar with. The civil rights movement in America aimed to gain civil liberties and rights which were guaranteed by law but withheld from them in society. While the movement lasted from about 1954 to 1968, it was not until the 1960’s that other minorities such as American Indians and women began to join the fight. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s was possibly the most important domestic social movement of the twentieth century. At the very least, it was the most important social confrontation to grip America since the Civil War.
The Civil Rights Movement represents a pivotal event in world history. It resulted in positive changes for African-Americans, among other minorities across the United States and much of the world. While the overall goal of all activists during the civil rights movement was to obtain social justice, and terminate racist and discriminatory customs and laws for African Americans, leaders differed in their tactics. Many Leaders hoped to explore issues of race, human rights and dismantle the institutional racism through nonviolent means. However, others felt forced to use violent tactics in order to ensure change. While historians often put an emphasis on the importance of the non-violent tactics of the Civil Rights movement, radical organization’s
Success was a big part of the Civil Rights Movement. Starting with the year 1954, there were some major victories in favor of African Americans. In 1954, the landmark trial Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas ruled that segregation in public education was unfair. This unanimous Supreme Court decision overturned the prior Plessy vs. Ferguson case during which the “separate but equal” doctrine was created and abused. One year later, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. launched a bus boycott in Montgomery Alabama after Ms. Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat in the “colored section”. This boycott, which lasted more than a year, led to the desegregation of buses in 1956. Group efforts greatly contributed to the success of the movement. 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 peacefully 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...
The civil rights movement fought to create social, economical, and political equality for all people, regardless of skin color, religion, or social class. In addition to creating equality, another purpose was to demolish racial discrimination in education, public facilities, and public transportation. The movement lasted from 1955 to 1968. In attempt to implement change, many different actions were taken, boycotts, marches, sit-ins and violent protest. Protesters were beaten, sprayed with high-pressure water hoses, tear-gassed, and attacked by police dogs; bombings at black churches and other locations which took a number of lives; some, both black and white, who agitated for civil rights such as the right to vote were murdered, but the movement
The American Civil War symbolized the end of the pain and suffering many African Americans had to endure because of slavery. Unfortunately, even after the War, African Americans continued to struggle in society because of Jim Crow laws which segregated people of color from whites. These laws would eventually ignite the American Civil Rights Movement that took place between 1954 and 1968. Certain events like the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case which created the famous phrase, “separate but equal”, delicately influenced many of the events that would lead to or later occur during the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s by giving whites an unfair advantage over blacks. Some of these events include the closing of African American schools in
West, Cornel and Salzman, Jack. Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History. New York: Schuster and Simon and the trustees of Columbia University Press, 1996.
A few years after this the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King, who used non-violent means such as sit-ins, boycotts, and speeches to obtain equal rights for African-Americans.
The next big step in the civil rights movement came in 1954, with the BROWN vs. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF TOPEKA case, where Thurgood Marshall, representing Brown, argued that segregation was against the 4th Amendment of the American constitution. The Supreme Court ruled, against President Eisenhower’s wishes, in favour of Brown, which set a precedent in education, that schools should no longer be segregated. This was the case which completely overturned the Jim Crow Laws by overturning Plessy vs. Ferguson.
The African American Civil Rights Movement was a series of protests in the United States South from approximately 1955 through 1968. The overall goal of the Civil Rights Movement was to achieve racial equality before the law. Protest tactics were, overall, acts of civil disobedience. Rarely were they ever intended to be violent. From sit-ins to boycotts to marches, the activists involved in the Civil Rights Movement were vigilant and dedicated to the cause without being aggressive. While African-American men seemed to be the leaders in this epic movement, African-American women played a huge role behind the scenes and in the protests.