Martin Luther King and the 1962 March on Washington

Those of colour were not eligible to vote under the constitutional voting rights. This made the segregation much more widespread across the US as it affected African Americans on a large... ... middle of paper ... ...th the demanding and powerful confidence coming from his voice, Martin Luther King states that “there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights” (King). Many feel as though his speech was able to “exert such a potent hold on people around the world and cross the generations” (Kakutani). Others believe that “Martin Luther Kings’ worldview negatively affects blacks today”, as stated by Ellis Washington in A Critique of Dr.Martin Luther King. Washington states that the civil rights movement, lead by King, “laid all of black America’s demands (…) at the feet of white America” (Washington).

The first of its kind since the Civil War, this bill drastically called for the end of all segregation in all public places. In the eyes of the civil rights movement leaders, this bill was long over due. Kennedy’s crusade began slowly to the dismay of many civil rights leaders in February of 1963. He began by sending the United States Congress a “Special Message on Civil Rights,” stating, Our Constitution is color blind, ...but the practices of the country do not always conform to the principles of the Constitution... Equality before the law has not always meant equal treatment and opportunity.

Johnson: Savior of the Civil Rights Movement? The Civil Rights Movement and President Johnson are closely linked in history. Though there were many other faces to the Civil Rights Movement, Johnson’s was one of the most publicly viewed and instrumental in its passing. It was Johnson who carried the weight and responsibilities of the issue after the assassination of JFK, and it was he who would sign it. Lyndon B Johnson was the most influential forces in establishing the movement that would ensure civil rights for black americans.

It was because of this that it’s the most important event in African-American history and culture due to its great accomplishment in giving blacks liberty and putting an end to all discrimination for everyone. Works Cited King Jr, Martin Luther. Letter From Birmingham Jail. Publisher weekly 260.25 (2013) 170. Literary Reference Center.

He started to impel equality between citizens even before his presidency. After he had elected, and with defying racialism and problems getting out of control, the community started to force Kennedy to push the civil rights, and, along with Martin Luther King’s plans and speeches happened countrywide, civil rights had made its attention to public. Furthermore, it also became the focus in the congress. John F. Kennedy had put his entire life into civil right legislation. As a result, his Civil Rights Announcement in 1963 became a huge success, and the assassination of him evolved the civil rights problem into a completely new degree.

Throughout history, many people have come and gone, but some will never be forgotten for the impact their voice had on the world such as Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and Patrick Henry. MLK Jr. was a catalyst in encouraging desegregation in America, his “I Have a Dream Speech” was so powerful that people still study, and its impact is still felt to this day. Abraham Lincoln was also an important voice in history, he supported the end of slavery, furthermore, he lead the war against the extremely racist south who were trying to spread slavery across the entire U.S. Lastly, Patrick Henry also had a very memorable voice because of his very vocal stance against taxation, he helped create opposition to being controlled by Great Britain,

The Civil Rights Bill Years of sacrifice culminated in the passage of legislation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. When the bill was introduced, there was a lengthy debate of its contents. Southern congressmen fought against the bill with every breath. However, the public mode was behind change, and change is what was received with the passage of this bill. The bill was the most significant piece of legislation to date, and it has had a lasting effect in the elimination of discrimination and segregation.

The American government takes affirmative action very seriously as demonstrated in the methods it has implemented to combat discrimination in the workplace. Although it can be argued when affirmative action actually emerged, the government’s efforts to protect the rights of all American citizens with regard to employment began in 1941. President Roosevelt created the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) when A. Phillip Randolph, president and founder of one of the most powerful black labor unions, threatened to organize a mass march on Washington D.C. if Roosevelt did not take action on behalf of black workers. It was the responsibility of the FEPC to increase the number of black citizens employed by defense contractors. The commission continued its efforts throughout World War II and then was eliminated.

The civil rights movement started in the end of the 1950s and various protests broke the pattern of racially segregated public facilities in the South and achieved the most important breakthrough in equal-rights legislation for blacks in America. Civil rights are freedoms and rights guaranteed to a member of a community, state, or nation. Freedom of speech, of the press, of religion, and of fair and equal treatment is the basic civil rights. Black protestors like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King made many important speeches on TV that would have helped the nationwide campaign for civil rights. By putting their speeches on TV they are broadcasting their view on how blacks are being treated to a wider audience.

Dr. King highlights the historical events that led to that answer and why it needed to happen the way it did through nonviolence and civil disobedience—actions of love that Jesus probably would have stood behind. In hindsight the build-up to 1963 is obvious; the tension had grown rather than diminished since the Emancipation Proclamation as new laws were enacted but slowly carried out or blatantly ignored. The centennial of the Proclamation was approaching, and the lack of follow-through by both Republicans and Democrats, in both the South and the North, brought disappointment, frustration, and anger. President Kennedy promised changes to housing discrimination but did not sign them into law until two years into his term and was not specific enough for it to bring actual change (p. 8). The black population’s faith in the government waned as they saw countries in Africa rebelling after World War II, the nearly nuclear war of the 1950s, and the Great Depression that lingered even longer for them than for the struggling white public.