The Impact Of African Americans During The Civil Rights Movement

In order for them to achieve this, the white southerners came up with the Jim Crow laws to prevent the African Americans from achieving their god given right of being free and equal. This did not end the African hope of becoming equal. After many years of mistreatment, African Americans knew that change in society was necessary. The members of the black population have been enslaved, beaten, abused, neglected and just taken advantage of, since the end of the civil war, even into present times, African Americans have struggled for equality and rights that white Americans often take for granted. Arguably, no post-war struggle was larger or more significant than the movement to eliminate the Jim Crow laws from existence in the South.

African Americans have a history of struggles because of racism and prejudices. Ever since the end of the Civil War, they struggled to benefit from their full rights that the Constitution promised. The fourteenth Amendment, which defined national citizenship, was passed in 1866. Even though African Americans were promised citizenship, they were still treated as if they were unequal. The South had an extremely difficult time accepting African Americans as equals, and did anything they could to prevent the desegregation of all races.

It wasn’t easy being an African American, back then they had to fight in order to achieve where they are today, from slavery and discrimination, there was a very slim chance of hope for freedom or even citizenship. This longing for hope began to shift around the 1950’s during the Civil Rights Movement, where discrimination still took place yet, it is the time when African Americans started to defend their rights and honor to become freemen like every other citizen of the United States. African Americans were beginning to gain recognition after the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, which declared all people born natural in the United States and included the slaves that were previously declared free. However, this didn’t prevent the people from disputing against the constitutional law, especially the people in the South who continued to retaliate against African Americans and the idea of integration in white schools. Integration in white schools played a major role in the battle for Civil Rights in the South, upon the coming of independence for all African American people in the United States after a series of tribulations and loss of hope.

The Emancipation Proclamation was a major turning point in our country’s modern history, but reconstruction caused major conflicts that to many years to resolve. One of the major issues was that southern states had to give blacks the same rights as whites and that did not sit well in the South. This was such an issue that in major cities, riots broke out and harmed many blacks. The black who were additionally emancipated were not financially stable because of the fact that they were never paid before. These issues caused major issues for the blacks in the Reconstruction Era because they were transitioning to a new life where they had to become independent and had equal right as everyone else.

Black Status: Post Civil War America After the emancipation of slaves in 1862, the status of African-Americans in post civil war America up until the beginning of the twentieth century did not go through a great deal of change. Much legislation was passed to help blacks in this period. The Civil Rights act of 1875 prohibited segregation in public facilities and various government amendments gave African-Americans even more guaranteed rights. Even with this government legislation, the newly dubbed 'freedmen' were still discriminated against by most people and, ironically, they were soon to be restricted and segregated once again under government rulings in important court cases of the era. Reconstruction was intended to give African-Americans the chance for a new and better life.

Throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the Jim Crow Laws were used to segregate the races in the country. Individuals were affected by the Jim Crow Laws in their social lives, educational opportunities, and heath care. Jim Crow Laws continued the cycle of segregation. They were laws that colored people had to live by so the white population would not get angry about colored people gaining their freedom. They were important to colored people because they were being cheated of their freedom, they were equally important to Southerners who wanted to make sure that colored people knew their boundaries and that they did not deserve to be free.

Since African-Americans had been brought over to the Americas as slaves, there had been a huge rise in racism and segregation. In the 1950s times had become even more difficult for this race of people as racism had hit an all time high. This was not only a problem, but had diminished the rights of blacks to little or none at all. African- Americans felt as if they had the responsibility to fight peacefully and gain the rights they believed they were owed. The thinking of civil disobedience displayed in a great number of these people brought upon the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.

Another factor which made it harder for freed slaves to enter the society was the Ku Klux Klan organization, which can be described as “Original American Terrorist Organizations”. Most white’s southern viewed literacy, political equality, or any advancement for blacks as a loss to whites. (3) Terrorist groups like the Klan, the Knights of the White Camelia, the Red Shirts, and several others formed during Reconstruction to maintain the preexisting social order of white supremacy in the South. Black Americans had to suffer a lot, but still later on they

The se... ... middle of paper ... ... to a an area that would charge blacks extra money to live there. The people fought for what they believed in and even though it was a struggle they made sure everyone was equal. Brown Vs Board of Education In America Paradigm became a milestone not only in African Americans battle for equality,but all citizens rights.The brown Vs board of education made an impact on the civil rights movements by changing the segregational laws. They had been through strenuous efforts to make a difference. We learn today its good to be different and to stand out,but They lived in a crazed society where people could not match up to anyone.What does skin color or ethnic background have to do how someone is perceived?

After this case, it was much harder for whites to defend this type of behavior and lack of fairness in the south. This was a focal point used by the Civil Rights Activists to insure that blacks get the same rights as whites. It is true that we still live in an unfair society, but our forefather such as Martin Luther king, James Farmer, and Roy Wilkins, just to name a few did a wonderful job to freeing not only people of colors, but seeking equal rights for all.