Civil Rights has played an enormous role in America today. It provides political, social, and educational freedom. Civil Rights gives all people the right to live freely. The Civil Rights movement began in the 1950’s to ensure all people were treated equally, despite their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Although Abraham Lincoln ended slavery on January 1, 1863, African-Americans still had far to go in order to be treated equal. The Act of 1964 changed the country forever. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has made America one of the most culturally diverse in the world. The Act of 1964 gave African-Americans a chance at being equal with whites.
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.
As the sit-in movement had relied on direct confrontation, so would the Freedom Riders. The group/s approach involved both blacks and whites—The white Freedom Riders would take seats in the back of buses, and black participants would sit in the front, a two-way violation of bus company policy. If ordered to move, both blacks and whites would keep their seats. At every bus stop, blacks would head for the whites-only waiting rooms and try to use the facilities. The strategy assumed that whites would respond violently and that such encounters could not be ignored by the federal government.
During the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans sought to have their Constitutional Rights permitted. One form of protesting came forth in the form of the Freedom Rides. After slavery ended, many amendments and laws were created to ensure the rights of African Americans, but because of prejudices and racism, most of these were ignored. The Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Fergunson established "separate but equal" on interstate transportation in 1896, but in 1947 the Supreme Court found it unconstitutional. And although segregation was outlawed, Jim Crow laws still ruled the Deep South and “codified in law, sanctioned by the courts, and enforced by the ubiquitous threat of physical violence even more than legal reprisal" (Catsam 87). The Jim Crow laws drastically affected the public transportation systems of the South. The Congress of Racial Equality challenged the unfair laws with Freedom Rides, which "arose out of the need to end segregation at lunch counters, in bus terminals, as well as in other facilities essential to the intercity traveler" (Olds 17-18). The first freedom ride commenced in Washington, DC, in 1961.Because the first Freedom Riders were from the North, they didn't realize how harsh the racist South was and “violence in Anniston and Birmingham, Alabama, would prove to be too much for the first group of freedom riders, who ended up flying from Birmingham to New Orleans. . ." (Catsam 94). However the movement didn't stop there because ". . .students from the Nashville Movement, led by Diane Nash, realized that to allow violence to stop the Rides would send a message that would do incalculable harm to the movement" and the progression of the African American race (94). The students choose to continue t...
The Civil Right Movement gave equality to black people. This changed the way they were treated specially in the south. Many people have heard about this movement, but there is only a few amount of people that actually know what it really is. The civil Rights Movement was a struggle to achieve equal opportunity in employment, housing, education, public, facilities, and even having the right to vote (Civil Rights Movement) This equal opportunity was specially for African Americans. “The Civil Rights Movement is important for the rapid advancement of blacks that gained during a relatively short period of time, but also significant are the lasting changes it affected in American political processes, legal theories and government policies.” (Winter, 12) The Civil Rights Movement of 1950’s and 1960’s has been one of the most critical periods in the U.S. by intensive protest. (The Civil Rights Movement)
The goals of the African American civil rights movement remained steadfast over the course of the 1960s. The movement’s objectives included the eradication of racial segregation and discrimination. There was a call for Black Americans to organize against their oppressors and demand opportunity (Document E). Desegregation of schools and public facilities was fundamental to establishing equality. Boycotts of public facilities took place in response to discriminatory behaviors. The Montgomery Bus Boycott began after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person on a bus. In addition, sit-ins were employed to disrupt the economic activity of prejudiced businesses.
In inspiration of Rosa Park’s actions, many college students took a part of sit-ins for civil rights. “When students refused to leave,” they were denied service and “the police arrested and jailed them,” just like Rosa Parks. They needed to do more, so in 1960, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Community (SNCC) formed. The SNCC would travel to bus stations to peacefully assemble in hopes to desegregate buses. Law enforcement treated them with brutality and denied them their “basic constitutional rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.” In 1963, King organized peaceful marches in Birmingham, but just like all other African American movements, whites responded with violence. The violence of the marches was so brutal, that it finally encouraged, “President John F. Kennedy to propose important civil rights legislation.” In order to push forward a civil rights legislation, “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom… in August 1963…” This eventually lead to a new civil rights
The American Civil Rights Movement was created to end segregation and to make colored people and whites equal. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings (3). MLK took part in a lot of the movements that were happening included Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, the bus boycott, March on Washington and many other events leading up to his assassination.
The Civil Rights Movement attempted to correct the failures of Reconstruction, but it was not executed well. The movement was counteracted by the many conflicts it faced due to the opposition of what it was fighting for.
the civil rights movement dramatically changed the face of the nation and gave a sense of dignity and power to black Americans. Most of all, the millions of Americans who participated in the movement brought about changes that reinforced our nation’s basic constitutional rights for all Americans- black and white, men and women, young and old.
In the sixties, many Americans tried to stop the progress minorities were making with the civil rights movement. In 1961, a group known as the Congress of Racial Equality was attacked by mobs, while the group was testing the compliance of court orders banning segregation on interstate buses and trains and in terminal facilities (Foner 914).
... throughout the South and the free schools for African Americans movement. The freedom rides also inspired black people in the south that were kept in isolation and fear due to political and economic bondage. Additionally, these freedom rides forced the media to uncover the true depths of southern racism to America at a time when the American government was busy testing its Nuclear Weapons after the Cold War. After five months of this nonviolent protest by the Freedom Riders and Nashville Student Movement, the federal government finally gave up in front of these activists. On September 22, 1961; the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) ended the segregation in bus and rail stations eliminating the Jim Crow Law. The Congress of Racial Equality also became the most important active civil rights organization working for equal rights and justice for African Americans.
On April 18th, a bomb destroyed the home of the defense attorney for the sit-in demonstrators, Z. Alexander Looby. This led to a massive march of over 3,000 demonstrators, stretched three people wide and ten blocks long, to the City Hall in order to pray and demand answers from Mayor Ben West. West openly stated, “I appeal to all citizens to end discrimination, to have no bigotry, no bias, no discrimination”.23 Only three weeks later, on May 10th, 1960, the six targeted lunch counters were desegregated and Nashville became the first major city to desegregate facilities.24 As previously stated, Greensboro, the city that began the movement, was not desegregated until July 26th, 1960.25
The civil rights movement showed the world what it was and how bad it was compared to today 50 years later where we all get along. And the Freedom rides, Children’s March, and Orangeburg massacre were just three examples of the many in the movement. The civil rights movement turned the United States from the land of the free and the home of the segregated into the land of the free and the home of the brave.
During the 1950’s a struggle for African American rights were under way. Prior to this many means were taken to protect the Black traveler across the nation. African Americans were often treated as second rate humans and this inferiority would promote the civil rights movement. For traveling African Americas different books were printed up with one intention, to protect the negro traveler. “Your cooperation will enable us to reach the summit or our goal and further our efforts in giving “ASSURED PROTECTION FOR THE NEGRO TRAVELER (Alston, 1956.)” These measure along with years of being denied civil rights demanded that a time for change to come. Starting in the southern states civil right activists began fighting to earn their constitutional rights. People such as Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat after working so that a white man could sit down, was arrested for her public display of disobedience. This would begin the most notable and effective movement in the entire Civil Rights Movement. Dr....