The Causes of the Black Riots in the 1960s
Throughout the 1960s many riots involving black people and other
minority groups took place in the Eastern States of America. The 1965
riots in Watt County were one such example and demonstrated the
horrific inequalities still present in America one year after the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 had been introduced. The riots lasted for six
days, leaving 34 people dead, over a thousand injured, nearly 4,000
arrested and hundreds of buildings destroyed.
There were many factors that played a part in causing the riots such
as a failing education system, damaged relations between the police
force and minority groups (especially black African Americans) and
poor medical care. High unemployment within these groups and an
unwillingness for change amongst the majority of state governments
also contributed to the problems seen in 1965.
Poor housing was a major problem at the time for African Americans. It
was almost impossible for these people to get loans, due both to
prejudice and the fact most black people had very low-income jobs.
Banks were understandably reluctant to hand out money to high risk
borrowers such as these. This lead to a great deal of discontent
within the community and the lack of money also meant that any
accommodation they could afford was of a very poor standard. As a
result many lived in damp, squalid conditions.
In addition there were certain areas set aside purely for white people
where black people were forbidden to move next to or even near a white
person. This meant that the housing available to Black People was
severely limited, even if they did have money available to...
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...ust as a bully in a school may pick on someone different, racists
will continue to discriminate against black Americans because of the
colour of their skin. This however will become less prominent every
year.
To sum up, I do not believe that past events and attitudes have a very
significant influence on peoples' attitudes today. People look back on
mistakes of the past and use them as a reminder not to allow anything
similar to happen again, and in my opinion this is how most people in
America regard racism. Education has meant that children are now
taught about racism, and with every new generation the current
attitude that black people are equal is strengthened. There are of
course a minority who choose still to discriminate against
African-Americans; however this is nothing like as widespread as it
used to be.
Disadvantages of Black Americans in 1950's Black Americans faced many disadvantages during the 1950's. In short they were discriminated; from public services, to cafés and restaurants. After the American Civil War in 1865, black people in the American south were no longer slaves. But they had never gained equality with whites. Blacks had remained second classed citizens throughout their movement to America, with the worst paid unskilled jobs in farms and factories.
Since the time of slavery, racial tension has existed between whites and blacks. This tension has only increased with the passing of time. This conflict culminated in the 1940s in the form of mob violence. While there have been previous riots because of race relations, none of them were of the magnitude of the 1943 Detroit riot. Much like any other event involving racism in the 1940s, the Detroit riot has little coverage, most of which is skewed, in articles in the nation?s leading news sources such as ?Deep Trouble? in Time, ?Riotous Race Hate? in Newsweek, and ?The Truth About the Detroit Riot? in Harper?s. Thus, one must compare articles from these sources to ascertain accurate information. Even when comparing these accounts, the reader finds discrepancies in the causation and destruction of the Detroit riot. By analyzing these descriptions, one can also notice the similarities between the Detroit riot and other mob violence during that time period. For example, James Baldwin?s retelling of the Harlem riot in ?Notes of a Native Son? bears great similarities in causation and destruction with the Detroit riot.
On July 27, 1919, a young black man named Eugene Williams swam past an invisible line of segregation at a popular public beach on Lake Michigan, Chicago. He was stoned by several white bystanders, knocked unconscious and drowned, and his death set off one of the bloodiest riots in Chicago’s history (Shogun 96). The Chicago race riot was not the result of the incident alone. Several factors, including the economic, social and political differences between blacks and whites, the post-war atmosphere and the psychology of race relations in 1919, combined to make Chicago a prime target for this event. Although the riot was a catalyst for several short-term solutions to the racial tensions, it did little to improve race relations in the long run. It was many years before the nation truly addressed the underlying conflicts that sparked the riot of 1919. This observation is reflected in many of author James Baldwin’s essays in which he emphasizes that positive change can only occur when both races recognize the Negro as an equal among men politically, economically and socially.
under "force" the use of threat of violence by any party or institution to atta...
Race Relations in the Early 1960's in the USA. Early 1960’s During the fifties in the USA there was much racial hatred. Segregation was widespread in the area. The NAACP declared segregation.
...s. In both cases people in poverty didn’t have many opportunities coming their way. Although the riots were twenty seven years apart they both shared the same problems. People living in both communities did not have many resources available to them. In those twenty seven years, buildings in those areas were still rundown and many jobs weren’t available. Schools were still not on the same level as those in advantaged areas. What if African Americans were given better jobs and education? If they had received both the riots would not have started. They would have not felt oppressed and let anger just grow inside. Once the resentment started growing, it was only a matter of time before a riot broke out. In both riots you can see how the LAPD’s heavy hand was involved. African Americans were not receiving the same justice as the Caucasian residents of Los Angeles.
In 1961, previous to the outbreak of Occupy Wall Streets of Greenwich Village’s Washington Square Park was filled with three–thousand young beatnik protestors. Playing instruments and singing folk music symbolized the starvation that these young folks wanted of freedom and equality for America. Protestors demonstrated mixed cultures, individualistic beliefs that went against the status quo of America after the post-war years. The Beatnik Riot involved young traditional Americans fighting not just for the musical crisis of that time, but for the social, racial, and cultural segregations that were brought on by the years of war.
If a person want a peaceful protest, then sit at home and use social media to protest and wait for change. However, violent protest raises awareness and get the issue resolved much quicker than just holding hands and chanting. Violent Protest shows the anger and frustration of the person or people. It also shows how people are willing to risk their life by standing by something they believe in. When violence is used during a protest it gets the point across much quicker. Violence cannot be ignored and it forces the authorities or whomever to take notice.
The Watts Riots was a race riot that took place in Los Angeles in August 11th through the 17th in 1965. The Watts Riot, which screamed and acted violently for six days which ended with about forty million dollars worth of damage, resulting to be the largest and most expensive city-based fighting against authority of the Civil Rights time in history. The riot helped from the event on August 11, 1965 when Marquette Frye, a black traveler, was pulled over and arrested by Lee W. Minikus. Strained forces between police officers and the crowd erupted in a violent exchange. The outbreak of brutal rebellion that followed Frye's arrest immediately touched off a large riot centered in the commercial section of the riot, a deeply extremely poor African American neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles. For many days, rioters burned everything in sight and robbed and damaged department stores, grocery stores, and anything they could damage. Over the course of the six days, over 14,000 California National Guard troops were made ready for action in South Los Angeles and a curfew zone including ...
The Watts riots is one of the most important riots in the many important riots that have occurred in the United States. Thousands of African-Americans, fed up with the horrible police brutality at the time, reacted by battling the police in the streets along with the looting and burning of White-owned stores. The riot was unprecedented, but not unexpected, during a time of great racial tension, with the Civil Rights Movement having become an ever-increasing strain on the country. Police brutality was not the only factor in causing the riot, as there were economic problems in the Black community at the time that also contributed to the unrest. The Watts riot, also known as the Watts Rebellion, influenced riots to come in the decades following
“Treat others as you would want to be treated.” This is a well-known quote that many people use around the world. This quote basically means that if someone doesn’t like to be treated in a poor way, then they shouldn’t treat another person in a poor way either. African Americans had a difficult time dealing with unfair treatment back in the days. They would frequently be looked down upon just because they had different colored skin. Many African Americans grew tired of the way they were treated. Some of them stood up for what they believed in. Whether it was in a form of a March, speech, or protest, they would not back down for their equal rights. One of the most widely known incidents that took place during the Civil Rights Movement was known as the “Greensboro Sit- In”. The Greensboro Sit- In had a very powerful effect on the Civil Rights Movement.
Shortly after Rachel was written in 1916, the New Negro Movement began to gain traction in the African American community. This broad cultural movement focused on promoting a public image of African Americans as industrious, urban, independent, and distinct from the subservient and illiterate “Old Negro” of the rural South. Unlike his predecessor, the New Negro was self-sufficient, intellectually sophisticated, creative, knowledgeable and proud of his racial heritage (Krasner, Beautiful Pageant 140). While these concepts had been promoted since the turn of the century, it was not until 1917-1918 that they began to crystalize as a concerted effort among African American intellectuals. These men actively supported the creation of black drama because they recognized that “At a time when African Americans had virtually no political recourse, their voice could best be heard through…a creative and humanistic effort to achieve the goal of civil rights by producing positive images of African Americans and promoting activism through art” (“New Negro Movement” 926). The New Negros therefore shared the same overall goal as black intellectuals such as DuBois, but believed that black artists should focus on presenting the reality and beauty of the “black human experience” instead of an idealized vision of what life should be. Ultimately, the transition from “political” art to that which held creativity in high esteem was complex and divisive. Fortunately, just as Dubois emerged as the primary advocate of the former Political Theatre, so too would Alain Locke help guide the New Negros to support the idea of Art Theatre.
The disadvantages that black Americans faced in the 1950’s. In the 1950’s black people were discriminated against and mistreated beyond belief whilst white people lived a life of luxury with cars, televisions and money. Statistics from the ‘US Department of Commerce’ state that 18% of white people lived below the poverty line, whilst 56% of black people lived below the poverty line. From 1882 to 1968, 3,445 lynching’s were recorded and many were not recorded.
The fight for equality has been fought for many years throughout American History and fought by multiple ethnicities. For African Americans this fight was not only fought to gain equal civil rights but also to allow a change at achieving the American dream. While the United States was faced with the Civil Rights Movements a silent storm brewed and from this storm emerged a social movement that shook the ground of the Civil Right Movement, giving way to a new movement that brought with it new powers and new fears. The phrase “Black power” coined during the Civil Right Movement for some was a slogan of empowerment, while other looked at it as a threat and attempted to quell this Black Power Movement.
The past most definitely affects the future, from one word to an action can change