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Civil rights movement usa
African American Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement in the USA
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The 1960s were crucial to the advancement toward racial equality for the United States. The Civil Rights Movement, which began around 1955, made the majority of its progress during the 1960s through the many different civil rights organizations that were established during this time. One group in particular, known as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, became extremely influential in the fight against racial discrimination. SNCC protesters organized freedom rides and sit-ins and created protest songs in an attempt to sway the public toward the belief that blacks were equal to Whites and that they should be treated as such. The SNCC protesters sang songs such as “Which Side Are You On?” in order to rally their audience to their cause by stirring emotional responses by asking “which side” they are on. The song is sung by many backup singers, but has one main vocalist, and is reminiscent of a gospel choir (which is generally associated with an African-American style). “Which Side Are You On?” attempts to force its audience to take a stance on civil rights, but hints at ridicule if one chooses to side against the movement through insults such as “boy” “Uncle Tom” and “tom”, and by mentioning “Chief Pritchett” and “Mayor Kelly”, key figures in the local government and law enforcement of Albany, Georgia at this time, in a bad light.
“Which Side Are You On?” is trying to target those who have not yet taken action in the Civil Rights Movement, but seems to be really focused getting those African-Americans who have not yet spoken out against the injustice through the gospel choir style of singing. The gospel singing style is very effective in motivating the congregation during a church service, and that is most likely...
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... are many people who are either undecided or are too lazy to stand up for their rights, the end of the protesting becomes a cloudy mess and the outcome is indeterminable. It becomes a fight to see whether those undecided people will join the fight on one side or the other.
The song “Which Side Are You On?” is an attempt to persuade those who are uncertain of what they think and is also meant as a jab to the current establishment. If people didn't decide to care for what they believe in enough to act on those beliefs then the Civil Rights Movement would have not taken place. SNCC tried to embolden those who had not acted on their stance in order to discover how many other shared their ideals and among them who was willing to join SNCC in the fight for racial equality and justice.
Works Cited
SNCC.“Which Side Are You On?”. SNCC Freedom Singers. Internet. c. 1963.
The African-American civil rights movement was a cruel time for the African American race to endure due to the harsh discrimination and segregation that they faced. This movement fought for the rights and the equality of African Americans in the United States. With all that was going on, African Americans turned to music for motivation, courage, inspiration and strength to overcome the difficult obstacles that they would soon face. “Non-violence marchers faced beating, hosing, burning, shooting, or jail with no defense other than their courage and songs” (Hast 45). “It's been a long, a long time coming/ But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will” (Cooke, Sam. A Change Is Gonna Come). Music was their greatest hope for change in the near future and is the thing that kept them fighting for what they deserved. They came together with each other due to the lyrics of many different songs that kept the civil rights movement alive and known. Music painted a vision that they could picture and look forward to; it was a dream that they could fight for. “Music empowered African Americans to hold tight to their dream of racial equality” (Jeske). A genre of music that bought society together during this movement was folk.
This aspect of culture was very significant as blacks learned that everyone was equal in God’s eyes. At these churches, the introduction of gospel music generated self expression and thus, these black churches were a representation of social cohesion among blacks. Gordy established this aspect of culture and incorporated gospel music from churches into the soul sound Motown was successful for. Moreover, the formation of African American neighbourhoods was a very important aspect of their culture due to its link to the history of segregation. Although many associated these black neighbourhoods or ‘ghettos’ with negative connotations, for blacks, it signified ‘home’, a place that represented black identity, also including the passion and emotion from overcoming the struggle and suffering of being black.
Black anthems have a long standing history that can be traced through their African roots to modern day songs. Political groups have used these anthems to both lead and thrown into crisis their aims and objectives of their political messages. Not only have anthems been used in political areas they have also been used to showcase the culture at the time of their prominence. These anthems have many benefits such as uniting people together for certain causes, however, some of the anthems drawbacks are that they have been nearly forgotten as their respective political groups have faded away into history. The book Anthem: Social Movements and the Sound of Solidarity in the African Diaspora by Shana L. Redmond proves that anthems have been used
In “Blame It On the Blues” the author Angela Davis, argues against critics, like Samuel Charters and Paul Oliver, who say that the Blues lacks social commentary or political protest, by saying that the Blues was a subtle protest against gender and racial inequality. Davis uses various songs from Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith to prove this.
For many years after the Civil War many African-Americans did not truly enjoy the freedoms that were granted to them by the US constitution. This was especially true in the southern states, because segregation flourished in the south wwhere African-Americans were treated as second class citizens. This racial segregation was characterized by separation of different races in daily life, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a rest room, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home. In addition, Blacks were not afforded justice and fair trials, such as the case of the murder of Emmet Till. This unjust treatment would not be tolerated in America any more, which spurred the civil rights movement.
The Civil Rights movement in the 1960s is a struggle, majority in the South, by African Americans to achieve civil rights equal to those of the whites, including housing, education, and employment, as well the right to vote, have access to public facilities, and the right to be free of racial discrimination. The federal government generally stayed out of the civil rights struggle until 1964, when President Johnson pushed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through congress prohibiting discrimination and promised equal opportunities in the workplace for all. The year after this happened the Voting Rights Act eliminated poll taxes and other restraints now allowing blacks to vote. These laws were not solving the problems African Americans were facing.
Political issues such as the war on terrorism is evoked as an issue throughout the song. American was divided “All across the alien nation” when troops were sent to Iraq to search for weapons of mass destruction. Metaphorical language was used to explore the issue. Audience positioning from techniques indorse concerns with a country divided and positions them to feel the need to cooperate and sort things out other than civil unrest and debate.
The latter part of the Civil Rights Movement was characterized by action and change as it was no longer centralized in the South or only fought for by black individuals. Rather, northerners were active in achieving black equality and the white community was campaigning for integration. Although many lost their lives in this struggle, their valiancy did not go unrewarded and soon enough African Americans were able to vote, work, study, and simply eat lunch beside white individuals.
During the time of the Civil War, the United States was divided on many issues; one of the issues being the issue of slavery. The North was fighting against the heinous act of imprisoning someone for life for self-gain and the South was fighting to preserve this heinous act. The North needed all the warriors of freedom as possible, which is why Alfred M. Green gave a speech in Philadelphia in April 1861 to get his fellow African Americans to join the union and fight be the warriors of freedom that the North needed them to be in this fight against slavery. But, there is a problem in recruiting people to leave their lives and go fight in a gruesome war -- people fear for their lives. To avoid this fear and get African Americans to fight in this war, Green utilizes two unionizing rhetorical strategies in order to dismantle this fear
Mr. Carmichael I am writing to you in regards to whether SNCC should continue its nonviolent approach to civil rights or to turn to a more direct action. In my opinion nonviolence is the only approach that should be made. (Connect) “Nonviolence has been successful in changing attitudes.” If you continue to keep your mission nonviolent you will get more respect, your voice will be heard more clearly and your reward will be greater because there was no innocent person injured by your hands. (The Power) “The nonviolent resister is just as opposed to the evil that he is standing against as the violent resister but he resists without violence. This method is nonaggressive physically but strongly aggressive
The 1960s was a period well remembered for all the civil rights movements that occurred during that time frame and the impact these movements had on the social and political dynamics of the United States. The three largest movements that were striving in the 1960s were the African American civil rights movement, the New Left movement and the feminist movement. These three movements were in a lot of ways influenced by each other and were very similar in terms of their goals and strategies. However, within each of these movements there were divisions in the way they tried to approach the issues they were fighting against. Looking at each of these movements individually will reveal the relationship they all share as well as the changes that were brought forth as a result of each groups actions.
Currently in my CD player is a live recording of Jill Scott at a concert. Most of her songs have to do with life & love. Take for example the song “Gettin’ in the Way.” This song is about a woman trying to steal her man. She tells her to step back because the woman is “getting in the way of what I am feeling.” The sequence of events in this song is interesting. In the commentary she explains that this song is about principle. First she says to the woman to nicely step back. Then she says it in a harsher tone: “I know you don’t understand, but sister girl, you gotta get off my man.” Finally, she says “I am about to go off in your face: You better chill!” Clearly the conflict in the song is clear and can be easily related to the listeners’ lives.
...vs. elite class as the band assumed. There was much more to it as few of the fortunate ones such as the senator’s, millionaire’s or military sons were supporting the opposition against the authorities. We must not forget the few fortunate ones with the right mindsets such as the student rioters in Columbia, Harvard and in many other elite universities who fought against their own parents to stop the nonsense that was going on in America and showed us that one’s class might have some effect on the person but it does not fully determine what kind of person one becomes.
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.
There are so many truths that people want you to believe just because they say it is so, when you found a live hood on that belief it can be shaky. Because it didn’t come by your own mindset but through someone else’s strong belief in it. When I’m sometimes in a crowded room I can voice my opinion and just shut down immediately, which is why I don’t feel my opinion counts in a way. There are other lyrics in this song they say “1 for all and all for 1…lift up your voice/ Let love cut through the American noise…you’ve got a voice and a song to sing… sing your own song take all the noise/ and make into music.” Just listening to that part with my ear buds just gives me hope that I will be heard even though I’m crying in my closet having a pity party. The way you can hear the piano throughout the whole song gives me a sense of clam empowering that while weeping my endure in the night, joy comes in the morning.