Essay about 1960 Time Capsule

John F. Kennedy had a major influence on the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Prior to the act, segregation in the United States was still strongly supported, but civil rights groups continued to fight against racism. After the election of 1960, John F. Kennedy continually supported the civil rights movement and he created a Civil Rights Act to fight for equal rights. After his assassination in 1963, the Civil Rights Act act was passed.

JFK saw that public displays of terror against minorities embarrassed the united states. Kennedy didn't want the United States to be looked down upon, so he decided to propose a bill to legislate. Whilst writing his proposal Kennedy realised that he would lose the support and respect of white southern senators which outnumber the support of northern senators. This caused the legislative process to be in its early stages when he was assassinated so he never got to finish the process out (crf-usa.org), meaning that JFK did a major part in setting the groundwork for the civil rights bill.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for having a protest without a proper permit. On the exact day King was arrested, eight clergymen from Alabama wrote a letter called “A Call for Unity.” The letter called for termination of civil activities and demonstrations and designated King an “outsider” and saying that outsiders were the problems in Birmingham and not the blacks that are from there. On April 16 King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was his responds to his fellow clergymen. He wrote the letter as a means to convince the clergymen and the white moderate that the nonviolent demonstrations that had got him arrested, were a necessity and to enlighten them on why the segregation laws in the

Even though President John F. Kennedy did not fully support the civil rights movement at first because of the fear of losing his voters, he still was the one who planted the seeds for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After the riots in Birmingham he decided to support the movement to its fullest. He supported the March on Washington for jobs and Freedom and had plans to make a stronger Civil Rights Act to our conclusions. He never got to see the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because he got assassinated on November 22nd,

African Americans have undergone unimaginable hardships in this land and were powerless to effect change in the system with their vote. I find this to be great injustice. Another example of injustice in this reading is King’s arrest. He writes, “I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance, which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and deny citizens their First Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.” As King explains how a just law can become unjust through capricious or malicious application, I find myself confused by the situation. African American citizens are struggling for the equality America was founded on, and these people are being arrested for improper parading. After exhausting many other approaches, African Americans moved to peaceful protest and even that was stifled. I find myself asking where else were they to turn, how else could they effect change, and where is their justice? Would anyone have blamed Dr. King for being angry with his situation? I doubt it. King made a wise choice to remain optimistic, to address those who questioned his motives with reverence. In fact, he defines how he will respond to his critics in the opening paragraph of his letter: “I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.” This statement demonstrates King’s commitment to

King was very hurt by what they said but King didn’t have any paper to reply so he collected toliet paper, bags, and margins of newspapers. When he was able to reply he said, “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here, and injustice is a universal thing--nothing to do with ‘insiders’ or ‘outsiders.”’ (Schloredt and Brown 40). King started to write down everything he believed in and these writings became known as “Letters from the Birmingham Jail.” On April 20, 1963 King was released on bail. King wasn’t done protesting yet, as soon as he got out of jail he was planning the next march. The march was called the Birmingham Children's Crusade. Leaders thought that if they got the children involved, they would be at a less risk. King stated, “The children would gain “a sense of their own stake in freedom and justice.” (Jakoubek 88). On May 2, 1963 about 1,000 girls and boys gathered at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church where they would march down the center of the

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a response to clergymen defending his actions that placed him in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama. King did not respond to all the criticism that crossed his desk, but this time King felt he was compelled to respond. This obligation King felt was due in part to men with good will and intentions stating that his actions were “unwise and untimely” (Pg. 835). King’s purpose in writing “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was to defend the strategy of nonviolent direct action in Birmingham and to justify the process and characteristics needed to attain the goals of both nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience in a just manner.

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) mobilized students to protest about the disenfranchisement and segregation plaguing their city, they organized marches, sit-ins and boycotts, however these protests did not get much support from other civil rights leaders as they saw SNCC as troublemakers. It wasn’t until December 1961 that Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) became involved. The authorities in Albany decided that there were to be no ‘Martyrs’ to the cause, the police reacted calmly and without violence, protesters were arrested and released, there was no media attention, no national outcry with is ultimately why the Albany movement failed, the protesters failed to get the nation on their side. Another problem was the different civil rights organization such as SNCC and the SCLC failed to co-operate. This was a significant cause to the Birmingham movement because if Albany had not happened the way it did, then Martin Luther King Jr may have never gone to

In April 1963, the city of Birmingham, Alabama, was caught in the midst of massive civil rights protests. Protestors advocating for desegregation brought the city to a halt with widespread disruptive yet peaceful protests. After a circuit court placed an injunction against protesting, parading and picketing King was arrested for his involvement. While in jail King received a letter written by eight Alabama clergymen criticizing King for his disruptive protests and the breaking of laws which lead to his arrest. In response King wrote an open letter explaining his actions that would be known as “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. In his letter Dr. King effectively addresses an unsympathetic audience by focusing on building his credibility rather than seeking an emotional response.

President Kennedy was forced to face the civil rights as a persuasive cause. He was for racial equality, but did little to support it. President Kennedy felt that the Freedom Riders were a nuisance and he

With the passing of the Civil Rights act it banned the discrimination of color, race, and sex. The passing of the Civil Rights at was hard for many were strongly against the idea. When Kennedy entered the white house he delayed his following against the anti-discrimination acts. The Civil Rights

The promotion of civil rights was in alignment with JFK’s goal of winning the presidency, so he crafted a perception of himself as a champion of civil rights in an attempt to win the presidency. He ran for presidency during the era of Martin Luther King Jr. It was an era where a majority of African Americans wanted equal opportunity. African Americans made up a sizable chunk of the electorate base at that time, so it was in JFK’s best interest

During his confinement in Birmingham city jail, Martin Luther King Jr., a man of patience and virtue, wrote, “…we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive” (Ali-Dinar). Throughout his life, King led peaceful protests to further equality and justice in the African American community; many were opposed with police brutality and fierce discrimination. Had it not been for the media, which broadcasted to Americans nationwide, the eyes of the public and the President would have remained shut to the continuing unequal treatment of the law and violent oppression that many African Americans faced. Despite attempts to halt their movement, the protesters

The arrest of Dr. King came after he ignored an injunction that denied protesters the right to march on April 19,1963. While in his jail cell, he wrote a letter of response to eight clergymen who questioned his methods. He wrote to convince the

In April and May of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was a focal point for the civil rights movement. Birmingham was home to one of the most violent cells of the KKK and violence against black people was so commonplace (especially in the form of explosives) that it was referred to as “Bombingham.” It was these conditions that lead Martin Luther King to arrive and organize a series of non-violent protests in the city. These protests were relatively low key and weren’t very well attended. This was due to the fact that political rivalries between King’s organization, the SCLC, and other civil right’s organizations like CORE and the NAACP. However, the Birmingham protests soon became headlines due to the response of the city’s police