A Summer That Shocked The Nation

In the 1960’s, black and white individuals were not recognized as being equal. The two races were treated differently, and the African Americans did not enjoy the same freedoms as the whites. The African Americans never had a chance to speak their mind, voice their opinions, or enjoy the same luxuries that the white people attained. Through various actions/efforts like the lunch counter sit-ins, freedom rides, and bus boycotts, the black people confronted segregation face on and worked to achieve equality and freedom.

Racism was a larger issue back in the 1930’s than it is today. During the 1930’s many Black Americans were unable to find jobs. With the Great Depression came the “last hired first fired” mindset. Many African Americans felt that this was targeted towards them (Racial 5). This along with Jim Crow laws kept most blacks in a level of poverty, which added to the discrimination (Racial 7). Throughout this time, all the way up into the 1960’s and 1970’s African Americans were under great segregation. During this thirty years, great strides toward social equality were made, but at the cost of numerous racial driven incidents. Many great African American icons were assassinated during this time. Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 because he stood up against racial oppression as well as Martin Luther King Jr. who was assassinated in 1968. Both of these two men were part of the leading force in the desegregation of America (Rosenberg 1). This movement led to great tension between the African American culture and white culture, which led to many very violent cases between the races. A great

During the 60s, discrimination was very strong and took place during this time, when it came to the Jim Crow laws, blacks were excluded from what whites had the ability to do. In the South, and around it these laws were strongly enforced, African - Americans felt as if they would be safer by heading North. In 1810 whites thought that blacks were here in this world to be put to work. They thought blacks did not deserve any respect. (Jim Crow Laws n. pag.) For about 80 years, most of the United States, pushed towards Jim Crow laws . “From Delaware to California, and from North Dakota to Texas, many states could impose legal punishments on people for consorting with members of another race.” (Jim Crow… n. pag.) The laws kept both blacks and whites from sharing anything with each other. It caused a lot of hatred towards one another but all they wanted was to be treated the same. Although there were many laws, many of them had many reasons to them. Whites did not use the blacks names in a respectful manner, they called them by their first name. The blacks had to call them by their name with Mr., Mrs., Miss, sir, or mam. (Pilgram n. pag.) If blacks rode in the same car as a white and the white

The civil rights movement was one of the main elements that were responsible for agitation and protest that greatly expanded in the 1960s. This social movement “originated among black Americans in the South who faced racial discrimination and segregation, or the separation of whites and blacks, in almost every aspect of their lives” (“Protests in the 1960s,” 3). There was constant racial

America has a long history of oppression, discrimination and injustices towards African Americans, however the 1960s has brought important political and social changes. People who have not lived through this decade of change can gather some information of this time through historical documents such as letters and films that portray true events. An example of a film that is based on a true story is “Mississipi Burning” and a powerful historical document is “A Letter from Burmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther king. Each of these materials describes/portrays some of the issues African-American faced during the 1960s, specifically in the south. After analyzing these materials, we are able to understand some of what African-Americans endured during the 1960s.

Hi Robert, Thank you for your post this week as it covered the pros and cons of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. One of the statements that you made about the 1960’s being harsh in the life of an African American reminded me of one of the rulings that had been achieved concerning education. In 1957, several African American students were approved to integrate with a high school located in Arkansas, only after the 1954 case of Brown vs. Board of Education had been battled and won within the court system (Schultz, 2013). This case stated that by having segregation between the white and black schools proved to be unequal. However, the white students did not make it easy on the new ones coming in and were said to have teased and tormented them.

During the 1960’s of American history violent acts were aimed at African Americans in the name of racism and segregation. In a case such as this one, many would seek refuge from the government, but to little surprise, cries for refuge went unanswered. Making matters worse was the fact that the Government allowed segregation to continue due to legal documents in many southern states. Acceptable forms of oppression were separated into four categories: racial segregation; voter suppression, in southern states; denial of economic opportunity; private acts of violence aimed at African Americans. At this time, many civil rights laws were

“Freedom Summer”, a book by Bruce Watson, talks about that historic time of 1964 in Mississippi. He explains in detail about the events that went on. Even the most painful details from that summer he has you relive as he tells about them. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee went to Mississippi to educate African Americans and help them vote. Watson talks about the murder of three innocent people while down there in Mississippi. Three people that were young and just helping African Americans be educated were murdered for helping. He uses many different quotes from those that were there or experienced what went on. All these to tell the story so important because it shaped American democracy. It made sure that African Americans had

African Americans, prior to the 1960’s, were suffering under great oppression as they were treated as second-class citizens who did not deserve their full rights.

Throughout the 1960’s, the widespread movement for African American civil rights had transformed in terms of its goals and strategies. The campaign had intensified in this decade, characterized by greater demands and more aggressive efforts. Although the support of the Civil Rights movement was relatively constant, the goals of the movement became more high-reaching and specific, and its strategies became less compromising. African Americans’ struggle for equality during the 1960’s was a relentless movement that used change for progress. In essence, the transformation of the Civil Rights Movement throughout the 1960’s forwarded the evolution of America into a nation of civil equality and freedom.

Commencing in the late 19th century, state level governments approved segregation acts, identified as the Jim Crow laws, and assigned limitations on voting requirements that caused the African American population economically and diplomatically helpless (Davis, n.d.). The civil rights movement commenced, intensely and assertively, in the early 1940s when the societal composition of black America took an increasingly urban, popular appeal (Korstad & Lichtenstein, 1988). The 1950s and 1960s was well known for racial conflicts and civil rights protests. The civil rights movement in the United States during the late 1950s and 1960s was based on political and social strives to achieve

The 1960’s were a rough, yet progressive stage in American history. African Americans were finally labeled as equal to white men and women after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. However, that bill was

The 1960s brought about changes economically and socially. The Civil Rights Movement was alive and moving. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s goal was to hopefully put an end to racial discrimination and to restore voting rights in the South. Clearly the 60s was not the beginning of the fight for civil rights in America. The 18th century in the United State was plagued by hatred, racism and slavery. Slavery affected the entire nation. Slavery destroyed families by taking members of one’s captive to work as slaves. Abolitionists of all races began protesting against slavery. As slaves grew tired of intense abuse, slaves planned escape routes, signals and even songs. By 1843, slaves were escaping

Leaders like Bob Moses and others succeed in their efforts to register thousands of Black voters in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer. Moses and other leaders saw the importance of bringing in thousands of White college students to gain National attention and expose the atrocities being committed daily in the South and force Federal intervention. It was the effort of millions of Americans, names that we will never know, that held the civil rights movement together and supported the efforts of the people at the top. It was a team

Voter registration campaigns by SNCC paved the way for a new generation of black elected