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Abolitionist Movement Significance

Decent Essays

Roughly 100 years after Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, the oppression and segregation against African Americans continued and they had yet to receive the freedom and rights they were vowed by the 14th and 15th Amendments. It wasn’t until the Abolitionist Movement gained momentum in the early 1900s and the Jim Crow laws were established, that African Americans began to unite to say “No more!” with the help of leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Andrew Goodman, Rosa Parks and others who risked their lives to achieve their dream of freedom and equality. It wasn’t until after the assassination of one of the most influential figures in American history, Martin Luther King Jr., in 1968 did the movement come …show more content…

Rosa Parks however did not comply when ordered to move while three other African American riders did. Martin Luther King Jr. with the help of his colleague Ralph Abernathy organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott. “The demands they made were simple: Black passengers should be treated with courtesy. Seating should be allotted on a first-come-first-serve basis, with white passengers sitting from front to back and black passengers sitting from back to front. And African American drivers should drive routes that primarily served African Americans” (Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott). At last, the boycott went into effect on Monday, December 5, 1955. Officials stopped at nothing to attempt to sabotage the boycott. Violence had begun to spread, four churches and as well as the homes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Abernathy, were bombed. Even so, the boycott continued with 99% of the city’s African Americans whom refused to ride the busses. Eventually, the bus company suffered thousands of dollars in lost revenue. It wasn’t until a year later on November 23, 1956, that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Civil Rights Movement. Segregated busing was declared unconstitutional and city officials reluctantly agreed to comply with the Court Ruling. Due to the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the South had similar occurrences flare up in their cities. It was …show more content…

Then came the rise of other groups who fought for freedom and equality in their own way, specifically violently, such as the Black Panthers who openly carried weapons on city streets and were responsible for numerous bombings and killings of policemen who oppose the leader’s agenda. Similar to the Black Panthers, Malcolm X was also pro violence.and stated that the objectives must be attained by “any means necessary.” Although, near the end of his life, he changed his perspective on race relations toward a more tempered attitude. Another example being SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, who were originally affiliated with Martin Luther King Jr. for a long time but became focused on opposing integration and interracial cooperation. Lives were lost displaying truly how deeply those fighting for their freedom as well as other’s freedom and equality, felt about achieving their goal. Not just for them but for the future generations of young African Americans who didn’t deserve to live with the pain and ignorance of others. Heartbreakingly enough, violence is still present to this day as can be seen by the fatal shootings of young, unarmed African American men and boys by the police force. A new movement has risen in this time,

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