Achieving Social Change: The Civil Rights Movement

What if someone didn’t agree to change? They wouldn’t know how the outcome would be or how it would have an impact. Wanting change is a feeling we've all faced at some point in our lives which requires a leader. To achieve the goal on making a difference, a stand must be taken. In March, John Lewis is faced with many crossroads within the crucial moments of his life.

The civil rights movement was not completely successful but it had done more than any other movement trying to gain rights and equality in the past. While you could argue that the civil rights movement had started from the times of slavery for the sake of this paper I will be referring to the civil right’s movement as the time period from the 1960s through 1980s. Now when looking at his era it is important to look at the culture of the American public, starting first with the 60s you get a sense of anti-government & anti-war that could relate to some of the things the black power movement was fighting. This is a time where you can find a sense of

White Supremacy isn't a series of attitudes or opinions, it's a structural-systemic-institutional problem. Indeed, most of the activists and writers on the Left treat racism as if it's a personal fault. It's not. It's a structural issue. The difference between individual racism and structural racism is important.

“A reform movement attempts to change limited aspects of a society but does not aim at drastically altering or replacing major social, economic, or political institutions… a revolutionary movement, in comparison, is a social movement in which participants are organized to alter drastically or replace totally an existing social, economic, or political institutions” (Defronzo 8).

In modern America, equality is becoming more of a realization however; racial and civil rights issues are still existent in today’s society. The civil rights movement, which originated in the 1960’s, involved public movements in the United States which the goals were to terminate racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans and to obtain and secure legal acknowledgement and federal protection of the citizenship rights enumerated in the constitution and federal law. Current racial issues have sparked movements such as the “Black Lives Matters” movement and the controversial killing of black men from

I believe that the grassroots approach on the Civil Rights Movement had the strongest impact. Unlike something from the government, grassroots allowed the people to add their voice into the equation. The people who were effected by the Civil Rights Movement were able to take a stand and show exactly what they wanted done. Acts from the people include boycotts, non-violent protest led by MLK, the SCLC and SNCC, and numerous other acts and movements. If it was left to the government alone, without the voice of the people, nothing would have changed. That is why I believe that the grassroots approach had the greatest

In 1960, there were tremendous of social ferment that was responsible for agitation and protest. Through direct protest, many African Americans, women, and homosexuals were able to gain recognition and break down the walls of discrimination and segregations. Out of the numerous elements that arose in the 1960s, there are three movements that truly affected the American society. Firstly, the rise of the civil rights movement was greatly influenced by racial discrimination of colored people in the South. Secondly, the women’s movement aimed to convince the society that women are capable of achieving and maintaining higher waged job like males. Lastly, the gay rights movement aimed to gain acceptance and stop discrimination of homosexuality. The most significant effect on the development of American society was the women’s movement and how they expanded their economic and political opportunities. The common goal among African Americans, women’s, and homosexuals was to obtain their equal rights as citizens of America and to desegregate all the boundaries between white and black population.

Until the 19th century, no abortion laws existed in the United States of America. By the 1880s, most states had banned abortion except in cases where it was necessary to save the mother’s life. The cause of this shift in attitude can largely be attributed to the American Medical Association, founded in 1847. The organization wanted to stop unlicensed abortions by forcing the people giving them out of business. Religious leaders supported the American Medical Association’s move and worked with them to lead campaigns that would make abortions illegal. It was only in the 1960’s that these strict laws were reconsidered. The civil rights movement seeking equal treatment for black Americans led to women’s rights organizations seeing

Social movements are vital to the establishment of our societies, and they way we are governed. Social movements help the less privileged band together to create a stronger voice among a sea of political correctness and unlawfully rule that the public supposedly have to abide by without question. Movements create this new form of platform that, if done successfully, are able to create a worldwide frenzy where people from across all walks of life, including politicians, academics, the less fortunate, the homeless, doctors, etc, are able to come together to create change, or to start to create change on a matter that is close to their hearts. One of these matters that has come up in recent years that has been an ongoing battle for centuries upon centuries is Black Lives Matter (Although named various things throughout time such as black civil rights). Black Lives Matter is a movement that started back in 2012 after George Zimmerman was acquitted for his crime against a 17 year old boy named Trayvon Martin, and Trayvon was then put on trial for his own murder (Garza, A. 2014, p. 1.). This crime was just the tipping point for three women who wanted to see a change in the way black lives were/are treated. Black Lives Matter is one of the most important socio-political movements of our time, and this is why it is an important movement to connect with and understand. Throughout, I will be going through the strategies and the tactics Black Lives Matter advocates and cofounders have

I think that the Civil Rights Movement was a revolution. A reform is when you make changes in something to improve it, but a revolution is a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system (insert citation of dictionary). In essence the Civil rights movement was both a reform and a revolution, but it was to strong to just be labelled as a reform so, a revolution it is. The previous social order was one of systematic oppression against America's black population. After slavery that saw generations, and oppression that lasted well into the 20th century, the African-American population was sick of being second to their white peers. White people were using them as servants who raised their children,

The Civil Rights movement is one of the most important acts to change the way not only African Americans were able to live their lives but all races and colors. It would slowly break down the social, economic, political, and racial barriers that were created by the The Age of Discovery and Transatlantic Slave trade. I believe without the Civil Rights acts our country would result to be no better than what it was when the Emancipation Proclamation just took effect. In the 1950s and long before, Southern folk, who were white had created a system that would interpret them as a superior race over blacks. The system would defend whites rights and privileges from being taken away from them while establishing terrible inhumane suffering for African Americans. In the South blacks were controlled in all aspects economic, political, and personal, this was called a “tripartite system of domination” - (Aldon D. Morris) (6) Though it isn’t as prevalent racism and discrimination towards other races that aren’t white is still found in America and can be in schools, the workplace, even when you are in the general public but you no longer see discriminating signs saying “Whites” or “Blacks” or Colored” along the front of bathroom, restaurants, and shopping malls doors. Nor do you see people being declined the right to buy a home based on their color or access to school and an equal education being declined because one didn’t meet racial requirements. The acts of violence towards

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.

The American Civil Rights Movement is personified through several prominent personalities. These figures exhibited strong character throughout their careers in activism that revolutionized the ideals and opportunities of the 20th century, standing as precedents for courage and perseverance in the face of widespread systemic oppression. However, not all of these figures received the acknowledgment and acceptance that their legacy deserved. One such figure was Bayard Rustin, a lifelong Civil Rights activist in the African American and LGBTQ communities whose experiences exemplified the hardships faced by American minorities. His career was defined by perpetual conflict and confrontation as both sides of the Civil Rights Movement attempted to demonize and discredit him. Despite this obstacle, Bayard Rustin’s controversial decision-making and sheer tenacity made him an influential force in the ongoing fight for equality in the United States of America.

Martin Luther King JR stated in Why We Can’t Wait that “A social movement that only moves people is merely a revolt. A movement that changes both people and institutions is a revolution.” The thought behind this quote is that in order for a social movement to officially be a social movement or a social revolution, it has to change the people involved, and also the institution. Martin Luther King JR was infamous for his legacy left on the black civil rights movement, a mastermind behind bringing the country together to start a movement for equal rights of blacks and whites.

There have been several social movements in history that have impacted the world. Groups of people have come together and tried their hardest to make a difference in unresolved problems and issues. It is hard to make a difference as an individual trying to change something big, it becomes easier when you find people who have the same beliefs as you and will fight for it along your side. This is social change, and normally comes about through collective behavior and social movements.