African Americans And The Civil Rights Movement

Though the conclusion of the American Civil War in 1965 marked the end of slavery in the United States, African-Americans would not see anything resembling true freedom from the segregation and isolation imposed by slavery until very recently, and only after decades of difficult struggle. Some of the most important achievements occurred during the 1960s, when a generation of African-American leaders and activists, including Martin Luther King Jr., Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and the Freedom Riders, fought against some of the last vestiges of explicit, institutionalized segregation, discrimination, and isolation in order to attain equality and civil rights. Only by examining the treatment of African-Americans throughout America's history can one begin to understand how the the ending of slavery, the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, and the contemporary issues facing the African-American community are inextricably linked. In turn this allows one to see how rather than existing as a single, identifiable turning point in the history of civil rights, African American's struggle for equality and an end to isolation must be considered as an ongoing project.

The start of King's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement began in 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger and was jailed. Community leaders formed the Montgomery Improvement Association and asked King to be the leader. The organization would urge blacks to boycott the buses and use other means of transportation. The boycott lasted 381 days. On November 13, 1956 the Supreme Court declared that Alabama's bus segregation was unconstitutional and on December 21, 1956 buses were desegregated. (Michael).

Social movements are one of the primary means through which the public is able to collectively express their concerns about the rights and wellbeing of themselves and others. Under the proper conditions, social movements not only shed light on issues and open large scale public discourse, but they can also serve as a means of eliciting expedited societal change and progress. Due to their potential impact, studying the characteristics of both failed and successful social movements is important in order to ensure that issues between the public and the government are resolved to limit injustices and maintain societal progress.

Imagine a world in which all men weren 't created equal. A world where skin color, ethnic origin, gender, and sexuality was what defined a person rather than character. “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood”(King). Through the decades of the 1940s-1960s, America built the foundation for civil rights, a movement in which minorities fought for equality. Groups that previously had been discriminated against began to defend themselves with greater strength and success. The civil rights movement inspired African Americans, Native Americans, women, queers, and Latinos to fight for equality. Although each social group faced their own unique challenges during the civil rights movement, each group shared a common connection through their struggles for equality.

The African American Civil right movement in the late 1950’s and throughout the 1960’s was a powerful fight for equal opportunities to the basic rights and privileges outlined by the US government. During this movement thousands of African American individuals and those who believed in the power of the movement, battled against the piercing white supremacy through various tactics including grass root movements. The grass root movements in the 60’s was characterized by organizations of individuals fighting for equality on the behalf of the African Americans, ultimately shaping American history. Such movements helped to raise awareness on a political level, of the injustice all African American’s endured. Grassroots activist during the 60’s were able to organize marches, rallies and protests in order to mobilize and strengthen the Civil Rights Movement. Grass rooting activism during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60’s shaped American History by aiding in the abolished laws restricting African American’s freedom to vote, the abolishment of segregation in school, and the passage of the Civil Rights act outlawing discrimination.

The civil rights movement was and still is a crucial piece of American culture because it helped shaped our society to what it is today. The civil rights movement occurred at a time where Americans began to protest, in mass groups, against racial segregation and discrimination that was increasingly prominent in America. American began to think different about segregation, many did not believe in it.

The African American civil rights movement was a long journey for African American nationwide. The success involved many people, hardships and time in order to advance the African American community in America. The purpose of the movement was to achieve their rights, cease discrimination, and racial segregation.

By the late 1950s, the African American community was ready to fight for the major social change that it had always deserved. In the South, Jim Crow legislation had mandated "separate but equal" treatment for African Americans since 1876. African Americans were not given equality, however, and leaders emerged from the community to push for African American civil rights. In the effort to desegregate public buildings and transportation, people began to hold sit-ins. These involved peacefully occupying a space in a place such as a hotel, bus, or restaurant as an act of protest. Some early forms of the sit-in movement were the Freedom Rides, which were developed to test a 1946 Supreme Court decision declaring that segregation on interstate

Because of the master/slave relationship, African Americans were seen as an inferior race. They had to put up with racism and segregation, among other things. In order to be treated as equal citizens of this country, they had to fight for their civil rights. From 1955 through 1968, African Americans faced an up hill battle. It all really started on May 17, 1954 with the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that it was harmful to colored children to be segregated from white children in school. Plessy v. Ferguson “separate but equal” was deemed unconstitutional. The court said that by separating the races, it signifies that the Negro group was inferior. Then Rosa Parks refusal in giving up her seat on a Montgomery, AL bus in 1955, which led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. With the help of Dr. Martin Luther King, the 382-day boycott succeeded in a

“I'm not going to get killed trying to force myself on people who don't want me. Integration is wrong.White people don’t want it, the Muslims don't want it.”- Muhammad Ali. A lot of African-American during the civil rights movement had endured a lot to go through to be where they are at in sports. African-Americans had a very tough time trying to get their rights, it was very hard for them to earn respect from the people that lived in the south. Since they knew they weren't going to be respected, some players even decided to not sign autographs or anything. Which is uncommon now a days, because most athletes care a lot about their fans and try to do a lot for them. According to John Hareas of NBA.com, Bill Russell didn't sign any autographs

If you take a look at the progress our nation has made over the years you will most likely see that the changes that have been made were due to a person or group realizing that there are major issues occurring in our society and government that desperately needs to be changed. A problem that our nation had for many years was the unfair mistreatment of the African-American people. After years of this mistreatment African-American people finally started to demand the change that they have rightfully deserved to for so many years, and as a result the Civil Rights Movement took place. For so many years people were basically ignorant about the situation that was taking place right in front of their eyes. The majority of whites raised their children to believe that the blacks did not deserve to be treated as equals because people with darker skin were beneath them, while blacks had to mentally prepare their children for the harsh reality that they were going to have to face for possibly the rest of their lives.

In the American Civil War, enslaved African-Americans fought for their freedom and in 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery. Following the war, most African-American still suffered racial segregation and discrimination for a long time. The fight against discrimination and segregation resulted in the Civil Rights Movement, which took place between 1954 and 1968. The African-American Civil Rights movement, had changed the status of the black community forever and shaped the American politics. The movement resulted in the addition of several federal laws and Supreme Court cases.

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.

The civil rights movement was the first major 1960s reform movement that engaged the other movements during the period. It is defined as the elimination of discrimination against racism, that was particularly concentrated upon the African-Americans at the time. Unjustified discrimination and segregation of blacks and whites initiated the civil rights movement in 1950s. In 1955, the social activist leader Martin Luther King Jr. assisted to claim liberty for the African-Americans. King’s words and actions erupted into an up-roaring events that resulted in significant political and social changes. In 1961, the congress of racial equality launched the Freedom Rides that brought about a sequence of bus trips throughout Southern America in

The history of the struggle for the advancement and progression of African Americans is a larger-than-life story. It reveals their endeavors for the initiation of change in political, financial, educational, and societal conditions. They did everything to shape their future and that of their country i.e. the United States of America. This struggle for the attainment of equal rights has helped them to determine the path and the pace of their improvement and development (Taylor & Mungazi, 2001, p. 1).