Being An African-Americans In The 1960's

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 stands for equality, freedom, and choice, but upon looking into the history behind America the everlasting struggle of racism, bigotry, and inequality are revealed. Through the 1950s to the 1970s, the fight for civil rights by African Americans was prominent throughout America. Schools, restaurants, and all public facilities were segregated, African Americans were blocked from voting through literacy tests and poll taxes, and The KKK, a white supremacist group, would lynch African American men. The need for the immediate cease of these practices and the desire for equality gave way to the Civil Rights Movement. Leaders and groups arose from this movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and the Black Panther Party. The overall goal was to achieve rights but there were two significantly different methods of achieving this goal, non-violent civil disobedience and “black power”. The shift from non-violent civil disobedience to “black power” was caused by the emotional toll of being complacent during personal attack and the truth that immediate change calls upon the use of force, and the result of the shift was the further spread of violence.

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

The African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s portrays a social movement in the United States whose goals were to eradicate racial segregation and discrimination against black Americans, and to obtain legal recognition through citizenship rights in the Constitution and federal law. African-Americans in Southern states still remained in unequal environments of deprivation and oppression even though it had been decades since the emancipation proclamation. However, the nonviolent protests and civil disobediences served as a medium by civil rights activists to bring about change towards the ideological belief of true equality. Thus, the significance of this movement like similar social movements, had affected American democracy. It

In the 1960’s, african americans were often denied the right to register to vote.They were very persistent/determined to gain the right to vote,but the whites refused to let them have a say in the any part of government.It was almost impossible for african americans to even have a chance in the court system because it was ruled by an all white judge,all white juries,and etc. Whites and african americans didn’t get along from the beginning because whites judged them based solely on the color of their skin. Since, the whites already didn’t get along with african americans, then what makes you think they’ll let them

“In 1955, Reverend George Lee, vice president of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership and NAACP worker, was shot in the face and killed for urging blacks in the Mississippi Delta to vote” (Austin, “ On Violence and Non-violence”). The perpetrators were never charged for the murder of Lee. With many assassinations of African American liberation leaders and organizers along with the police frame ups and imprisonment of African American protestors had a devastating impact on the struggle against racism and national oppression. In addition to these murders, violence was portrayed in mass arrest, jail beatings, lynching’s, and church bombings (Austin, “On Violence and Non-violence”). African American’s believed it was time to take matters into their own hands. The non-violence approach was not improving anything for them. A lot of the protest resulted in deaths for African Americans. African Americans along with their supporters felt it was necessary to use force in order to advance in their struggle for freedom, equality, and justice.

Being black and being young in the 1960’s is difficult; we know there is inequality and that we should be fighting but we are selfish and want to continue to breathe. The older generation is doing plenty of fighting but our younger one is scared because being black means being targeted. The fact that the evidence just keeps piling up doesn’t help us be brave; it sits on our shoulders as we walk out at dark, it holds us back as we open the front door, and it sits on us as we are cornered in alleys waiting for the inevitable.

As World War II ended in 1945 the world was barely taking a step towards recovery as tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union grew over the fate of eastern Europe. Tensions weren’t exclusively in international relationships. At the home front American officials were being increasingly pressured to ensure civil rights for everyone. Despite the pressure put on officials by fellow Americans “committed to fighting racism abroad” (871) and by other countries, the process of eliminating racism and advancing civil rights for African Americans wasn’t successful until the 1950’s.

This assignment examines the African-American civil right movement in the USA, and the conditions of their life with focus on the period after the Second World War and the contemporary American society. It also gives an examination on how the civil right movement have developed and whether it has had an effect on the society. It also gives a chronological line to highlight the civil right movement extraction, and the causes and effects of the movement, which was a dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story.

The antiracist activities during the post-WWII era were in a complicated situation, it reached certain success in several areas, in educations, job markets, and cultural development and so on. And yet, it was inevitably hindered by numerous backlashes from different aspects of the movements. Interestingly, people tend to ignore the activisms at that time, like Manning Marable suggests in his Race, Reform, and Rebellion, historians rarely discuss the black movement of the post-war and cold war period (Marable, 17). In this paper, I would like to discover the merits and weaknesses of the movements in 1940 to 1960, and figuring why they are being overlooked.

Along with Martin Luther King Jr.’s extreme ideas, many history books leave out the incredible amount of violence that actually took place on behalf of the African-Americans as they begged and fought for civil rights. Quite frequently, history textbooks acknowledge the violence perpetrated by unjust white men and women on the helpless black community, but rarely does the focus shift to the violent protests and actions taken quite frequently by the black population in response. This skewed perspective of history teaches students that standing up for beliefs in a peaceful manner will resolve any conflicts without violence. By viewing the civil rights struggles as one of complete amity, the plight of the African-American people sounds more appealing and lends credence to their movement. This positive view of the black community’s struggle for equal rights is far more desirable that the harsh and unappealing truth of radical violence. This desirable portrayal has created a flawed memory for the modern generation in

The popular picture of what the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and the 1960’s is of a hopeful crusade, where African Americans were able to use reason and moral arguments to illustrate to the country the immortality and injustice of segregation. This picture also assumes that African Americans were successful in this movement despite white southerners’ diehard devotion to segregation and white supremacy. In A Stone of Hope, Chappell challenges this narrative by shedding a light on civil rights protestors uncertainty of the movement’s success and how coercion and religion also played into the success of the movement, as well as how segregationists lack of support and action played an important role in its success.

During the period of 20 years between 1950 and 1970, black Americans were able to improve their level of civil rights. Therefore, it is logical to say that they were at least partly successful in achieving their civil rights. This was accomplished through a variety of ways, two commonly used techniques being legal strategies and non-violent direct action. However, because they were unable to attain complete equality, there must have been factors that worked against the civil rights movement. One of these factors was the use of violence as a means of protest.

The Situation of Blacks in the 1960's The situation for the blacks in the 1960’s was just as tough as ever before and economic problems were rising. Many blacks lived in Ghettoes such as “Watts” in LA, which had many drug problems. Riots were also becoming more frequent due to police brutality. Blacks increasingly believed that the white officers were using riots as an excuse to terrorise and intimidate the local population.

One of the most remarkable events during the Civil Rights Movement was the Birmingham Church Bombing. This event took place on an early Sunday morning in 1963, just before the early service started at the Sixteenth Street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama. Nineteen sticks of dynamite had been placed beneath the church steps in the basement below; as a result, four young African American girls were tragically killed and others were severely injured (Dabkowski 1). The malevolent “Klu Klux Klan” was to blame for this horrific event. It was an act of pure evil and racism against African Americans. This tragedy left many African Americans heartbroken and angry with the US government. Between the mourning for the young lives lost and the frustration that the African Americans felt as second-class citizens, this event left a devastating mark in the Civil Rights Movement.