Civil Rights: Endeavor for Equality

Since the creation of our country, African Americans have dealt with prejudice. They have faced many challenges and obstacles, such as segregation. After all of the slaves were emancipated, most public facilities participated in the separation of colored and white people. One of the facilities that was segregated, included the bus system. African Americans had to sit in the back of the bus and, when necessary, had to give up their seat to any white bus rider. Document 1 and 4 show the segregation in schools, which invigorated children and parents, because this made many African Americans students feel inferior. The conclusion of “separate but equal” did not seem to be working in the education system. Restaurants were also segregated. White males and females were given much better service, and restaurants were often separated. Another way African Americans faced inequality, was through the denial of constitutional rights. In many instances, African Americans guaranteed rights were taken away from them. For example the 14th Amendment was violated, which guarantees equal protection of the law and it forbids any state from making laws that

The Civil Rights Movement is often thought to begin with a tired Rosa Parks defiantly declining to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She paid the price by going to jail. Her refusal sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which civil rights historians have in the past credited with beginning the modern civil rights movement. Others credit the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education with beginning the movement. Regardless of the event used as the starting point of the moment, everyone can agree that it is an important period in history. In the forty-five years since the modern civil rights movement, several historians have made significant contributions to the study of this era. These historians

The Civil Rights Movement was placed in the forefront by two events in 1955 the murder of Emmett Till and the arrested of Rosa Parks. The story is when fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was accused of whistling at Carolyn Bryant, at a white woman. After four days, Bryant's husband and his stepbrother abducted Till, brutally beat him and shot him in the head. The men were arrested place on trial for the murder of Till, yet an all-white, male jury absolved them of charges. On the day of Till, mother demanded child have an open casket funeral aroused the emerging civil rights movement. December 1955, Rosa Parks was traveling home on crowd public bus when the white bus driver demand give-up her seat. Rosa was arrested for violation of the city’s racial

The black race has faced many hardships throughout American history. The harsh treatment is apparent through the brutal slavery era, the Civil Rights movement, or even now where sparks of racial separation emerge in urbanized areas of Baltimore, Chicago, and Detroit. Black Americans must do something to defend their right as an equal American. “I Am Not Your Negro” argues that the black race will not thrive unless society stands up against the conventional racism that still appears in modern America. “The Other Wes Moore” argues an inspiring message that proves success is a product of one’s choices instead of one’s environment or expectations.

Even with all of the inevitable suffering and hardships to come, the Pilgrims were determined to get the freedom that they deserved. Even after America becoming a free nation promising freedom for all, many Americans were not getting the freedom they deserve. This time focused on the equality of all. The most prominent example of this dream of freedom is the civil rights movement. In the mid-1950s, in the southern states of the U.S., the Jim Crow system of segregation was still in effect. This meant that whites and blacks had separate schools, churches, and stores. When whites and blacks did use the same areas, whites took extreme priority to the blacks. Although there were new statements and decisions made by the democratic party and the Supreme Court, there was little change in blacks everyday life. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to move from her seat to the back of the bus in order for a white person to sit down. After Parks’ arrest, head of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored

In order to achieve this, civil rights activists “used nonviolent tactics” such as “boycotts, marches and sit-ins” (Thomas). From this united black movement rose many prominent figures such as Rosa Parks who “refused to yield her seat” on bus to a white man to rebel against segregation on transportation as well as Martin Luther King Jr. who gave his famous speech and led countless marches (Kronenwetter). These individuals inspired many to come forward and join the movement. Organizations such as Congress of Racial Equality were formed and groups such as Freedom Riders and Freedom Summer took action in different states in the south to fight for equality and justice. Black power finally started to take a major step forward in the late 1950s and 1960s as the “Brown v. Board of Education ruling desegregated schools” (Thomas). The final bill proposed by Kennedy and finally signed by Johnson was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which “ended segregation in public places and employment based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” (Thomas) and ultimately propelled black power forward. However, the civil rights movement ended abruptly when king was assassinated in 1968 (Kronenwetter). All in all, during the 1950-1960, America went through great change. The civil rights movement changed American society forever; all the blood, sweat, and sacrifice paid off as the black society gained more opportunities and improved

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, one of the leaders of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP] refused to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, despite being reprimanded by the driver (Schulke 166). Montgomery, Alabama was known for its terrible treatment of blacks. The buses in particular had been a source of tension between the city and black citizens for many years (Schulke, 167). As a result of refusing to give up her seat, Rosa Parks was arrested. Rosa Parks' popularity among the black community, proved to be the spark that ignited the non-violent Civil Rights Movement (Norrell 2).

The Civil Rights Movement was a pivotal time in American history, leading us toward the acceptance and advancement of African Americans in society, and eventually the same for other minority groups. The movement as a whole spanned from around the beginning of the 1950’s to around the beginning of the 1970’s. All across the nation, African American people fought for their rights through numerous protests and boycotts. Some notable events are the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, and the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins. Many forms of legislation and many judiciary decisions were made during this era, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1968, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Brown v. Board of Education (“A Timeline of the Civil Rights Movement FOOTSTEPS OF COURAGE”).

Discrimination has afflicted the American society since its inception in 1776. The inferiority of the African American race – a notion embedded within the mindset of the white populace has difficult to eradicate – despite the efforts of civil rights activists and lawmakers alike. Many individuals are of the opinion that discrimination and racism no longer exist and that these issues have long since been resolved during the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. However such is not the case. Discrimination is a complex issue – one that encompasses many aspects of society. The impact of discrimination of the African American race is addressed from two diverse perspectives in the essays: “Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King .

During the 1900’s while the slaves were free blacks were still targeted with violence and discrimination even though Congress adopted the Fourteenth Amendment to ensure the safety and protection of black lives in many states. Racial discrimination went nationwide setting off the Civil Rights Movement in 1955. Rosa Parks, a seamstress in Alabama refused to give up a seat to a white male. Rosa whom was considered “The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” was detained under a city law that forced her to give up her

They struggled for equality and took part in some of the greatest civil rights movements ever known. Although the civil rights revolution came as a surprise, the causes fought for were necessary. According to Foner, “the United States in the 1950s was still a segregated, unequal society with half of the nation’s black families living in poverty.” (902) Many whites paid little attention to segregation because they felt it had no impact on their everyday lives. Segregation impacted blacks, especially in the South, on a daily basis. They had separate restrooms, drinking fountains, schools, entrances to public places, and were unable to enter many public institutions altogether. (902) The arrest of Rosa Parks sparked a year-long bus boycott and marked the beginning of the civil rights movement in the South. (904) With Martin Luther King Jr. leading the movement, the freedom of justice and equality finally seemed within reach. According to the text, “King was a master of appealing to the deep sense of injustice among blacks and to the conscience of white America. He presented the case for black rights in a vocabulary that emerged the black experience with that of the nation.” (906)

One of the worst stains on American culture of the time was racial inequality. Despite being freed from slavery nearly a century before the end of WWII, African American’s were still treated like second-class citizens in the South and discrimination was still common. While change for African American’s and other minorities came slowly, it did eventually come. In the early 1950s, some states began establishing laws guaranteeing fair employment practices, and anti-discrimination laws. In 1954 Brown v. Board of Education lead the way for the desegregation of public schools.

This book makes clear that the struggle for racial equality was nationwide and not just isolated to certain geographical locations. A common misconception about the civil rights movement is that blatant racism was a problem only encountered in the Deep South. However, Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour does a great job of clarifying this misconception and showing the many elements of the struggle for justice that blacks from coast to coast experienced.

The history of United State has shown many racial discriminations since colonists arrived America. African Americans have suffered unequal treatments and punishments in comparison to white people and European immigrants. Even when slavery was abolished in 1865, African Americans were still victims of many inequalities like employment, rights, housing, and transportation. However, due to these inequalities and mistreatments like the Jim Crow Laws, many African Americans started to make a change during the 1950’s, also called the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks, that was arrested for sitting in the front of a bus in Alabama. Rosa Parks case made the supreme court to ban segregation in public transportation. The social difference during the 1950’s was very notable and obvious, and voting was a big example of the huge discrimination suffered by African Americans and minorities. In the south, white people would take away minorities’ right to vote by making them take a test that would decide if they were or not capable to make a political decision. Fortunately, big characters like Martin Luther King vouched for the end of this inequalities. Martin Luther King played a big role in the 1960’s making everyone aware about the change that was about to come.

Marshall was the country’s first Supreme Court Justice. Marshall aided in the demise of legal segregation in America. Broking the color lines, which changed housing, transportation and voting. Marshall ruled the Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education, which ended the separation of black and white children in schools. The NAACP continues to pursue the elimination of racial hatred and racial discrimination by providing services such as legal aid and educational services. The organization has expanded one’s efforts with local chapters in almost every one of the 50 states in America. African-Americans continued to encounter unfair and unjust treatment. In 1955, Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up one’s bus seat to a white person led to the birth of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. One’s courageous stand led to many others worldwide fight against racial injustice. The controversial actions of the 60s Civil Rights Movement led groups to make stand for one’s personal causes and sufferings.