Civil Rights Movement Courage

At the height of the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968), women played a big part in not only keeping the crusade alive, but also played a big part in energizing the masses to continue the long and arduous struggle against the seemingly impenetrable institutions of power which disenfranchised African-Americans and regarded their humanity as nothing more than mere pieces of property owned by others. Women like Coretta Scott King, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Septima Clark and countless mothers, sisters, and daughters proved to be important

Fredrick Douglas once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” During the 1960’s in America, there were major movements the promoted change throughout the country. The Civil Rights movement, which got its start in the 1950’s, strived for racial equality for African Americans. Meanwhile, the Women’s Rights Movement, focused on battling for better pay and equal opportunities for women. While the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Liberation Movement differed in their initial purposes, both groups worked to promote equality in the United States and made a profound impression for the decades to come.

African Americans in the 1950s were racially discriminated and had to go through many obstacles, but this didn’t stop a person. For example, Rosa Parks needed to give up her seat for a white passenger, and she had to sit in the back of the bus or stand up. She refused to give up her seat. Consequently, she had no right to say NO, and caused her to get arrested. Little did she know that she had made an effect on African Americans. Black people had a right to do whatever they wanted just like the white, and it was made into huge deal. Rosa had to overcome an obstacle that turned out to be really positive. As a result, thanks to her all African americans were protected and had the same rights as any human being.

The civil rights movement (and the activists involved) gave women a model for success. The method the civil rights movement

“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time”-Malcolm X. In every movement men and women have crossed paths with others that share their goals, but not everyone shares the same path to achieve it. The civil rights movement of the nineteen fifties and sixties were no different in this case, while many shared the common goal of equality for all, not everyone shared the same style or belief system to achieve it creating sources of conflict within various civil rights organizations as well as between organizations. Freedom activists, Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael sharing the same goal as other civil rights leaders John Lewis

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 Civil Rights movement occurred from 1954 to 1965, in a time of great change. The Civil Rights movement had a lot of dissention, with different groups and people using different approaches to achieve the common goal of gaining rights for African Americans that were being denied to them. Outside of the Civil Rights movement there were those who actively opposed the movement and tried their best to see its goals not come to fruition. Some of those who opposed the movement’s goals were George C. Wallace, those part of the Southern Declaration of Integration, and everyday people and police officers. Some of the black leaders who were part of the Civil Rights movement were Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael.

Rosa Louise Parks, an American Civil Rights activist, name “ the first lady of civil rights” , has shown perseverance throughout her entire life. She had a strong mind for civil rights and didn’t settle for being discriminated against for being an African American women. Rosa’s childhood was influenced by segregation she used separate bathrooms, water fountains, and more. One examples of Rosa showing perseverance is through all of the racism and being treated as if she was subhuman , she still stayed strong and fought for what she believed in. Another example of her showing perseverance is when being told she couldn’t sit in the back of the bus because she was black she stayed persistent and didn’t move or let that stop her fight. After being

When we hear the term activist from the Civil Rights Movement, we associate that term with Black, religious men from the twentieth century that we most commonly learned about in our classes growing up. Those men were known for fighting against social injustices and impacting the lives of black citizens; they include Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. If someone like Rosa Parks were mentioned in class, we would focus more on her gender than her achievements. It was easy to assume that only men were leading and participating in the Civil Rights Movement. In her book, Witnessing and Testifying: Black Women, Religion, and Civil Rights, Rosetta E. Ross focuses on key women in the Civil Rights Movement who exercised their faith, despite the injustice that surrounded them, to improve the lives of others.

The Civil Rights Movement is one of the most memorable eras in American history. With the help of numerous people, it shed light on many of the injustices in our country. Many voices contributed to the resulting change, however, only some of them made it into history books. Realistically, everything cannot be covered when taking a retrospective look at this period of time; there is so much that occured within a relatively short timespan. Nonetheless, this is not an excuse for surface level reviews of this important period. Many students only learn about figures such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Although they are both influential figures, there are others just as worthy of the same recognition. Some examples include Stokely Carmichael,

African American women have strived for equal justice against men for many years. These women have fought for their education, rights to vote, and even certain jobs. Some that are well known for this act of justice are Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott, and Maria Stewarts. These three women's accomplishments during the civil rights era were so great that they still impact our world today.

Women learned from their involvement with the civil rights movement to “think radically about the personal worth and abilities of people whose role in society had gone unchallenged before.” These thoughts, naturally, became part of how women began to place themselves within the civil rights movement and to truly start to think about what being a woman in a civil rights organization, like SNCC meant. In a way SNCC acted similarly to the radical abolitionists of the nineteenth century in that they “suggested ways that individual discontent could become the basis for large scale political activism.” They began to think about the societal institutions that they were expected to be a part or such as marriage and childrearing. Women in the movement had “developed too much self-confidence and self-respect to accept subordinate roles passively.”

The Civil Rights Movement is an important time period in American history that is still talked about today. The movement is something many Americans learn about in grade school, and the names that we usually remember are Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks. These two individuals are an iconic part of American History, however they were not the only people who participated in the Civil Rights era, and the other participants are rarely ever discussed even though they have influenced black liberation. Rosa Parks herself was not the first person to refuse to give up her bus seat in Montgomery. There was another younger individual who denied her seat to a white passenger and her act of rebellion was the spark for the bus boycotts.

With the 2016 election well under way, people across America are showing support for the candidate they believe in. People being courageous enough to stand up for what they believe in shows how this election season is spreading courage across America. Going to a rally or sharing your political opinion isn’t exactly comfortable and can get a little sticky. However, to be able to look fear in the eyes and stand up to yours fears and challenge it is what makes a courageous person. What their morals are matter more than anything else. Courage makes a person, that’s why standing up for what's right, having your own moral values, and challenging your fears are all so important in today's society. People who have these courageous traits are more likely

When we think of social resistance movements and the leaders who operate the movements we often think of men. Many of us think that a man is needed to be to construct, lead and run a social movement so that it can be affective enough to make a significant change. Stereotypical gender roles are the reason that many of us do not often think of women when we think about social resistance movements. However, women, focusing especially on African American women played a vital role in several social movements. The civil rights movement would not have been successful as it was if it was not for the women who ran and operated behind the scenes.