Social Change During The Civil Rights Movement

Four years later, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. In response to Rosa’s arrest, the black community of Montgomery, Alabama established a boycott, which lasted for over a year.

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.

Have you ever heard of the Civil Rights Movement? The Civil Rights Movement was caused by two major things; discrimination and segregation against the African Americans. The other main cause of the Civil Rights Movement includes violence the causes and effects of the Civil Rights Movement.

How did the civil rights movement change America? In many ways it did. It allowed schools to be segregated by many protests and demonstrations. For example, the greensboro boys sit ins ,and also Rosa Parks sitting on the bus refusing to move so a white person could sit down. By the stands they took they have revolutionized America.

“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).

“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 African Americans managed to solve their conflict and resolution through acts of non-violence and struggle. Even though the actions taken by Malcolm X were of good intentions, they ended up causing a ripple between African Americans. On the other hand Martin Luther King Jr. identified that if people were going to respond to hatred with more hatred then there will be little chances for change and substance which was never understood by Malcolm. He was, of course, powerful and strong as an Africa American commanding huge followers and believers, but things did not end well as Malcolm X dies in the hand of his own people. This meant that change cannot be made through dividing a nation but through uniting the people. Therefore Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s would have not had the same impact if they had been led by Malcolm X instead of Martin Luther King.

Until the 1950s, African Americans had experienced discrimination in all aspects of their lives. They were no longer slave, but they were definitely not equal citizens.

The Civil Rights Movement was a time when minorities banded together to stand up for racial inequality. Many African Americans faced discrimination from white people, causing a series of protests throughout the country, including the Walk on Washington, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and other demonstrations to show the country of the injustices. During this time, the active voices that demanded to be heard came from a wide variety of people. The mixture of individuals that stood up, spoke and fought for their rights allowed for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the favorable rulings in many Supreme Court cases. Of the many stand-out leaders of the time, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior acted as the most influential civil rights activist, this is due to his continuous promotion of nonviolence and peace.

The civil rights movement made an impact on the American society. It allowed blacks to have more opportunities than they used to.

We have all heard about this movement, the major events that have taken place, and its magnificent leaders. However, what is meant by civil rights? What does this term refer to?

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 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

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was a series of sit-ins, boycotts, freedom rides, and marches. They were all used as ways to peacefully protest the fight for freedom and equality for all. These events took place to try and stop the discrimination and racism of all people but especially people of color. A major leader and influencer of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement was Martin Luther King Jr., whom along with many others, participated in many of the peaceful protests and marches put together by the people of the Freedom Movement. Martin Luther King Jr. brought new perspective to the whole fight for freedom through his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most recognized and well known advocates, but there were also many others that led protests and were involved in the movement. Some were into peaceful protests like Rosa Parks, but others wanted to take a more aggressive and loud approach like W.E.B. Du Bois. There were many historical events that shaped the Civil Rights Movement, and these events were the foundations for the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. The Montgomery bus boycotts, the freedom rides, and the Selma marches were some of the most memorable major contributing events to the series of protests in the fight for Civil Rights.