Social Justice: The Civil Rights Movement And Malcolm X

In this essay, W.E.B. Du Bois attempts to analyze Marxism and how it might be interpreted and applied as a solution to the problems facing Black people in the United States. Marxism, is basically an economic theory and philosophy that was put forward by Karl Marx in the late 19th century that explains the mechanisms of the system of capitalism as it relates to the different classes of people and the development of history. Because of the high regard that he had for Marx's work, and because of the influence that Marx's ideas and theories had on the French and Russian revolutions, Du Bois believed that perhaps there might

The Civil Rights Movement’s mission was to end segregation and advance equality for African Americans (Hanks, Herzog, and Goetzman). Almost one hundred years after the civil war, African Americans were still struggling to gain the same rights as white Americans. The movement was led by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks. Gaining momentum in the 1950’s with the Supreme court’s ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education where public schools were desegregated, the Civil Rights movement flourished in the 1960’s. One of the group’s main goals was to take on the Jim Crow South. Segregation prevented African Americans from drinking out of the same water fountain, using the same restroom, and even sitting at the same lunch table as white people. By promoting peaceful protest, they were able to educate others on their issues.

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

The Civil Rights Movement was an event that was long overdue in the fight for equality for African Americans. Even after the abolishment of slavery, the tension and discrimination was very much alive throughout

During the Civil Rights Movement, there was a famous leader whose protests were peaceful and non-violent. That man was Martian Luther King Jr., but many people have never heard of another Civil Rights leader. Even though his protests were different than King’s protests, he did his part and help with equality. This man was Malcolm Little, more famously known as Malcolm X. After a rough upbringing, Malcolm X led protests that differed which ended with his assassination.

Malcolm X, an African American leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, was a significant individual in the African American fight for justice and equality. In contrast to the mainstream Civil Rights Movement with its nonviolent pursuit of integration, Malcolm X voiced concepts of race pride and Black Nationalism during the 1950s and '60s. Although many argue that Malcolm X did not actually “do” anything for the black community, his nontraditional programs brought a new perspective to the Civil Rights Movement, and this perspective is of relevance today in the black community.

The American Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950s and 1960s generated massive international following and controversy, which made the movement one of the most important in U.S. history. The movement’s legacy can still be felt today, with the positive aspects, such as voting rights to African Americans and wide spread desegregation of public facilities, still being felt in the United States, and in many similar models across the globe. Although there were many “battlegrounds” where civil issues were debated, many people who know of the movement today would argue that the movement’s heart was rooted in the Deep South, ironically where it could be argued that the mentality of people living in the area at the time were the most violently opposed to such civil rights. In contrast, those who championed the Civil Rights Movement chose the tactic of nonviolence, at least at first, as a tool to dismantle racial segregation, discrimination, and inequality. They followed models that Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists had commissioned, using principles of nonviolence and passive resistance. Civil rights leaders had understood that segregationists would do anything to maintain their power over blacks. So, in consequence, they believed some changes might be made if enough people outside the

In the earlier half of the 1960s, the Civil Rights movement was blossoming. Led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was based on the concept of non-violence and peaceful protest as exhibited by Gandhi. “We affirm the

The Civil Rights Movement is understood as the collected efforts of many different groups and individuals struggling to achieve justice and equal treatment for all Americans. Several events shaped the time period, particularly those that either showed the extent of injustice and unfair or violent treatment, as well as took direct action against injustice. Additionally, significant events were those where Civil Rights leaders could celebrate a concrete victory, such as a court decision or a change in law. Moreover, the organizing principles and philosophies of the movement changed as different leaders and

Zinn touches on demands and protests to end child labor, before moving on to the deteriorating situation for blacks across the nation, or what he calls “the low point”. Blacks were being beaten, lynched, murdered and the government sat by and did nothing.  But what surprised me is that “the Socialist party did not go much out of its way to act on the race question” either. One member wrote about Debs, “he always insisted on absolute equality.  But he failed to accept the view that special measures were sometimes needed to achieve this equality”. Ah, the early discussion of affirmative action and the thought that after century of oppression, laws would just make things equal.  Blacks began to use this momentous period to organize as well, and formed the National afro-American Council, as well as the National Association for Colored Women.  W.E.B. DuBois had just written The Souls of Black Folk and called black leaders together for a conference near Niagara Falls–the start of the “Niagara Movement.”  These leaders called for a much more radical and

Civil Rights Movements recollections are responsible for shaping how people behave in society as well as the numerous protests on human rights that are seen in present day. What was evidenced back in the 1950s and 60s was focused on breaking racial barriers which were centered around degrading, confining and marginalizing the minority population of the United States. The case is relatively different in present day, what is conceptualized is a case of people supporting the movement driven by different purposes. With the history of what transpired throughout time is what shapes our daily politics. Social movements of the 19th and 20th Century are responsible for shaping progressive thought. The movements were driven by the need for racial disenfranchisement with legal requirements of segregation were constitutionally inconsistent with a focus on its eradication. What was conceptualized back in the early 20th Century is a case scenario where the women suffrage, environmental protection to dismantlement of Jim Crow laws. These were considered as relatively utopian ideas but that is not the case in present day where they are considered as being common sense. Radical issues for yester years have been considered into mainstream policy formulation of present day. During the 20th Century, the whole process reads as some of the most progress accomplishments until present day. The whole process of social justice was conceptualized

During this time, the black community was being severely persecuted, and dominated by oppression, from the white community. The Civil Rights Movement had begun the start of the black community’s fight against racial segregation and discrimination, together with the revolution of the Black Panther Party, who had begun the fight for black rights. “ 4. We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings … 7. We want an immediate end to police brutality and the murder of black people” (Magoon 76).

Another significant transformation took place in the Civil Rights Movement in terms of its strategies. In analyzing this facet of the movement, we notice a great shift from nonviolent demonstration to forward, forceful action. Specifically, at the start of the Civil Rights Movement, lunch counter sit-ins were evident throughout the nation, as were Freedom Riders. Starting in Greensboro, North Carolina at a luncheonette called Woolworths, young black citizens would seat

Malcolm X was a muslim, black man who cared very much about gaining equal rights. He was, in a way, an extremist. Though only taking action when he felt necessary, when he did take action, it often had drastic effects on the people and events occurring around him. Unlike Martin Luther King or other leading civil rights activists, he did not believe in peaceful protest. He believed in “whatever means necessary” to accomplish his goals. Because of his strong efforts and his unmatched determination, Malcolm X, formally known as Malcolm Little, changed the course of the civil rights movement. If not for him, the events that played out to cause the eventual conclusion of the struggle would have been forever altered.

In the pursuit of social justice and civil rights, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael, sought to amend a flawed system. To accomplish this task, these men entered the armory and chose to wield nonviolence as their weapon. Their goal: to combat violence with nonviolence, to fight hate with love, and to spread equality through peace. In the end they succeeded. Violence breeds violence, hate breeds hate, it is an ineffective approach and an archaic mean to resolving societies issues. Malcolm X and Carmichael were both extreme individuals but that does not make them violent. They attacked social justice and civil rights passionately and assertively, not violently. The methods used