The African American Civil Rights Movement

The African American Civil right movement in the late 1950’s and throughout the 1960’s was a powerful fight for equal opportunities to the basic rights and privileges outlined by the US government. During this movement thousands of African American individuals and those who believed in the power of the movement, battled against the piercing white supremacy through various tactics including grass root movements. The grass root movements in the 60’s was characterized by organizations of individuals fighting for equality on the behalf of the African Americans, ultimately shaping American history. Such movements helped to raise awareness on a political level, of the injustice all African American’s endured. Grassroots activist during the 60’s were able to organize marches, rallies and protests in order to mobilize and strengthen the Civil Rights Movement. Grass rooting activism during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60’s shaped American History by aiding in the abolished laws restricting African American’s freedom to vote, the abolishment of segregation in school, and the passage of the Civil Rights act outlawing discrimination.

The civil rights movement was and still is a crucial piece of American culture because it helped shaped our society to what it is today. The civil rights movement occurred at a time where Americans began to protest, in mass groups, against racial segregation and discrimination that was increasingly prominent in America. American began to think different about segregation, many did not believe in it.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an African-American Baptist minister who became the most well-known civil rights activist and leader. King Jr. strongly believed in peaceful protest, choosing to use silent rebellion in favor of violence. During a trip to Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, for a Christian Leadership Conference, King was jailed during a peaceful protest for the treatment of blacks. While in jail, King wrote a letter to fellow clergymen. In his “Letter from Birmingham City Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. used several techniques to appeal to and effectively persuade the white clergymen he was writing to regarding segregation. King clearly displays the peacefulness of his protest, the unfairness of unjustified prejudice against blacks, and reveals examples of brutality against blacks.

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.

In the summer of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. went to Birmingham due to a large amount of segregation happening there. Dr. King was invited to Birmingham because of his connection with the Southern Christian leadership conference. Because he was the president of the conference he felt the need to be in Birmingham to fix the segregation there. While Dr. King was in Birmingham he and fellow protesters were arrested. In his letter Dr. King’s letter he answers statements that white leaders said to him. In his letter, Dr. king’s rhetoric, tone, sentence structure, diction, and appeals were all presented well.

The history of United States is drenched in the fight for equality in the society. From women to gay rights but it is undeniable that the black civil rights was the bloodiest and most violent among them. Two methods were used to bring message to the people: the violent or the non-violent way. Most activists and civil rights group like Martin Luther King Jr., NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) at that time chose for the latter but one did not follow that lead: the infamous Black Panthers Party. Each method had its effect on the history for the equality of African Americans.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 16, 1963 he wrote a letter to fellow clergymen about his present at Birmingham. Dr. King in the first two pages uses biblical reference to impact why he is compelled to protest of the mistreatment of African-American. As to King state that he has organizational ties, as he was asked to come to Birmingham and, was giving a nonviolent protest. Also he says “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” Dr. King is saying if injustice is done by anyone it can be done to everyone. King also express that peaceful demonstrations create attention rather than the attention to the Negro community. Dr King conveys that “There has been more unsolved bombings at Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any city in the nation” King expresses why it was a necessity for him to be there and conveys that leaders sought to negotiate with city officials but negotiations were never engaged. City officials can't even make good faith resolutions with the priests to ensure equality in the Negro community.

The beginning of the Civil Rights Movement started from an attempt to gain equality within the public school system for people of color. The education an African American child received was underfunded and lacked basic resources. In his article, “Segregation, Northern Style”, Fred Powledge writes, “In practical terms, it means older, more run-down, and more crowded schools buildings, less experienced teachers, more tattered textbooks…” (10). The standards for segregated schools were not equal, as was legally required by the 1876 Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson. In the Supreme Court ruling, schools could be “separate”, but had to be “equal” in

Martin Luther King jr. wanted everyone not to be a judge by the shade of their skin, but their personality and traits. Martin Luther King jr. Oso Road The letter from Birmingham city jail. On April 12th, 1963 Martin Luther King was arrested for breaking a law of political demonstration, but when you finally got out he found a letter in the newspaper calling them unwise.

In addition, Dr. King and his staffs were protesting against the racial segregation in Birmingham and then got arrested. When Dr. King was in jail, he wrote a letter to the Clergyman of Alabama addressing to his concerns towards racial injustice for African-Americans in Birmingham. Also, his letter talked about the reason he is in Birmingham? And introducing himself, which he's serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Then he explained to the Clergyman how the people that live in the United States are not considered as outsider agitators, including that how the African-Americans are not being treated equally by the American people, and have waited too long for their justice which never heard back.

Until the 19th century, no abortion laws existed in the United States of America. By the 1880s, most states had banned abortion except in cases where it was necessary to save the mother’s life. The cause of this shift in attitude can largely be attributed to the American Medical Association, founded in 1847. The organization wanted to stop unlicensed abortions by forcing the people giving them out of business. Religious leaders supported the American Medical Association’s move and worked with them to lead campaigns that would make abortions illegal. It was only in the 1960’s that these strict laws were reconsidered. The civil rights movement seeking equal treatment for black Americans led to women’s rights organizations seeing

During the time of the 1950’s and 1960’s, a large segments of African-Americans, women, and men were not really considered full citizenship rights in the American Republic, civil rights movements, as well as the struggles of freedom. The movements were to obtain civil rights for black Americans. Such movements have not only secured citizenship rights for blacks but have also redefined prevailing conceptions of the nature of civil rights and the role of government in protecting these rights. As mentioned in the text book, “The most important achievements of African-American civil rights movements have been the Post Civil War constitutional amendments”. As mentioned in the Webster dictionary, (2015) “This amendment abolished slavery and established

King went on to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1960, which gave him a base of operation and a national platform to speak. King began to travel across the country, preaching his case for civil rights and the desegregation of schools and public places. During his pursuit of desegregation, King and hundreds of his followers were jailed in Birmingham, Alabama. There, from his jail cell, he penned the infamous “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” in which he says that he’ll gladly negotiate the terms of desegregation, under the condition that he stops his sit-ins and marches. This was a large step towards racial desegregation. (“Martin Luther King, Jr.” 2)

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