Essay on The Civil Rights Movement

The 50s, 60s and 70s were a tumultuous time in American society. Roles were constantly being redefined. Events like the war created upheaval in the lives of many individuals and everyone was scrambling to find his or her place in society. The same was profoundly true for blacks in America. No societal movement had a more profound effect on the lives of Black Americans than did the Civil Rights Movement. The status of Black Americans would be redefined to a revolutionary degree. Civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X would bring the cause to the national stage. Although the movement was plagued with violence and death, it was eventually successful. The South was radically changed from a society of

The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution form what is known as the Bill of Rights. In essence it is a summary of the basic rights held by all U.S. citizens. However, Negro citizens during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950-70’s felt this document and its mandate that guaranteed the civil rights and civil liberties of all people; were interpreted differently for people of color. The freedoms outlined in the Constitution were not enforced the same by the government of the United States for the black race as it did for the white race.

The Civil Rights Movement is a big event and according to Eyes on the Prize. “The March on Washington on August 28, 1963.” The reason why was because the African Americans were tired of being oppressed and being treated differently. One cause is segregation and this is where people are divided or split up. One more cause is violence/abuse is where people are treated badly like being punched or even being bullied basically or it is where someone is getting hurt in a certain process. One after effect is integration, and it is where people are being put together so being combined. Integration is an after effect of the Civil Rights Movement and it made things fair for African Americans because this gave them a chance to interact better with the Americans and they got better jobs and they were put as equals finally because of integration.

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

The Civil Rights Movement had a lot going on between 1954 and 1964. While there were some successful aspects of the movement, there were some failures as well. The mixture of successes and failures led to the extension of the movement and eventually a more equal American society.

For more than a hundred years, important African-American leaders such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois have been both acclaimed and cherished in our society’s history books for their individual efforts in the struggle for the civil and political advancement of African-Americans. These two seem to be the main advocates for the advancement of African-Americans in the United States of American after the Civil War, but both had a different approach to it. Although both remarkable advocates for African-Americans after the Civil War and have worked diligently for their accomplishments, it seems that W.E.B. Du Bois was accurate on his ideas of the advancement of African-American.

After the 1960s Civil Rights Movement led by African Americans, many Native Americans also were motivated to gain civil rights for themselves. After they were forced to live on reservations, and things were getting worse for them, such as poverty, low employment, and poor education. They were not even permitted to vote even though they were born in the country. It wasn’t until 1958 that they were allowed to vote in every state. Native Americans were ready for change during this movement. A big step in helping Native Americans during the Civil Rights Movement was the Indian Civil Act Right of 1968. This law guaranteed a lot of the rights that are also in the Bill of Rights. Also before this time in 1961 an organization called the National Indian

Then came the rise of other groups who fought for freedom and equality in their own way, specifically violently, such as the Black Panthers who openly carried weapons on city streets and were responsible for numerous bombings and killings of policemen who oppose the leader’s agenda. Similar to the Black Panthers, Malcolm X was also pro violence.and stated that the objectives must be attained by “any means necessary.” Although, near the end of his life, he changed his perspective on race relations toward a more tempered attitude. Another example being SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, who were originally affiliated with Martin Luther King Jr. for a long time but became focused on opposing integration and interracial cooperation. Lives were lost displaying truly how deeply those fighting for their freedom as well as other’s freedom and equality, felt about achieving their goal. Not just for them but for the future generations of young African Americans who didn’t deserve to live with the pain and ignorance of others. Heartbreakingly enough, violence is still present to this day as can be seen by the fatal shootings of young, unarmed African American men and boys by the police force. A new movement has risen in this time,

Washington believed that it was imperative for this sentiment to be abolished. Washington urged blacks to concentrate on industrial education, as opposed to the pursuit of higher education, and to work hard to progress the economy. In doing so, blacks would be able to prove their worth as capable members of society and eradicate the stereotype of the unproductive African American. Washington does admit that equal rights and privileges are important, but emphasizes that they should not be the top priority. Furthermore, he wanted blacks to accept racial segregation for the time being, so they could focus solely on improving themselves and the economy. Washington’s philosophy was that this approach would precipitate the acknowledgement of black Americans as capable, functioning members of society, and would eventually lead to racial equality and possibly the end of

One of the most elements of the book is the evolution of the organization called SNCC. SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) was founded in conjunction with the lunch counter sit0ins that originated in Greensboro, North Carolina in February 1960. SNCC activists were known to practice slow, tedious and patient voter registration drives in the most dangerous parts of the South. However, they seldom received credit for their efforts on a national level. Despite their lack of national attention, SNCC activists often managed to annoy white federal officials and black civil rights leaders. SNCC attracted radicals from the Revolutionary Action Movement, black nationalists from the North and a host of other mavericks. From its humble beginnings, SNCC was a peaceful group that used nonviolent methods to seek racial equality. Over the course of time, SNCC became more assertive in their methods of demanding racial equality and

Non-violent direct action also provided an avenue for success in black American’s struggle to achieve equality in terms of civil rights. This was because non-violent direct action had a two fold effect: it pressured organisations to reduce or completely abolish their level of segregation and it gained support from people, especially those who were undecided on the issue of civil rights. The pressure that non-violent protests put upon companies and organisations can be very easily seen during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. During this protest,

The Civil Rights Movement of the 50's and 60's was arguably one of the most formative and influential periods in American history. Hundreds of thousands of civil rights activists utilized non violent resistance and civil disobedience to revolt against racial segregation and discrimination. The Civil Rights Movement began in the southern states but quickly rose to national prominence. It is of popular belief that the civil rights movement was organized by small groups of people, with notable leaders like—Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, and even John F. Kennedy—driving the ship. That is partly correct. The Civil Rights Movement, in its truest form, was hundreds of thousands of people organizing events and protests,

Man-made constitutions once created a society based on hierarchy, separating black from white, Latino from Asian, and rich from poor. Through the significant decades of the 1940s-1960s, America laid the groundwork for civil rights, a movement through which minorities fought for equal opportunity. How could America call itself “land of the free” when only the white man could socially and economically move upward? For minorities, this represented an immobile society. Yet, equality elapsed over time, and due to pivotal events in American history such as the Cold War and WWII, the Civil Rights Movement molded the road toward change and challenged America to redefine their core values.

The American declaration of independence stated, that: “All men are created equal”. But in the 19th century only whites were born with equal opportunities. Africans were imported as slaves and had to work on the fields of the whites. Until 1865 the Negroes were treated and looked at as something lower than human. They were compared to apes, and therefore just owned the same rights as animals. They were raised believing that whites were superior. It took them years to realize that they have to stand up for their rights. The uprising turned into a brutal civil war.

The African American Civil Rights Movement and the ANC used protests, boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience, and various other nonviolent methods in order to achieve their goal of racial equality. Nelson Mandela opened the