The Civil Rights Movement : Martin Luther King Jr.

The beginning of the sit-ins were hard, but they overcame many hardships to achieve their goal. Most of their sit-ins they suffered from being attacked by white customers. They got beat up and never said a word and just dealt with it. After having their sit-ins they motivated others to do the same

According to the article on the Freedom Riders: “Though many were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace, national media coverage of the sit-ins brought increasing attention to the struggle for civil rights for African Americans”(history.com). The protests have successfully got more and more people to realize the importance of civil rights, which was an important step for the civil rights movement to be successful. The civil rights movement accomplished peace between all races, which is of course one of the qualities that made the unique United States, and the Sit-In and the Freedom Riders movement was doubtlessly the main acceleration of the civil rights

America stands for equality, freedom, and choice, but upon looking into the history behind America the everlasting struggle of racism, bigotry, and inequality are revealed. Through the 1950s to the 1970s, the fight for civil rights by African Americans was prominent throughout America. Schools, restaurants, and all public facilities were segregated, African Americans were blocked from voting through literacy tests and poll taxes, and The KKK, a white supremacist group, would lynch African American men. The need for the immediate cease of these practices and the desire for equality gave way to the Civil Rights Movement. Leaders and groups arose from this movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and the Black Panther Party. The overall goal was to achieve rights but there were two significantly different methods of achieving this goal, non-violent civil disobedience and “black power”. The shift from non-violent civil disobedience to “black power” was caused by the emotional toll of being complacent during personal attack and the truth that immediate change calls upon the use of force, and the result of the shift was the further spread of violence.

‘Nothing mattered more to king than being an outstanding preacher. Martin Luther King had an exceptional personal some state. He was a very proud and an outspoken man. He had been ‘conditioned’ from the mere age of nine and ordained in a black church for later life purposes (1). At a young age racism surrounded him and was affected first hand. He was abused by a white mill owner purely on the colour of his skin. He also witnessed other black people suffering from violence when he saw a white mob attack and barbarically murder a black man. King was a very opinionated person and became a lead figure head publicly known on a national scale. This came to be

Social movements are one of the primary means through which the public is able to collectively express their concerns about the rights and wellbeing of themselves and others. Under the proper conditions, social movements not only shed light on issues and open large scale public discourse, but they can also serve as a means of eliciting expedited societal change and progress. Due to their potential impact, studying the characteristics of both failed and successful social movements is important in order to ensure that issues between the public and the government are resolved to limit injustices and maintain societal progress.

Civil rights was an important American issue through the late 40s through the 60s. During this time period Baseball was “America’s Pastime, “and a major social get together for white Americans. However in 1947 both of these event were combined when the Brooklyn Dodgers gave Jackie Robinson a chance to play professional baseball. Jackie Robinson is the target of my biography. Robinson not only was the first African American baseball player, but he also had a hall of fame career, and eventually had his number retired by all of Major League Baseball. It is important to know about him because he helped accelerate the civil rights movement in America. Although his entrance was brutal with the abuse he received and the obscenities that were yelled at him. He helped the transition to not only make African Americans accepted in professional sports, but also to help the acceptance of African Americans in the civil rights movement.

I found this extremely intriguing in that these students were not politicians, policymakers, or even large figures of authority at the time in the Civil Rights Movement, but they were still able to ignite change and protest all over America with just the simple action of four students in a non-violent sit-in protest. They exemplified the ideal that in any large social movement, individuals are able to take charge and act upon what they believe in despite their power or prestige in the situation and still see prominent change due to their

For instance, if an African American was on a bus and if the bus started to get full an African American would have to give up their seat to a white person. For instance, “On December 1, 1955, during a typical evening rush hour in Montgomery, Alabama, a 42-year-old woman took a seat on the bus on her way home from the Montgomery Fair department store where she worked as a seamstress. Before she reached her

First, African American leaders argued that everyone should be treated equally. They wanted black African American men to be able to vote just like the white American men did. The whites refused to allow the blacks to vote. They threatened and beat the blacks, the “Jim Crow” laws blocked them from doing anything and everything For example, bathrooms, trains, and in busses they were forced to sit in the back. African American activists held nonviolent protests to bring change. Some of the more popular activist leaders were Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks. Unlike Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, Malcolm X held violent protests. One of the more popular marches that took place during the voting rights act was the Selma to Montgomery. There were about 550 people marching. The march bought a lot of public support for the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans were given outrageous literacy tests. For example, the literacy test we were given in class was from the State of Louisiana. It stated that the test is to be given to anyone who cannot prove a fifth grade education. The test was given to every African American, even if they didn’t speak any english. This was just one

King Jr. continued to endure the hardships, he would soon find out that he would be rewarded for his perseverance, when society was soon affected in a positive way. During the protests police ordered violent acts to stop the protesters and many protesters were jailed. The violent police acts were shown on television. The actions taken horrified many Americans (Marazani 3). Since the unjust acts were finally being televised, citizens of the United States, were now actually seeing and realizing the cruel actions that were being taken against protesters, by American officers. Now that America was finally realizing the harsh acts against African American protestors, Dr. King Jr’s goal of ending segregation was almost accomplished by making the problem known throughout America. Since all of America now knew about the brutality that police were enforcing against African Americans, there was an outrage and an agreement was reached and employers agreed to desegregate public places, and employ African Americans (Birmingham 3). Therefore the demonstrations finally came to an end now that Dr King Jr’s goal had finally been achieved. Dr. King Jr. and the protests had successfully desegregated the city of Birmingham, as well as achieving rights of equality for African Americans. However this would not have been possible without the Letters from the Birmingham

Since ministers from the black church rose as formal charismatic leaders in the movement, there was not a situation in which a woman could be a charismatic leader.

Blacks couldn’t use the same public places as whites, live in many of the same towns or go to the same schools.Racially mixed marriage was illegal, and most blacks couldn’t vote because they were unable to pass voter literacy tests. Jim Crow laws weren’t taken in northern states; however, blacks still experienced discrimination at their jobs or when they tried to buy a house or get an education.On February 1, 1960, African American students were denied counter service at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina because the policy was that only white customers could sit at the counter; African Americans had to stand. The next day they returned with more students and the peaceful protest called a "sit-in" was begun. Across the South, peaceful sit-ins by students took place in more than 100 cities in 1960. Although the protesters were beaten, and sometimes sent to jail, they continued to peacefully sit-in until they achieved their goals -- desegregation of places of public

protested against many laws that were present during those days for people of color. They knew

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.

As discussed previously, JFK started awareness for Civil Rights, his actions in Birmingham, coupled with the media coverage; however, it was LBJ’s ability to use his connections in congress to pass laws that changed the face of voting and civil right throughout the United States. As far as the leadership at the Grass roots level Dr. Martin Luther King is the most famous, due to the nonviolent protests and boycotts; however Rosa Parks, Aurelia Browder, and Louise Keys, were the catalysis for the grass roots movement. Although not much is mentioned of these individuals. President’s Eisenhower, JFK and LBJ along with the sitting justices on the Supreme Court share credit on the national level. Firstly the Presidents by supporting Supreme Court decisions, calling congress to pass laws, and taking action when States clearly chose to disregard the law, and the Courts by applying the intent of the Constitution and declaring laws unjust while supporting unpopular laws because the met the intent of the Constitution. I don’t believe that one person alone mattered the most, the nonviolent protest by Dr. Martin Luther King coupled by his speech on the steps of the Lincoln memorial were very powerful, but without action by the courts, the leaders in congress and the Presidency. However, the media played a large part in how the American public viewed civil rights, when images of dogs attacking nonviolent protesters, people beaten and killed because of color changes the view of right and