The Conditions of Life for African Americans Before the 1950s

In the 1950s, America was viewed as one the strongest nations in the World. America established itself as a strong military super power and dominate country in World War II. The effects of World War II carried over in the 1950s, America saw a lot of economic growth, there was an increase in the amount of people who moved to the suburbs, and the baby boom which came about because of the millions of soldiers returning home from military services. Even though this seemed like a happy time, there was still a thick tension in America. This tension was between African-Americans and white Americans. In 1865, the thirteenth amendment was passed which abolished slavery. Even though this occurred, white people still felt that African-American were

Examine the condition of African-Americans in the late nineteenth century and explain why the Thirteenth Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Fifteenth Amendment, which were enacted to aid the new freedmen, actually did little.

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 reconstruction amendments established in the 19th century made many believe that African Americans would finally reach equality. However, the abolishment never changed society’s view on African Americans and instead, barriers such as oppression and segregation came out of it. Despite the ceaseless barriers faced by African Americans in the South, they were able to utilize methods in which gave the movement strength in the 1950s and ultimately, led to their gained civil rights.

In the Late 1950’s, America was in the beginnings of an important Cultural revolution. The Civil Rights movement as a whole was still very new and the country had just recently been desegregated. As such,

Analyze the changes that occurred during the 1960’s in the goals, strategies, and support of the movement for African American civil rights.

瀀瀀ughout the 1950s to the 1960s, African Americans constantly fought to better their civil rights in America and equate them to the rights whites held. The two groups’ differences and their battle to claim what they believe is theirs is what shapes American society today. From housing to employment and especially the events during the civil rights movement, African Americans have tried to desegregate and destroy discrimination against mere skin color for years – even decades. Today, some still question whether they have succeeded or not.

In this research paper, we will be discussing the African American racial and prejudicial issues during the civil rights movements in the 1950’s and 60’s. Racial injustice goes way back since the Emancipation Proclamation which took place on January 1, 1863 issued by president Abraham Lincoln, was first created for states in the South who seceded from the union to abolish slavery during the Civil War. The Fourteenth Amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws due to issues related to slaves during the Civil War. Although slavery was not around almost a century later African Americans were still being treated unfairly in the 1950’s and 60’s. Major Icons such as Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Black Panthers, Malcolm

Throughout the 1960’s, the widespread movement for African American civil rights had transformed in terms of its goals and strategies. The campaign had intensified in this decade, characterized by greater demands and more aggressive efforts. Although the support of the Civil Rights movement was relatively constant, the goals of the movement became more high-reaching and specific, and its strategies became less compromising. African Americans’ struggle for equality during the 1960’s was a relentless movement that used change for progress. In essence, the transformation of the Civil Rights Movement throughout the 1960’s forwarded the evolution of America into a nation of civil equality and freedom.

Commencing in the late 19th century, state level governments approved segregation acts, identified as the Jim Crow laws, and assigned limitations on voting requirements that caused the African American population economically and diplomatically helpless (Davis, n.d.). The civil rights movement commenced, intensely and assertively, in the early 1940s when the societal composition of black America took an increasingly urban, popular appeal (Korstad & Lichtenstein, 1988). The 1950s and 1960s was well known for racial conflicts and civil rights protests. The civil rights movement in the United States during the late 1950s and 1960s was based on political and social strives to achieve

During the 1960’s, African Americans demonstrated their rights by performing sit-ins within public accommodations all throughout the Southern states. The city of Nashville, Tennessee was considered a progressive city in the South; However, with a high population of African Americans, it was still segregated. Since Nashville housed black colleges in the city, this prompted students to organize sit-ins to challenge segregation in the so called “progressive city”. Whites in Nashville couldn’t believe that African Americans native to Nashville were organizing these sit-ins, they believed these African Americans came from northern cities. It was interesting to see how ignorant whites were in Nashville about their own African American population.

The Civil Rights Movement was a long-term initiative to overcome the unequal world of disenfranchisement, segregation, and other forms of oppression such as the Jim Crow laws. The period of the civil rights reform can be divided into several phases such as the “prehistory” of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1930s to 1954, the “Lunch counter” phase during the years 1955 to 1965, the Black Power Movement beginning in 1965 and progressing until mid 1975, and lastly, the post-civil rights and post-black power era. During each phase, the movement began with isolated, small-scale protests and ultimately resulted in the emergence of organized, some militant, some non-violent movements led by various organizations. While the movement could be divided into phases, they were not isolated incidents, each phase evolved or carried into the next movement. Due to the depth of each era, it is impossible to combine all the historical facts into one paper. However, three epigraphs from, Race, Reform, and Rebellion, written by Manning Marable, summarizes the development of the Civil Rights Movement over the era of 1940 to 1982.

The history of United State has shown many racial discriminations since colonists arrived America. African Americans have suffered unequal treatments and punishments in comparison to white people and European immigrants. Even when slavery was abolished in 1865, African Americans were still victims of many inequalities like employment, rights, housing, and transportation. However, due to these inequalities and mistreatments like the Jim Crow Laws, many African Americans started to make a change during the 1950’s, also called the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks, that was arrested for sitting in the front of a bus in Alabama. Rosa Parks case made the supreme court to ban segregation in public transportation. The social difference during the 1950’s was very notable and obvious, and voting was a big example of the huge discrimination suffered by African Americans and minorities. In the south, white people would take away minorities’ right to vote by making them take a test that would decide if they were or not capable to make a political decision. Fortunately, big characters like Martin Luther King vouched for the end of this inequalities. Martin Luther King played a big role in the 1960’s making everyone aware about the change that was about to come.

African Americans always had to do as the whites demanded of them. But eventually they grew tired of being mistreated. And that was when everything began to change. African Americans began to speak up for themselves, “African Americans had been fighting against racial discrimination for centuries; during the 1950s, however, the struggle against racism and segregation entered the mainstream of American life (History 1950).” Even Troy spoke out about unequal opportunities when he was faced with it in the workforce, “why you got them white men’s driving and the colored lifting? What’s the matter, don’t I count? You think only white fellows got enough sense to drive a

In the 1950’s, there was a lot of hatred shown towards African-Americans that was quite violent and has caused a chaos within the country. There were several movements with and against African Americans. The country was completely split, and African-Americans were considered as second class citizens. They were segregated from the whites, and they even split public properties and goods.