What Is The Role Of The Civil Rights Movement In The 1960s

But reason behind why the campaign was held there was because King believed that if he could stop segregation in Birmingham he had the ability to stop it anywhere. But also it was at this one demonstration that was the turning point in the fight for black civil rights thanks to new technology at this time being the television people both white and black could see for themselves the innocent brutal treatment received by the blacks from whites, therefore it convinced many people to join the bid for civil rights. In 1964 saw civil rights movement for black Americans progress further through another organised march from Selma Alabama to Montgomery to draw attention about their right to vote. But their protest did not run like clock works as white officers tried to oppose the black demonstrators by using several methods to bring down moral including hosing and beating them down and gassing the determined crowd.

Another reason it’s the most influential event in the Civil Rights movement was because it happened in Birmingham. “By 1963, homemade bombs set off in Birmingham's black homes and churches were such common occurrences

Martin Luther King Jr. wanted a demonstration, or protest, of the situation of the blacks and whites to be held in the most segregated city in the United States, Birmingham, Alabama. The Birmingham March took place between April and May of 1963. The protests and rallies were both peaceful and nonviolent. However, the police got tired of the daily protests and arrested hundreds that they found to be responsible for taking part in them and used unnecessary force, such as high pressured

In Birmingham, Ala., in the spring of 1963, King's campaign to end segregation at lunch counters and segregated hiring practices drew nationwide attention when police turned attacks dogs and fire hoses on peaceful demonstrators.

It would be the beginning of a series of lunch counter sit-ins, marches on City Hall, and boycotts to protest segregation laws in the city. Over the next couple months, the peaceful demonstrations would be met with violent attacks using high-pressure fire hoses and police dogs on men, women and children alike producing some of the most iconic and troubling images of the Civil Rights Movement. President John F. Kennedy said, "The events in Birmingham... have so increased the cries for equality that no city or state or legislative body can prudently choose to ignore them". It is considered one of the major turning points in the Civil Rights Movement and the beginning of the end of a long struggle for

He believed that the most racial injustice lay not only in the Southern states of America but in Birmingham, Alabama as expressed in his 1963 ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail,’ to fellow clergymen who criticized his methods, King stating, “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” In Birmingham, much like other Southern American States public facilities such as parks, movie theatres, lunch bars, restaurants, and water fountains were segregated (African Americans had different, lesser facilities than the Whites) which ultimately led King, SCLC, and ordinary African American citizens to hold these non-violent protests to have the desegregation they had sought after for many years.

"The Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama." American Decades Primary Sources. Ed. Cynthia Rose. Vol. 7: 1960-1969. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 496-501. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Nov.

Following the campaign, various civil rights leaders met with some of Birmingham’s local business owners, and came to an agreement to desegregate Birmingham’s downtown shops and offer equal employment under a basis of “nondiscrimination,” while Birmingham city leaders agreed to release all arrested demonstrators from Birmingham jails (Birmingham Desegregation Campaign”). In addition, the worldwide outrage sparked by the Birmingham Campaign was one of the leading motivations for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in which discrimination of any type based on race, color, gender, national origin, or religion was outlawed. Ultimately, the Birmingham campaign laid the foundation for a future of racial justice in the

Dr. King was in Birmingham because of the injustice that is going on over those that believe in equality and civil rights for, on the other side there were those that didn’t. The city population was mainly KKK members, one man in particular was Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene “Bull” Connor 's who was more about segregation that equal rights that’s members needed someone in high authority on their side. While the protester marched nonviolently the were attacked by police dogs and strong blasted of water holes similar to the ones use to put out fires. ( King, 2006)

In 1963, Martin Luther King became the most known civil right leader of his time. During this time Martin Luther King gave a speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. Many whites in the south at this time did not see any racial harmony that King spoke of that would happen (Black History Timeline). Not long after some white supremacist bombed a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama killing four young African American girls. The church bombing was the third one Birmingham had in eleven days. This happened a few days after the government started to integrate schools. This was a dangerous time and area to integrate because Birmingham, Alabama had one of the most dangerous and strongest leading KKK (Black History Timeline).

The police force had opted to stay out of the protection of the minority groups when these were being attacked and stripped of their dignity, yet somehow when the arrests were made only the affected party in this case the minorities were the once that were being arrested. Birmingham in the 1960s was a high point for protestors soon after 15,000 arrests were made in 186 cities. Birmingham was faced with boomings and more acts of violence all directly directed towards black and white protestors that had being up to now peacefully stand up for equality. After winning the presidency John F. Kennedy was reluctant on addressing the black demands; that would change after the violent acts in Birmingham in May 1963. He publicly acknowledged that the

Martin Luther King Jr. knew of the constant racism and cruelty in Birmingham, Alabama and decided to lead a march in 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy, treasurer of the SCLC, led a group of fifty marchers toward city hall in Birmingham (Boerst, 12). Martin Luther King Jr. and the protestors wanted to stand up

In Birmingham, they did not obey the federal government and always did their own thing. The Supreme Court ordered for school desegregation but Birmingham claimed that they had never heard of that. Birmingham’s officials would act like they never heard any of the rulings from the Supreme Court. In grocery stores there would be many check-out lines for white people but only one line for African Americans. Eugene “Bull” Connor was a racist that thought he knew how to hand African Americans. Connor was a commissioner of public safety and wanted to keep African American rights at a minimum and was very defiant towards the federal government. The author says, “…Birmingham and Bull Connor fought, tooth and nail, to keep things as they were.”(p.50) The city of Birmingham did not want to change. They wanted to keep Birmingham the same and did not want everyone to be equal. In May of 1962 a board meeting was held in Chattanooga to discuss that they were going to attack segregation in Birmingham. Rumors spread and businessmen were scared of what would happen next. A new mayor was elected in April of 1963. Many people believed that Albert Boutwell supported African Americans and wanted them to have the same rights as whites. However, some believed that he was just like Connor except he was more liked. During this same time the lunch-counter sit-ins were going on. After, the lunch-counter sit-ins then the African

The Birmingham campaign was a movement organized by King Martin Luther in the spring of 1963 to bring attention to the integration efforts of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama. In the early 1960s, Birmingham was a very segregated city. This meant that black and white people were kept separated. They had different schools, restaurants, water fountains and even different place to stay. There were laws that allowed and enforced segregation called Jim Crow Laws. The movement which began in April, utilized massive direct action to attack Birmingham’s strongly engrained system of segregation. The protests were co-named “Project C”. The “C” stood for “confrontation”. The protests were non violent and included boycotting downtown stores, sit-ins, marches. The organizers thought that if enough people protested, then the local government would be forced to confront them and this would make national news gaining them support the federal government and the rest of the country. This project C brought national attention to the inequality of America’s economic, legal and social system- attention that led to the civil rights act of 1964.

In April and May of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was a focal point for the civil rights movement. Birmingham was home to one of the most violent cells of the KKK and violence against black people was so commonplace (especially in the form of explosives) that it was referred to as “Bombingham.” It was these conditions that lead Martin Luther King to arrive and organize a series of non-violent protests in the city. These protests were relatively low key and weren’t very well attended. This was due to the fact that political rivalries between King’s organization, the SCLC, and other civil right’s organizations like CORE and the NAACP. However, the Birmingham protests soon became headlines due to the response of the city’s police