Civil Rights Movement

Civil Rights Movements by Wendy

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Civil rights movement in the United States

In a relatively stable political system, after a status had been reached in which every citizen has the same rights by law, practical issues of discrimination remained. Even if every person is treated equally by the state, there may not be equality due to discrimination within society, such as in the workplace, which may hinder civil liberties in everyday life. During the second half of the 20th century, Western societies introduced legislation that tried to remove discrimination on the basis of race, gender and disability.

The civil rights movement in the United States refers partially to a set of noted events and the reform movements in that country that aimed to abolish public and private acts of racial discrimination and racism against African Americans and other disadvantaged groups between 1954 to 1968, particularly in the southern United States. It is sometimes referred to as the Second Reconstruction era.

Later, groups like the Black Panther Party, the Young Lords, the Weathermen, and the Brown Berets turned to more harsh tactics to start a revolution that would establish self-determination for U.S. minorities—bids that ultimately failed due in part to a coordinated effort by the United States Government's COINTELPRO efforts to subvert such groups and their activities.

Fighting for education --- Desegregating Little Rock, 1957. In September, 1957, a black girl tried to enter an all-white school in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas. An angry crowd screamed at her. State guards blocked her way. The guards had been sent by the state governor, Orville Faubus. After three weeks, a federal court ordered Governor Faubus to remove the guards. The girl, Elizabeth Eckford, and seven other black students were able to enter the school. After one day, however, riots forced the black students to leave. Troops sent by the state governor to Central High School in Little Rock.

President Dwight Eisenhower（34th）ordered federal troops to Little Rock. They helped black students get into the white school safely. However, angry white citizens closed all the city's public schools. The schools stayed closed for two years.

In 1962, a black student named James Meredith tried to attend the University of Mississippi. School officials refused. John Kennedy(35th), the president at that time, sent federal law officers to help him. James Meredith became the first black person to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

Fighting for equal treatment in housing and transportation.

In many cities of the South, blacks were forced to sit in the back of buses. In 1955, a black woman named Rosa Parks got on a bus in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. She sat in the back. The bus became crowded. There were no more seats for white people. So, the bus driver ordered Missus Parks to stand and give her seat to a white person. She refused. Her feet were tired after a long day at work. Rosa Parks was arrested.

The Reverend Martin Luther King organized the black citizens of Montgomery. They were the major users of the bus system. They agreed to stop using the buses. The boycott lasted a little more than a year. It seriously affected the earnings of the bus company. In the end, racial separation on the buses in Montgomery was declared illegal.

Rosa Parks' tired feet had helped win black Americans another victory in their struggle for equal rights. And, the victory had been won without violence.

Oral:

The American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring suffrage in Southern states.

The aims of the Civil Rights Movement include racial dignity, economic and political self-sufficiency, and freedom from oppression by whites.

Many of those who were most active in the Civil Rights Movement prefer the term ‘Southern Freedom Movement’ because the struggle was about far more than just civil rights under law; it was also about fundamental issues of freedom, respect, dignity, and economic and social equality.

Civil Rights: A dream for the Black

Early in its history, black Africans were brought to America as slaves. They were bought and sold, like animals. By the time of America’s Civil War in the 1860’s, many had been freed by their owners. Many, however, still worked as slaves on the big farms of the South. By the end of the war, slavery had been declared unconstitutional. But that was only the first step in the struggle for equality.

Most people of color could not get good jobs. They could not get good housing. They had far less chance of a good education than white Americans. For about 100 years, blacks made slow gains. Widespread activism for civil rights did not really begin until after WWⅡ. During the war, black Americans earned respect as members of the armed forces. When they came home, many demanded that their civil rights be respected, too. An organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, led the way.

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