American-Civil-Rights-Movement

AmericanCivilRightsMovementThe1960sisanimportantdecadeinAmericahistory.Blackmovement,TheNewLeftandthecounterculturemovementwasquiteprevailinginthattime.ThesenewideologicaltrendsbecameansignificantforcetochangepostwarAmericansocietytobethesocietyweseetoday.Inthispaper,Iwanttotalkaboutoneofthemostfar-reachingandthemostexcitingmovementin1960s--civilrightsMovement.HistoricalBackgroundAbout100yearsago,thepromulgationoftheabolitionofslavery,PresidentLincoln’sdeclarationfromthephysicalliberationofblackpeople.Blackpeoplegotcitizenshipandtherighttovote.ButblackpeoplestilllivedintheshadowbecausetheirrightwasignoredbyAmericanGovernment.Mostofblackpeoplehadtoearnalivingbyworkingfortheoriginalslaveowner.Othersblackpeoplehadtoearnalivinginthecity,whichmultipliedsomesocialproblem.Atthebeginning,mostofblackpeoplewasinsouthern.Thewhiteinthenorthneverfacealotofblackpeople,sotheydisplayedsympathytoblackpeople,condemnedtheracialdiscrimination.However,Withanincreasingnumberofblacksinthenorth,thepopulationofblackpeopleinthetwelvemajorcitieswereclosedtoathirdoraquarterofthewholepopulationuntil1960s.1thewhitepeoplerealizedthattheycan'tacceptinthetruesenseofracialequality,letblackpeopleintegrateintothemainstreamsociety.Therefore,manystatesbegantosetlimitstotheblackandapartheidlaws,nottoletblackdeservesthecivilrightss.OneofthemostnotoriousistheJimCrowlaws,whosenameisbelievedtobederivedfromacharacterinapopularminstrelsong.TheSupremeCourtrulingin18961CharlesE.Silberman,“Introduction:Thestormypresent”,RobertR.Jones&GustavL.Seligmann,Jr.(eds.),TheSweepofAmericanHistory(VolI.),pp.569-570.inPlessyv.FergusonthatseparatefacilitiesforwhitesandblackswereconstitutionalencouragedthepassageofdiscriminatorylawsthatwipedoutthegainsmadebyblacksduringReconstruction.Railwaysandstreetcars,publicwaitingrooms,restaurants,boardinghouses,theaters,andpublicparksweresegregated;separateschools,hospitals,andotherpublicinstitutions,generallyofinferiorquality,weredesignatedforblacks.2FamousFiguresInthecivilrightsMovement,thereweremanysignificantandgreatpeopleandorganizationmadeamajorcontributionforblackpeople’sright.Someofthemevenachievetheirtargetatthecostofhisownlife.ThesetwofamousforceofcivilrightsMovement.MartinLutherKing,Jr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.(January15,1929–April4,1968)wasanAmericanBaptistminister,activist,humanitarian,andleaderintheAfrican-AmericancivilrightssMovement.HeisbestknownforhisroleintheadvancementofcivilrightssusingnonviolentcivildisobediencebasedonhisChristianbeliefs.Kingalsohelpedtoorganizethe1963MarchonWashington,wherehedeliveredhisfamousIHaveaDreamspeech.OnOctober14,1964,KingreceivedtheNobelPeacePrizeforcombatingracialinequalitythroughnonviolence.In1965,hehelpedtoorganizetheSelmatoMontgomerymarches,andthefollowingyearheandSCLCtookthemovementnorthtoChicagotoworkonsegregatedhousing.In1968,KingwasplanninganationaloccupationofWashington,D.C.,tobecalledthePoorPeople'sCampaign,whenhewasassassinatedonApril4inMemphis,Tennessee.HisdeathwasfollowedbyriotsinmanyU.S.cities.2SeeC.V.Woodward,TheStrangeCareerofJimCrow(1966);L.F.Litwack,HowFreeIsFree?TheLongDeathofJimCrow(2009)BlackPowerBlackPowerisapoliticalsloganandanameforvariousassociatedideologiesaimedatachievingself-determinationforpeopleofAfrican/Blackdescent.ItisusedbyAfricanAmericansintheUnitedStates.Itwasprominentinthelate1960sandearly1970s,emphasizingracialprideandthecreationofblackpoliticalandculturalinstitutionstonurtureandpromoteblackcollectiveinterestsandadvanceblackvalues.3BlackPowerexpressesarangeofpoliticalgoals,fromdefenseagainstracialoppression,totheestablishmentofsocialinstitutionsandaself-sufficienteconomy.Theearliestknownusageofthetermisfoundina1954bookbyRichardWrightentitledBlackPower.NewYorkpoliticianAdamClaytonPowellJr.usedthetermonMay29,1966duringabaccalaureateaddressatHowardUniversity:TodemandtheseGod-givenrightsistoseekblackpower.4AchievementThemovementwascharacterizedbymajorcampaignsofcivilresistance.Between1955and1968,actsofnonviolentprotestandcivildisobedienceproducedcrisissituationsandproductivedialoguesbetweenactivistsandgovernmentauthorities.Federal,state,andlocalgovernments,businesses,andcommunitiesoftenhadtorespondimmediatelytothesesituationsthathighlightedtheinequitiesfacedbyAfricanAmericans.NotedlegislativeachievementsduringthisphaseoftheCivilRightsMovementwerepassageoftheCivilRightsActof1964,whichbanneddiscriminationbasedonrace,color,religion,sex,ornationalorigininemploymentpracticesandendedunequalapplicationofvoterregistrationrequirementsandracialsegregationinschools,at3Appiah,A.,&Gates,H.L.(1999).Africana:theencyclopediaoftheAfricanandAfricanAmericanexperience.NewYork:BasicCivitasBooks,p.262.4YaleBookofQuotations(2006),YaleUniversityPress,editedbyFredR.Shapiro.theworkplace,andbypublicaccommodations;theVotingRightsActof1965,whichrestoredandprotectedvotingrights;theImmigrationandNationalityServicesActof1965,whichdramaticallyopenedentrytotheU.S.toimmigrantsotherthantraditionalNorthernEuropeanandGermanicgroups;andtheFairHousingActof1968,whichbanneddiscriminationinthes