Paper Example. The Civil Rights Movements History

The civil rights movement was a structured and planned effort by African Americans to eradicate racial bias and acquire racial and social justice. The American civil war ended slavery, but racial discrimination persisted. The black Americans mobilized, and with the help, many white associates initiated an exceptional fight for equal rights. The movement was active from the early 1940s to the late 1960s. It was mostly non-violence and led to the enactment of laws to protect all Americans' legal rights, irrespective of race, color, national origin, and sex. Therefore, this paper will explore the civil rights movement history with a particular interest in the movement's key events and the new laws that were passed to achieve equality.

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The civil rights movement's journey for equality started on 26th July 1948, when an executive order 9981 was issued by then-president Harry Truman to end racial discrimination in the armed services. The law eliminated racial bias in military enrolment, and African Americans could join and serve in the army. Further, on 17th May 1954, a ruling by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education successfully stopped racial discrimination in American public schools. However, most of them remained segregated. As such, this was the first step towards equality in the U.S.

However, one of the key incidents in the civil rights movement is the brutal and savage murder of Emmet Louis Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, in Mississippi for ostensibly flirting with a white woman. Even though the killing of African Americans by the white people was common in the area, it is the cheeky acquittal of Till's kidnappers, and the eventual murderer’s by an all-white bench surprised the country and hastened the emerging civil rights movement. Thus, the case was closed, but its impact and outcome started; the growing civil rights protests derived from years of inequality. The case was nationally covered, drawing international awareness to the civil rights movement. A picture of Till's trampled body at his open-casket funeral was published on the Jet magazine. Some media houses termed Till’s murder and southern racism as terror or terrorism. Till’s murder was a spur in the upsurge of resistance and activism. Thus, civil rights organizations, Till’s family, and national newspapers used his death to fight against terrorism and racial injustice.

Another key event that spurred the civil rights movement was the Montgomery bus boycott. On 1st December 1955, Rosa Parks, a black woman, declined to give up her seat to a white male passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus when traveling home from work. She was arrested for contravening Alabama’s bus segregation laws. Her actions manifested the menacing nature of racial discrimination in the American south laying bare its ferocious triviality. This act of civil defiance triggered the Montgomery bus boycott and thrust the civil rights movement to the nationwide arena. Martin Luther King Jr planned the bus boycott across the city fighting against racial bias on the public transportation system. Black Americans ceased to use the transport system and instead would get rides or walk. It lasted for 381 days and was effectual; the federal court declared that the existing laws allowing segregation in the buses were unlawful, and the Supreme Court finally concurred. As such, the Montgomery bus boycott was among the key activities by the civil rights movement that brought the social and economic change in the U.S.

The Montgomery bus boycott and the murder of Emmet Till brought the civil rights movement to the national and international limelight. As such, the movement was empowered and coordinated a lot of nonviolent protests across the country. For instance, on 10th -11th January 1957, 60 black civil rights leaders and pastors form some southern states like Martin Luther King meet in Atlanta, Georgia, to coordinate nonviolent demonstrations against racial discrimination and segregation. On 4th September 1957, nine black students were barred from joining Little Rock Central High School, Arkansas. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ultimately sent federal law enforcements to accompany the students. Nonetheless, they endured being discriminated against and harassed. On 9th September 1957, President Eisenhower approved the Civil Rights Act of 1957 into law to safeguard the voters’ rights. The law offered all American citizens the right to vote and authorized federal prosecution for people suppressing other’s voting rights.

Another event that empowered the civil rights movement is the freedom riders, African Americans, and white protestors. They took bus trips throughout the American south to object segregated bus terminals and tried to use whites-only lunch counters and restrooms in 1961. These actions provoked violent reactions bolstering the credibility of the movement and highlighted the need to desegregate interstate transportation such as highways, train terminals, and highways. As such, the freedom riders encountered horrifying violence from white protestors drawing national and international interest to the civil rights movement. The freedom rides appealed national devotion to disregard the local violence and federal law employed to impose discrimination in the American south. They helped in ending racial discrimination in American south public transport.

Similarly, the March on Washington for freedom and jobs was a crucial event during the civil rights movement. According to Purcell (2014), it was the most significant political rally for human rights ever in U.S. history. On 28th August 1963, around 250 000 people congregated on the Mall in Washington, D.C., to protest for freedom and jobs of black Americans. It is in this event that King presented his famous speech, I Have a Dream, in front of the Lincoln Memorial. King stated that he believed that the country would offer equal rights and opportunities to all its citizens in the future. Thus, the March on Washington facilitated creating a new national comprehension of the problems of economic and racial injustice. Indeed, it brought protestors together from around the nation to share their own experiences with state-sponsored racial segregation and labor bigotry and show their support for equal rights bill pending in Congress. After the march, many demonstrations and violence put pressure on political leaders to act, which helped with the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is an all-inclusive U.S. law that intends to eliminate inequity based on color, race, national origin, or religion. According to Miller (1966), it is the hallmark of the American Civil Rights Movement and the most significant law since the reconstruction period. Title 1 of the act provides equal voting rights for all through the elimination of legal procedures and requirements biased against underprivileged and people of color. Title II ban discrimination in public accommodation places engaged in interstate business or contracting with the federal government. Title VII vetoes bias by employers, trade unions, or schools doing commerce with the federal government or involved in the interstate business, including based on sex. Initially, white groups opposed the integrating blacks and white people through the act with a significant reaction that involved protests, racial violence, and support for pro-segregation candidates. When the act was passed, its constitutionality was contested and endorsed by the Supreme Court. Therefore, the act brought social and economic change and justice by giving federal law enforcement agencies the power to stop racial bias in voting, public facilities, and employment, which further motivated the civil rights movement to persist pursuing for equality of all people in the U.S.

In conclusion, the paper has examined the key historical events that led to the rise of and defined the civil rights movement in the United States. Among others, these events promoted the legislation of laws that promote social and economic justice and freedom. The events include the Murder of Emmett Till, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Riders, March on Washington. Till murder triggered and helped the civil rights movement to gain momentum. At the same time, the March on Washington led to the enactment of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 promoted equal-ended bias based on race color, national origin, and religion.

Bibliography

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