Civil Rights Movement Essay
Frustrated and disillusioned, civil rights activists seemed to move one step forward and one step backwards through much of the battle for full legal status. This slow pace ultimately caused a split between the peaceful MLK led civil rights movement and the more aggressive SNCC and Black Power movements. While much progressive domestic legislation was being passed, African American frustration was peaking. Civil rights advances were consistently rebuffed by carefully crafted state and local level laws as well as outright defiance purposed to circumvent federally mandated efforts for full legal status. For example, LBJ attempted to placate White fear of government support and enforcement of civil rights by implementing the compensatory
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education programs allowing more local control of federal funding for education. However, this resulted in “the curse of localism” where school officials avoided federal guidelines and redirected funding toward middle-class students. Years of promises and rising expectations, while growing American prosperity seemed to elude Blacks, sowed the seeds of discontent and rebellion. Although record gains in civil rights for Blacks were made between 1963 and 1969, the most significant gains since the Civil War, it was not enough. Psychologically, the frustrations with attempts at change were best described best by author Louis Lomax. He observed, “The Negro masses are angry and restless” and “tired of prolonged legal battles that end in paper decrees.” Further complicating matters were assassinations of JFK(1963), Medgar Evers(1963), Malcolm X(1965), Bobby Kennedy(1968), and Martin Luther King(1968), as well as many less notable people losing their lives in the effort for full legal status, all either leaders or allies to varying degrees of the Civil Rights Movement. Because of the slow painful process and frustrations with the nonviolent philosophy, a division began to occur within the Civil Rights Movement. Within this division there were two sides.
Traditional non violent protest adherents aligned with MLK and the younger more militant groups that seemed to gravitate toward Stokely Carmichael, SNCC leader who coined the phrase Black Power. Urged by MLK to soften the rhetoric of black power, fearing it would confuse their allies and add to an already prejudiced white rejection of full legal status for blacks, Carmichael rejected MLK's suggestions. Further, Roy Wilkins of the NAACP labeled the Black Power movement as “the father of hatred and the mother of violence”. Nonetheless recognizing a need to attempt to bridge the gap between Black Power and Christian conscience the National Committee of Negro Church Man (NCNC) issued a statement rejecting violence but acknowledging the need for blacks to exercise power and demand political and economic rights. Nevertheless, the same reasons that white militancy acted out with violence and force invalidated the segregationists efforts, civil rights activists that gravitated toward militancy equally lost credibility. Lawful or not, any gains or positions maintained by either side and achieved by utilizing militant tactics were never accepted in a friendly way. Rather they were reluctantly accepted, such that the side forced to accept the changes did so with feelings of resentment always escalating racial tensions. Further, LBJ’s National advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, in an attempt to find causes of the riots, had
speculated despair, black militancy, and white racism all combined as precursors of the riots. Commonly seen as an outgrowth of the SNCC and Black Power movement the “long hot summers” 1966 through 1969 cemented White opinion as to the the cause of the riots. Worse however for the Civil Rights Movement ,Whites responded to the riots and new militancy with fear and anger. Capitalized on by Ronald Reagan in 1966, He won the governor's race campaigning on a Law & Order platform having blamed the Watts Riots on liberal policymakers. Nationwide in 1966, Republicans made unprecedented gains in the House and Senate, following Ronald Reagan's recipe for success and promising a return to Law and Order. Right or wrong aside, it appears as though the frustration fueled militant tactics undermined civil rights gains and reform efforts.
education programs allowing more local control of federal funding for education. However, this resulted in “the curse of localism” where school officials avoided federal guidelines and redirected funding toward middle-class students. Years of promises and rising expectations, while growing American prosperity seemed to elude Blacks, sowed the seeds of discontent and rebellion. Although record gains in civil rights for Blacks were made between 1963 and 1969, the most significant gains since the Civil War, it was not enough. Psychologically, the frustrations with attempts at change were best described best by author Louis Lomax. He observed, “The Negro masses are angry and restless” and “tired of prolonged legal battles that end in paper decrees.” Further complicating matters were assassinations of JFK(1963), Medgar Evers(1963), Malcolm X(1965), Bobby Kennedy(1968), and Martin Luther King(1968), as well as many less notable people losing their lives in the effort for full legal status, all either leaders or allies to varying degrees of the Civil Rights Movement. Because of the slow painful process and frustrations with the nonviolent philosophy, a division began to occur within the Civil Rights Movement. Within this division there were two sides.
Traditional non violent protest adherents aligned with MLK and the younger more militant groups that seemed to gravitate toward Stokely Carmichael, SNCC leader who coined the phrase Black Power. Urged by MLK to soften the rhetoric of black power, fearing it would confuse their allies and add to an already prejudiced white rejection of full legal status for blacks, Carmichael rejected MLK's suggestions. Further, Roy Wilkins of the NAACP labeled the Black Power movement as “the father of hatred and the mother of violence”. Nonetheless recognizing a need to attempt to bridge the gap between Black Power and Christian conscience the National Committee of Negro Church Man (NCNC) issued a statement rejecting violence but acknowledging the need for blacks to exercise power and demand political and economic rights. Nevertheless, the same reasons that white militancy acted out with violence and force invalidated the segregationists efforts, civil rights activists that gravitated toward militancy equally lost credibility. Lawful or not, any gains or positions maintained by either side and achieved by utilizing militant tactics were never accepted in a friendly way. Rather they were reluctantly accepted, such that the side forced to accept the changes did so with feelings of resentment always escalating racial tensions. Further, LBJ’s National advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, in an attempt to find causes of the riots, had
speculated despair, black militancy, and white racism all combined as precursors of the riots. Commonly seen as an outgrowth of the SNCC and Black Power movement the “long hot summers” 1966 through 1969 cemented White opinion as to the the cause of the riots. Worse however for the Civil Rights Movement ,Whites responded to the riots and new militancy with fear and anger. Capitalized on by Ronald Reagan in 1966, He won the governor's race campaigning on a Law & Order platform having blamed the Watts Riots on liberal policymakers. Nationwide in 1966, Republicans made unprecedented gains in the House and Senate, following Ronald Reagan's recipe for success and promising a return to Law and Order. Right or wrong aside, it appears as though the frustration fueled militant tactics undermined civil rights gains and reform efforts.