Key Moments Of The Civil Rights Movement

The US civil rights movement is the term used for the protests and activism in the American society, mainly equal treatment among the Afro-Americans and the white Americans, from 1954 to 1968, the exact dates are not accurate for some may argue it started long before that. I will highlight in this essay the most important key moments, what changed and what stayed the same, and the people who key roles in this movement. E.g. Brown v. the board of education (1954), Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott (1955), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr speeches and the murder of Emmett till.
One of the earliest and big wins for the Civil rights movement was the win of the Brown v. board of education in 1954. This was when Oliver Brown an American welder,
sued the board of education of Topeka because of segregation in public schools, it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment to the U.S. constitution, being that schools in segregation do not offer the same level of education and are not equal in funds and residency. The 14th amendment was changed in July 9, 1868 which granted citizenship to all who are born or naturalized in the United Stated of America, including Afro-Americans and former slaves. With this win the Civil Rights movement had a base and could grow longer into equality for all people, in the US. On 17 May 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled that any segregation in public schools will be ruled as unconstitutional, in other words not with the morals and laws of the US. Before the case mostly schools in the South-east it was law for segregation, in the North-east that was illegal and in the west it was either recommended or no legislation toward this, or forbidden.
Another important year for the US civil rights movement was 1955, where Emmett Till was murdered and the Montgomery bus boycott started with Rosa Parks an Afro-American activist.
Emmett Till was a fourteen year old boy, who had a rough childhood. While Emmett was visiting family in Money, Mississippi, the teenage African American boy from Chicago, was kidnaped and murdered for “flirting” with a white woman, the wife of the owner of a shop 4 days before his murder. A couple of days later the husband and his half-brother went to Tills uncle’s house dragged him to their car, and some say that he was beaten then shot in the head and thrown to river, he was found 3 days later. Authorities in Mississippi wanted to quick bury the corpse for the story to die out. The mother, Mamie Bradley, decided to bring the body back to Chicago. She decided to do an open-casket funeral to show what the racist murderers had done to her only son. The murderers were sent on trial but they were issued not guilty. Another event that year was the Montgomery bus boycott. Rosa Parks was an African American activist who earlier had protested against discrimination and for equal rights for everyone. From December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956, it was one of the first, and largest protests against discrimination and segregation in the United States. Four days before the bus boycott, Rosa parks was arrested and given a fine for not giving her seat to a white male, and obeying to the segregated rules. The US
Supreme Court ruled in favor of them and forced the Montgomery bus system to integrate, and one of the leaders of it was Pastor Martin Luther King Jr, who became an essential leader for the Civil rights movement.
Martin Luther King Jr was a key leader in the American Civil Rights movement, he was a young pastor and activist who helped through speeches gain equality in rights for all American citizens.
This almost never happened. When Martin was young, 12 years old, after his grandmother died he attempted suicide from a 2nd story building but did not succeed. Martin was a smart student, he skipped both year 9 and 11, and entered college aged 15. He was not always with religion, he first questioned his faith, but in his junior year he joined a bible class and became firm with it, and later he told his father his decision into becoming a pastor. His most famous speech is “I have a dream” speech. He wanted equality for everyone and no discrimination against no race, specifically for the African Americans. Unfortunately he was killed in 4 of July 50 years ago in 1968, by a racist murderer. He was supposed to give a speech on April, the 7th but was unable due to his terrific assassination. The speech was titled “Why America may go to hell” and was King’s warning to the world about the 3 biggest evils: poverty, racism and militarism. Martin Luther King Jr was changing his views and was going more “dark” and real on his speeches and the consequences if we (USA) do not
change.
Many things changed because of the US civil rights movement, and unfortunately many things happened in the process to acquire freedom. Rosa parks was imprisoned, Martin Luther King Jr assassinated and Emmett till murdered and case ruled as innocent. Many aspects that happened on the Civil Rights Movement are quite difficult to believe that it once happened, or that it was once legal like racism and discrimination and many people try to put their self in the shoes of the ones who had suffered. And feel compassion for them, and be supportive for the ones who made equality what it now is. The American Civil Rights Movement cause great impact all around the world including England and Australia. This helped the Aboriginal and Torres Strait island people gain their freedom and civil rights, and be recognized as human beings, uniting Australia.