Prejudice And Racism During The Civil Rights Movement

Ingrained into American society, racism proves to be an ever-present complication people of color face throughout history; furthermore, this matter, seemingly vanished, remains alive under the surface of the admirable American façade. African Americans endured hundreds of years of enslavement, torture, and discrimination; although they weren’t treated as such, they are American citizens. The ugly racism, rooted in the greed for power and control, against African Americans still stands as a real and ugly piece of American history. From fighting for freedom out of enslavement, to fighting for the right to sit next to a white man on the bus, these belittled people have relentless been pushed down when trying to stand up. However, slowly they rose up and fought for equal rights, all the while facing mass resistance. During the Civil Rights movement, African Americans made many advances in their plight for social, economic, and political freedom; such include the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and school integration. Although they legally achieved these rights, they were still met with severe
de facto segregation and resistance; from lynchings to denying basic services, they were not treated equally. Nonviolence was the key strategy in gradually moving the Civil Rights movement forward. They protested through a variety of methods. Their three main modes of achieving equality include nonviolent protests, challenging legal segregation in the courts, and raising themselves up through black power. Many nonviolent demonstrations included sit-ins (refusal to move from “white only” dining areas), public marches (most famous one being the March on Washington), and organizing parties such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Martin Luther King Jr. famous “I Have a Dream” speech further shook the ignited waves of enthusiasm in the movement. Not only this but after Rosa Parks’ famous arrest, they boycotted the Montgomery bus system. They also fought through court cases; the most famous include Brown vs. the Board of Education and Plessy vs. Ferguson. Lastly, they empowered themselves through “black power” lead by Stokely Carmichael and influenced by figures such as Malcolm X.
Their efforts were eventually met with positive results. Their most prominent achieve was the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race. Not long after that, the Voting Rights Act was signed in 1965 by President Johnson. Although the right for African Americans to vote is declared in the 15th Amendment, this act removed many obstacles created to prevent African Americans from voting, such as literacy tests and voting taxes. Following the Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954, they achieved school integration. Not only this, but they also received support from Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.
The responses to the gains made by the African Americans were overwhelmingly negative; their achievements were met with violence and severe resentment.
The forced integration caused many tensions between the races, and put African Americans subject to even more hate. Many prominent political leaders, such as the governor of Alabama, publicly addressed the issue in racist manners. Many had difficulties finding jobs to provide for themselves, and others couldn’t afford a basic education. In response to the nonviolent freedom rider protest, white racists brutally beat and verbally assaulted them. It was not uncommon for a peaceful protest to be met with anger and violence. Although African Americans were no longer held as slaves, they still suffered from a bondage that isn't that of servitude. They were silenced by the white population, dominate at that
time.
Altogether, it is essential to thoroughly recognize the effects of the Civil Rights movement- both positive and negative. Many point to their achievements in Congress as the end of the long battle; however, this is far from the truth. The social warfare proved to be more problematic for the oppressed than the legal battles, and these social tensions did not disappear with time. Still, today, the United States is divided, and these borders that cut people off from others is rooted the desire for power and control.