Progress In Civil Rights

How much progress was made in civil rights between 1960-80?

1960 began positively for blacks as students carried out the lunch counter protests. On 1st February black students entered Woolworths and at the whites only lunch counter, the significance of the protest was not just the defiance of whites but also to reemphasise non violent protest was the way forward and the action blacks were taking. After this event a black founded student non-violent coordinating committee was started and became an essential part in helping publicise civil rights problems by gaining lots o media attention from their actions. A year later some students, black and white, carried out freedom rides. May 4th 1961, 4 blacks and 4 whites rode the inter-state bus
from Virginia to Mississippi to test out whether the south was abiding by the laws.
During this ride the bus was bombed and despite mass media coverage it had the opposite to the desired effect and forced the inter-state Commerce Commission and Justice Department to enforce segregation of all inter-state transport. Regardless of the media coverage emphasising black civil rights problems, the events of the original freedom rides had not successfully changed black’s social standing and they now had another law opposing desegregation. 1962, a year after these freedom rides, James Meredith tried to enrol in an all-white University of Mississippi. Meredith was only able to be admitted due to President Kennedy’s use of US marshals and troops to gain order and help put the South into place. Whilst this depicts the image of a black supporting President, it highlights that even by 1963 the South were still trying to strongly counter desegregation. Also, despite the successful admittance, Meredith was later wounded in a shouting, therefore emphasising that the South were prepared to
fight back against attempts of desegregation by the Supreme Court.

In 1963, marked a problematic year for black civil rights as Malcolm X emerged as a rivalling leader to Martin Luther King and he posed the idea that it was time to end non-violent protest. In 1963, Malcolm X became a member of the nation of Islam and he openly supported Black Nationalism, later establishing his own organisation. This was a setback for black civil rights in the sense that it downgraded the importance of non-violent protest and lost sympathy for the cause.

In the year 1968 there was attempts to counter improvement for blacks as the Southern Democrats put forward an anti-civil rights presidential candidate to stand against the official democrat candidate. This reveals how determined Southern whites remained to keep the hierarchy. Later in 1969, there was the continued championing of the case of school integration. For example, in the case of ‘Alex vs. Holmes country’, where the court declared all public schools integrated. Despite this there was a decrease in blacks in education of 68% (1969) – 8% (1974). The struggle for white’s acceptance of blacks showed civil rights was a much countered battle, however in 1971 the ‘Swann’ case was further proof of civil rights progressing further. Robert Finch’s approval of desegregation in Mississippi schools and the withdrawal of federal funding for schools, who didn’t comply, show the determination to make desegregation accepted. Mississippi officials appealed for delays however the Supreme Court, no longer tolerant of opposition, demanded immediate end to segregation within all schools. Whilst this was successful progression in civil rights for blacks there was backlash and this was partly causing for the Boston race riots in 1974. By 1970, legal segregation had almost come to an end, however there was still economically hardship for blacks and poor education.

Economically, by 1970, 35%-45% of blacks successfully achieved middle-class status lifestyle, this was due to the expanse in black education and the increase in jobs held by blacks. Nevertheless, also by

then there had been a 30% decline of blacks going deeper into poverty, this was due to the poorer blacks still being stuck in the poverty trap and also due to the fact the South still showed much opposition to desegregation and were trying to do all within its power to prevent equality between the races.

Further progression was made as between the years 1977-78 Carter appointed 14 blacks to the position of ambassadors.
This revealed how blacks were now publicly being shown as equal by their appointment into authoritative positions. Later that year, 1978, regarding the Bakke case the Supreme Court had to retreat on the issue of white student’s rights to entre University of California however in the 1980 Fullilove vs Klutznick the court upheld 10% need to allocate jobs to ethnic minorities. This shows politically the court, whilst not always able to take the action they wanted, which was a sign of struggle to progress, shows they were pro black civil
rights.

In conclusion, by 1980, economically blacks were not equal and a third were still living below the poverty line, however they now had more ease attaining a job due to the action taken in 1980. Socially, they still lived in ghettos although black and whites were more mixed (in poorer areas) with segregated living. Segregation had become illegal and there was now integration in education meaning they had more definite social benefits than previously when they saw much legal opposition. Their political rights had progressed too as they had equal rights now, such as the right to vote and eventually they had more rights due to ‘Affirmative Action’, whilst they had become almost equal this meant, whilst there was no senior political position of authority filled by a black, there had been appointments of authority, such as the 14 ambassadors. Overall, I think black civil rights progressed significantly between 1960-80.