The 13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment, passed by Congress January 31, 1865, and ratified December 6, 1865, states: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." The passing of this amendment freed slaves and made it illegal to have slaves, but the 13th Amendment did not give African-Americans the equal rights that they longed for. Consequently, slavery was a major setback for African-Americans leaving them deprived of education, which in the long run made it difficult for African-Americans to obtain any type of power in the United States. This shortfall of education hindered African-Americans from
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being able to control their own lives and in numerous cases forced them to settle for what they believed was achievable due to their social status and not what they truly wanted. Over time, there became a few African-American individuals that refused to be limited to what White America viewed as fitting for them, which sparked a change. This change is the Civil Rights Movement. The 1950s-1960s will be remembered as one of the most significant time periods in American history due to calls of action by leaders, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks, these calls for action by these very influential leaders sought for unification of America as a whole by giving equal rights to minorities such as African-Americans and women.
The Civil Rights Movement evolved greatly throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
In the 1950s the United States was very segregated even though there was no longer slavery the separation between the two races was still very great. In the south there were laws that did not allow for white and blacks to use the same accommodations, such as water fountains and restrooms in public places. Even though the North did not have these same laws it still suffered from de-facto segregation. For example, several new suburbs created in the 1950s were predominately white due to blacks not being able to afford to live there, resulting in the de-facto segregation. Therefore, White Americans continued to earn the superior jobs because they were attending exceptional schools and getting a higher level of education. The most powerful thing in the world is knowledge and even though African-Americans were allowed to attend school now the majority went to schools that weren’t funded well. As a result, African-Americans continued to receive an inferior education. For this reason, the movement began to use the “separate but equal” principle on their side. “Segregation did lifelong damage to black children, undermining their self-esteem,” argued Thurgood Marshall. For this reason, it was believed that African-American children felt as if they were unfit to associate with others. This is why desegregating schools was the most impactful part of Civil Rights movement in the 1950s. For the most part, integrated schools allowed for a much more equal educational
opportunity.
In the 1960s, laws forbidding blacks and whites to use the same accommodations still existed. Even though the integration of schools was in the process of happening blacks and white were still not interacting amongst each other. Throughout the 1960s sit-ins and marches were two of the major types of strategies used by African-Americans to gain support. For example, on August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. led the March on Washington and gave his famous “I Have a Dream” this was one of the most impactful speeches given. Where sit-ins were used to force desegregation, at places such as schools, restaurants, and buses, even though it may not happen immediately the persistence of these sit-ins ended up getting results. In fact, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 “Outlawed discrimination in public accommodations and employment.” As a result, even greater strides were made toward equality. Unfortunately, this did not just completely mend the gap between blacks and whites.
being able to control their own lives and in numerous cases forced them to settle for what they believed was achievable due to their social status and not what they truly wanted. Over time, there became a few African-American individuals that refused to be limited to what White America viewed as fitting for them, which sparked a change. This change is the Civil Rights Movement. The 1950s-1960s will be remembered as one of the most significant time periods in American history due to calls of action by leaders, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks, these calls for action by these very influential leaders sought for unification of America as a whole by giving equal rights to minorities such as African-Americans and women.
The Civil Rights Movement evolved greatly throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
In the 1950s the United States was very segregated even though there was no longer slavery the separation between the two races was still very great. In the south there were laws that did not allow for white and blacks to use the same accommodations, such as water fountains and restrooms in public places. Even though the North did not have these same laws it still suffered from de-facto segregation. For example, several new suburbs created in the 1950s were predominately white due to blacks not being able to afford to live there, resulting in the de-facto segregation. Therefore, White Americans continued to earn the superior jobs because they were attending exceptional schools and getting a higher level of education. The most powerful thing in the world is knowledge and even though African-Americans were allowed to attend school now the majority went to schools that weren’t funded well. As a result, African-Americans continued to receive an inferior education. For this reason, the movement began to use the “separate but equal” principle on their side. “Segregation did lifelong damage to black children, undermining their self-esteem,” argued Thurgood Marshall. For this reason, it was believed that African-American children felt as if they were unfit to associate with others. This is why desegregating schools was the most impactful part of Civil Rights movement in the 1950s. For the most part, integrated schools allowed for a much more equal educational
opportunity.
In the 1960s, laws forbidding blacks and whites to use the same accommodations still existed. Even though the integration of schools was in the process of happening blacks and white were still not interacting amongst each other. Throughout the 1960s sit-ins and marches were two of the major types of strategies used by African-Americans to gain support. For example, on August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. led the March on Washington and gave his famous “I Have a Dream” this was one of the most impactful speeches given. Where sit-ins were used to force desegregation, at places such as schools, restaurants, and buses, even though it may not happen immediately the persistence of these sit-ins ended up getting results. In fact, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 “Outlawed discrimination in public accommodations and employment.” As a result, even greater strides were made toward equality. Unfortunately, this did not just completely mend the gap between blacks and whites.