Washington: An Example Of The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement touched millions of Americans from the early 40’s until the mid 60’s, but it still affects us today. The marches that took place across America, and most prominently in Washington D.C., shook the nation and opened many American’s eyes to the struggles of black Americans. The march on Washington along with the passing of the Civil Rights Bill positively influenced modern civil rights today because. That march was an example of a successful, moving, and well thought out protest. There were several struggles that black Americans faced before the Civil Rights Movement took place. Examples include the Jim Crow Laws, bus segregation, segregation and discrimination in schools, unequal work opportunities, and many other
injustices directed toward black Americans. Before the march on Washington, there was a previous attempt that took place in the 1940’s. The march in the 40’s was focused on black Americans having equal rights to defense jobs. At first, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was opposed to the march, but as more people attended, he then supported the cause. This was similar to how John F. Kennedy acted about the march. At first, Kennedy was opposed to the march just as Roosevelt was. Then as the population increased to 200,000 people by 11:00 in the morning and famous musicians and songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez supported the march, Kennedy then supported the march too. The march on Washington D.C. took place because many Americans supported Kennedy’s efforts to pass the Civil Rights Bill. Also because the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement decided to march on Washington D.C. to push Congress over the edge. Their efforts payed off because congress passed the bill into law. There were many things that the Civil Rights Movement protests and boycotts accomplished for African Americans.
Examples of this would be the outcome from the bus boycotts, the freedom riders, the diner sit-ins, and many other events. The Civil Rights Movement resolved many issues, but even today there are issues that still remain. The Civil Rights Movement has been considered the second reconstruction of the south. The Civil War was considered the first reconstruction, and then 100 years later the Civil Rights Movement took place. The Civil Rights Movement was a “reconstruction” of the south because the south at that time and before that time, was filled with racism, hatred, and violence toward black people. During that time in the 1960’s, the south was experiencing great change. Many people did not like the change, so they turned to violence. The passing of the Civil Rights Bill into law was a great change for the south because Jim Crow laws and public segregation became illegal. Southerners had to adjust to the change, which is why the Civil Rights Movement was considered a reconstruction, just as the Civil War was. The reason violence came into play was because the south, over the course of one hundred years, had to get rid of their slaves and then they were not be able to segregate black people in public. That is why the Klu Klux Klan (KKK) was formed. The KKK was formed in Pulaski Tennessee by a group of confederate war veterans. The KKK went from a small group to a
big organization hell bent of reducing the rights of African Americans. There is less of a KKK presence in the south as there was back in the 60’s, but that is still a remaining issue in the south. There are many positive things that occurred as a result of the Civil Rights Movement that still affect all Americans today.
Students learn about it in school, black Americans have more equal work opportunities, they are no longer segregated in public, and they can travel without being segregated. Still there remains issues that have not been addressed or solved yet. A study shows that 54% of Americans, including 74% of black Americans, think that some or all of the issues and goals of from the Civil Rights Movement have not been resolved or accomplished. There are still several positives that occurred, such as the desegregation of sports. Also, in recent news, an NFL survey in the 2014 season found that 68% of the NFL was black. A survey of the 2015 NBA season stated that 74.4% of players that season were black. Along with all of the positives, there are many negatives that go along with the Civil Rights Movement’s effect on modern America. there are still issues involving police and violence against black Americans all over the country. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement was started after strings of police shootings involving unarmed black people occurred back in mid 2013. Along with the BLM movement, schools are still separated but not segregated by law. For example, in a prominently black neighborhood, the schools will be made up of mostly black students. It is the same in white neighborhoods. This is not a large issue like BLM, but this goes to show that races are
still somewhat separated into the neighborhoods where they live. The Civil Rights Movement had a great effect on the country and it continues to impact our modern world today. There have been many successes through the years involving civil rights and racism, but also many failures. The march on Washington D.C. opened America’s eyes to the struggles of black Americans in the 1960’s. It also inspired other movements to protest in the nation’s capital, such as the women's march of late January, 2017, the LGBTQ march in January, 2017, and the gun control march after the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. There is still much work to be done regarding Civil Rights. The future is completely, 100%, up to us.