What Is The Role Of The Civil Rights Movement In The 1950's And 1960s

During the 1950’s and 1960’s in America, there was racial discrimination and segregation, which was legalised through the Jim Crow laws. The Civil Rights movement aim was to challenge these laws and achieve legislative change, making the ”X” challenging the racist laws and enforcing equal ones. The movement was a ”Sustained upsurge” due to the constant protest and large scale buy in from the African American community, which lead to numerous groups forming because of it which sustained the CRM.. The clear goal outlined also made it sustained as the movement would not stop until the aims were met. The movement was led by martin Luther King and adopted a non-violent philosophy in their protest. King rather opted to raise awareness through media
They utilised interstate buses and moved around the states, they were met with extreme violence from white protestors. (Wallenfeldt,2011) A ruling in 1960 deemed these interstate buses desegregated and the group attempted to display the realities of the busses. The consequence of this was the attention raised through media in how bus segregation is still prevalent. This showed how the movement attempted to enforce the new equal legislation and would not stop until the new laws were
The movement did improve the conditions of black people as numerous rights and improvements were secured for them. The use of non-violent protests allowed for greater public support and thus acknowledgement from government. The Brown versus board of education case, segregation in little rock Arkansas and the James Meredith case all show the way the CRM attempted to make segregation illegal and then enforcing integration in educational facilities. The Montgomery bus boycott, Selma march and Birmingham march also show how the movement were successful in improving black peoples political position as the Civil Rights act and voting act were both passed due to the CRM’s influence. Much of the movements methods involved enforcing the new laws as many states and businesses did not follow the new legislation, protests and increased awareness saw government intervention such as in the Southern states marches and in the bus boycott. The positive consequences for the movement are numerous however the CRM was also a “sustained upsurge” in the way it grew and consistently protested until the aims of legislative change were