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The Civil Rights Movement
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Segregation in the 1960s was a major barrier for black citizens in the south. Voting polls and prejudiced literacy tests kept blacks out of the voting booths. In addition to being denied the vote, many public buildings retained a policy of segregated facilities, which some refusing to serve black citizens.
Kennedy’s approach to civil rights for the most part did not involve legislation, with the exception of his failed Civil Rights Bill. However, under the leadership of his brother Robert Kennedy as Attorney General, the Justice Department took a large role in promoting equality and desegregation of all places. Through the Voter Education Project, hundreds of thousands of blacks were registered to vote. Kennedy supported the enrollment of James Meredith in the University of Missouri, providing federal marshals to ensure his safety. Kennedy also provided support to the Freedom Riders, a group of volunteers who ventured into the south in an attempt to protest segregation. These peaceful protesters were met with a violent crowd wherever they went, with Washington eventually needing to send federal marshals to protect them.
The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s actually began in 1955, with the boycott on Montgomery buses following the imprisonment of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat and move to the back. During the boycott, which continued for more than a year, Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a strong Civil Rights leader who advocated for peaceful resistance like those of Gandhi.
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was created following the a series of sit-ins by college students in a North Carolina university who attempted to desegregate the school’s lunch counters. The SNCC’s goal was to create autonomous organizations within local communities, which differed from the strategy of King, in which his group traveled to local cities in order to gain national attention.
In 1963, King and his followers began a campaign against segregation in Birmingham. Peaceful protesting was responded to with extreme violence by the police. Using dogs, fire hoses and batons, the police brutally beat the marchers. Americans watching the events unfold from their televisions were shocked by the sheer brutality of the Southern officers. Following the protests, Kennedy delivered a speech with posed a question to citizens regarding the morality of their conduct. In August, King led a group of nearly 200,000 black citizens in a March on Washington where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Following the death of Kennedy, the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 was finally passed by a hesitant Congress. This act banned racial discrimination in most private facilities that were open to the public (hospitals, theaters, restaurants, etc.). It also gave the federal government more power to end segregation in public schools and other public places. Furthermore, the bill gave the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission the ability to enforce the ban on employers seeking to deny employment based on race or national origins.
During the Freedom Summer of 1964, blacks as well as whites, primarily Northern students, joined together to open polls to black citizens. Although the 24th Amendment had abolished poll taxes, literacy tests still barred many blacks from casting their votes.
In 1965, a march from Selma to Montgomery was being attempted by the combined forces of the SNCC and King. On the first attempted march, the protesters were attacked by police in what became known as Bloody Sunday. Outrage from the event brought major white sympathy and hundreds came South to join the march. However, it was repeatedly delayed due to legislation that banned any marches. Following the death of a Northern minister, the march was finally able to take place, leading the way for Johnson’s Voting Rights Act of 1965 which outlawed literacy tests and sent federal registrars to the South to ensure the registration of the black population.
Kennedy’s approach to civil rights for the most part did not involve legislation, with the exception of his failed Civil Rights Bill. However, under the leadership of his brother Robert Kennedy as Attorney General, the Justice Department took a large role in promoting equality and desegregation of all places. Through the Voter Education Project, hundreds of thousands of blacks were registered to vote. Kennedy supported the enrollment of James Meredith in the University of Missouri, providing federal marshals to ensure his safety. Kennedy also provided support to the Freedom Riders, a group of volunteers who ventured into the south in an attempt to protest segregation. These peaceful protesters were met with a violent crowd wherever they went, with Washington eventually needing to send federal marshals to protect them.
The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s actually began in 1955, with the boycott on Montgomery buses following the imprisonment of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat and move to the back. During the boycott, which continued for more than a year, Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a strong Civil Rights leader who advocated for peaceful resistance like those of Gandhi.
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was created following the a series of sit-ins by college students in a North Carolina university who attempted to desegregate the school’s lunch counters. The SNCC’s goal was to create autonomous organizations within local communities, which differed from the strategy of King, in which his group traveled to local cities in order to gain national attention.
In 1963, King and his followers began a campaign against segregation in Birmingham. Peaceful protesting was responded to with extreme violence by the police. Using dogs, fire hoses and batons, the police brutally beat the marchers. Americans watching the events unfold from their televisions were shocked by the sheer brutality of the Southern officers. Following the protests, Kennedy delivered a speech with posed a question to citizens regarding the morality of their conduct. In August, King led a group of nearly 200,000 black citizens in a March on Washington where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Following the death of Kennedy, the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 was finally passed by a hesitant Congress. This act banned racial discrimination in most private facilities that were open to the public (hospitals, theaters, restaurants, etc.). It also gave the federal government more power to end segregation in public schools and other public places. Furthermore, the bill gave the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission the ability to enforce the ban on employers seeking to deny employment based on race or national origins.
During the Freedom Summer of 1964, blacks as well as whites, primarily Northern students, joined together to open polls to black citizens. Although the 24th Amendment had abolished poll taxes, literacy tests still barred many blacks from casting their votes.
In 1965, a march from Selma to Montgomery was being attempted by the combined forces of the SNCC and King. On the first attempted march, the protesters were attacked by police in what became known as Bloody Sunday. Outrage from the event brought major white sympathy and hundreds came South to join the march. However, it was repeatedly delayed due to legislation that banned any marches. Following the death of a Northern minister, the march was finally able to take place, leading the way for Johnson’s Voting Rights Act of 1965 which outlawed literacy tests and sent federal registrars to the South to ensure the registration of the black population.
After the events of Selma, the Civil Rights movement among black citizens became increasingly militant. Following the signing of the Voting Rights Act, riots erupted in the Los Angeles area as blacks fed up with police brutality violently opposed their cruel treatment. No longer would protests be peaceful. A key leader of the militant Civil Rights movement was Malcolm X, who advocated for the separation of blacks from mainstream American society. The Black Panther Party organized in Oakland, California with shotguns in hand to fight for their rights. The new doctrine of Black Power became a central part of the movements. This term was used to advertise separation by some or simply as a slogan for further civil rights advances.