The Civil Rights Movement in post-war America led to fundamental changes in the country. Here Jeremy Raynolds looks at the key events in the movement in the 1950s and 1960s in this introduction to the topic.
Martin Luther King, Jr. on the day of the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. It was the day he gave the ‘I have a dream’ speech.
The Civil Rights Movement greatly changed America and made it into what it is today. The pivotal moments in the movement took place after World War Two, but there was continued pressure for change following the abolishment of slavery after the US Civil War in the 1860s. Even after that war, African Americans continued to face dehumanizing and discriminative conditions.
The key events in the civil rights movement that took place in the 1950s and 1960s and form part of one of the 20th century’s most epic fights for equal rights in world and American history.
Jim Crow Laws
Despite the abolishment of slavery and being given the right to vote, African Americans continued to suffer from laws like the Jim Crow Laws. These laws followed the Reconstruction period and came into effect in the late nineteenth and early twentiesh centuries. They legalized segregation.
The Jim Crow laws prevented black and white people from using the same facilities, marrying one another, attending the same schools, or living in the same areas. Invariably black people suffered most from these laws.
It was not until after World War Two that pressure grew enough for fundamental change and in the 1960s President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Acts, which ended segregation. But we have to go back to the 1950s for a key moment in the post-war Civil Rights movement.
The Rosa Parks Moment
Rosa Parks was a 42-year-old African American woman who sparked a revolutionary moment on a regular day on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1955, Parks sat on a seat on the bus. However, the bus was full when a white man got on.
Subsequently, she and three other women were asked to stand up and give up their seats for white men. Rosa Parks refused and she was arrested. However, her arrest was not in vain as she gained the support of the black community who formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) under the leadership of Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr.
As a result of the incident, the MIA mobilized a boycott of the Montgomery Bus Service for 381 days and finally, in 1956, segregated seating on public transport was deemed unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court.
The Civil Rights Act of 1957
Despite having the right to vote, African Americans continued to face segregation, particularly in the Southern states. Racist practices were put into place to prevent blacks from enjoying rights such as voting.
For instance, they had to sometimes take bizarre and intricate tests to be allowed to vote. President Eisenhower’s Administration took on the difficult task of pressurizing Congress to commit to the Civil Rights Movement and tackle racism in the South. Ultimately, in 1957, President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 into law. This established the Civil Rights Commission.
The March on Washington
The March on Washington took place on August 28, 1963, and it was organized by civil rights leaders and activists including A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, and Martin Luther King Jr. The March mobilized over 250,000 people of different races to address equality and argue against racism. It added pressure for Congress to implement Civil Rights.
The march marked an important moment in the civil rights movement. Protestors took to Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. made one of his most famous speeches, in which he declared: “I have a dream…”.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
The next major Civil Rights Act was President Johnson’s 1964 act. This act banned discrimination based on many charcteristics, including race. President Johnson also went a step further than Eisenhower and and introduced a law to ban voter literacy tests.
The Assassination of Civil Rights’ Leaders
Important people within the movement were killed simply for fighting for the rights of black people. Malcolm X, a popular figue in the movement, was assassinated on February 21, 1965 by members of the Nation of Islam group.
Martin Luther King, Jr., probably the most famous civil rights leader, was assassinated by James Earl Ray on April 4, 1968
Many other civil rights movement figures were killed in the US in the 1960s.
The Fair Housing Act of 1968
The Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 and it prohibited housing discrimination. During the period, African Americans at times struggled to get housing due to their race. This act ensured that people of all races had the same rights housing. The Fair Housing Act was also one of the last acts of the Civil Rights Movement of the period.
Conclusion
The civil rights movement in America represents a difficult yet triumphant time in American history where people from different sections of society came together to end legalized racism. America is often used as a model for democracy and equality around the world – but its history is both depressing and inspiring.
About & Author
Jeremy Raynolds is a freelance academic writer, editor and proofreader working with some of the top online writing services for college and university level students. He also runs a blog and comes up with a podcast every week on work from home options for students and everybody else looking for a side income. In his free time, he plays tennis, writes poetry and learns photography.
