Civil Rights Dbq

Though the conclusion of the American Civil War in 1965 marked the end of slavery in the United States, African-Americans would not see anything resembling true freedom from the segregation and isolation imposed by slavery until very recently, and only after decades of difficult struggle. Some of the most important achievements occurred during the 1960s, when a generation of African-American leaders and activists, including Martin Luther King Jr., Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and the Freedom Riders, fought against some of the last vestiges of explicit, institutionalized segregation, discrimination, and isolation in order to attain equality and civil rights. Only by examining the treatment of African-Americans throughout America's history can one begin to understand how the the ending of slavery, the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, and the contemporary issues facing the African-American community are inextricably linked. In turn this allows one to see how rather than existing as a single, identifiable turning point in the history of civil rights, African American's struggle for equality and an end to isolation must be considered as an ongoing project.

The Civil Rights Movement’s mission was to end segregation and advance equality for African Americans (Hanks, Herzog, and Goetzman). Almost one hundred years after the civil war, African Americans were still struggling to gain the same rights as white Americans. The movement was led by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks. Gaining momentum in the 1950’s with the Supreme court’s ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education where public schools were desegregated, the Civil Rights movement flourished in the 1960’s. One of the group’s main goals was to take on the Jim Crow South. Segregation prevented African Americans from drinking out of the same water fountain, using the same restroom, and even sitting at the same lunch table as white people. By promoting peaceful protest, they were able to educate others on their issues.

Analyze the changes that occurred during the 1960’s in the goals, strategies, and support of the movement for African American civil rights.

The Civil Rights Movement was a pivotal time in American history, leading us toward the acceptance and advancement of African Americans in society, and eventually the same for other minority groups. The movement as a whole spanned from around the beginning of the 1950’s to around the beginning of the 1970’s. All across the nation, African American people fought for their rights through numerous protests and boycotts. Some notable events are the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, and the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins. Many forms of legislation and many judiciary decisions were made during this era, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1968, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Brown v. Board of Education (“A Timeline of the Civil Rights Movement FOOTSTEPS OF COURAGE”).

After so many years of struggles and difficulty, supporters for equality celebrate the way of legislation that forbids racial discrimination. The civil rights act of 1964, ending segregation in public places and prohibit employment discrimination on the part of color, race, religion or origin, is considered one of the accomplishments of the civil rights movement. The leading up to the Civil Rights act was followed by the Civil war which occurred during the years 1861-1865. It was constitutional amendments abolished slavery, and made them slave citizens and gave all men the right to vote, no matter what race they were. The presentation within the civil rights act, was under the act, segregation faced race, religion or origin was banned at all

i. Many believe that the Civil Rights movement started in the 1940s and 1950s, however the Civil Rights movement really started before the Civil War even began. The first Supreme Court case to involve the rights of human beings in America occurred in 1857 with Dred Scott v. Sanford. After being a slave in a free state, Dred Scott sued for his freedom, he later got his freedom but not by way of the Court decision. The Supreme Court found that “np black, free or slave, could claim U.S. citizenship, and therefore blacks are unable to petition the court for their freedom” (History). This decision not only enraged abolitionists, it heightened tensions between the North and the South, with eventually erupted in war.

The Thirteenth Amendment of 1865 abolished slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment of 1868 granted African Americans citizenship and equal protection under the law, and the Fifteenth Amendment of 1870 granted African Americans the right to vote. These amendments were passed in an effort to combat racism and reshape public perception of blacks, however, these laws were hard to enforce and Southern states developed their own laws like the Black Codes to control the newly freed slaves. Jim Crow-era laws in the South like the poll tax and literacy tests prevented many blacks in the South from voting. Anyone who tried to break Southern traditions was subject to violence and intimidation from the Ku Klux Klan.

The background of the race in america. The whites in america thought that people with different skin color and beliefs didn’t belong. Because of this the Jim Crow laws became a thing which hurt many african americans, slavery, segregation, and the KKK formed. Many strategies were used to fight for civil rights, and success, and failures were experienced along the way to achieve their goals. Paragraph 1: (strategies)

As many people are aware, African Americans struggled a lot when trying to receive equal rights. Even though the Civil War that took place from 1861 to 1865 had accomplished to abolish slavery in 1865, African Americans were still being treated poorly and weren’t receiving civil rights. “Civil Rights are the rights of all Americans to equal protection under the law, as provided by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution” (Bardes, Schmidt, Shelley 92).

A 1963 NOCR or National Opinion Research Center survey found that 85% of whites endorsed the view that “Negroes should have as good a chance to get any kind of job”. This progressive opinion contrasts the 1940 NOCR survey in which 55% of whites said that “white people should have the first chance”. The shift from believing that whites should always get “first pick” to equal opportunity for all demonstrates the enormous liberation in white opinions on race from 1940 to 1960. Another question on the 1963 NOCR survey found that 73% of whites believed that “Negroes should have the right to use the same parks, restaurants, and hotels as white people”. National white opinion in 1963, a year before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, was highly favorable of integration and equality with blacks. These changing opinions are highly due to the the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Junior which implemented a number of strategies including using religion as an instrument for social change as well as fighting for basic rights by making laws seem illogical. MLK’s campaign for a more equal world rang true in the ears of many Americans, helping the general positive sentiment for black rights to rise. A year after the NOCR survey, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act, outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities as well as women. By passing the Civil Rights Act, the government was facilitating the movement of black people to the center of American life. This act also banned racial segregation in schools, at workplaces and at facilities that served the general public. Although the banning of racial segregation was already supported by the majority of American people, the government’s role in writing equality into formal

The purpose of the civil rights act was to end segregation between races. This movement was first proposed by John F. Kennedy. Many of the southern congress members strongly denied this act of happening but the congress made it happen. As the years passed they expanded the act. The movement made it possible for African Americans to get jobs and to not be discriminated upon. In later years they made it possible for the African Americans to vote.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was an important act that was passed. It is the nation's premier civil rights legislation. Even though there were three amendments having to do with ending slavery, people still treated minorities unfairly until the act was passed. The federal government had to do something because of all of the conflict that was happening. It deeply affected American society.

The history of the twentieth century America was complicated and included many kinds of movements, which usually influenced each other. After the World War II, the civil rights movements and the labor movements came together, reinforced each other. This was because the supporters tried to use the different movements to get their goals. Until late nineteenth sixties, with the approval of Civil Rights Act of 1964, the cooperation of labor movements and civil rights movements seemed worked well and had accomplished some achievements. Since the fortieth, the various unions such as NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), AFL-CIO, put the race and employments, labors at priority , and some of them even brought up the

Throughout the 1960’s, the widespread movement for African American civil rights had transformed in terms of its goals and strategies. The campaign had intensified in this decade, characterized by greater demands and more aggressive efforts. Although the support of the Civil Rights movement was relatively constant, the goals of the movement became more high-reaching and specific, and its strategies became less compromising. African Americans’ struggle for equality during the 1960’s was a relentless movement that used change for progress. In essence, the transformation of the Civil Rights Movement throughout the 1960’s forwarded the evolution of America into a nation of civil equality and freedom.

Commencing in the late 19th century, state level governments approved segregation acts, identified as the Jim Crow laws, and assigned limitations on voting requirements that caused the African American population economically and diplomatically helpless (Davis, n.d.). The civil rights movement commenced, intensely and assertively, in the early 1940s when the societal composition of black America took an increasingly urban, popular appeal (Korstad & Lichtenstein, 1988). The 1950s and 1960s was well known for racial conflicts and civil rights protests. The civil rights movement in the United States during the late 1950s and 1960s was based on political and social strives to achieve