Who had the most power during the Civil Rights Movement? The leaders or the ordinary people? Both the leaders and the ordinary people needed each other for stopping segregation sfor good and having equal rights. The people and the leaders fought greatly for Civil Rights to create a change. Each needed each other to fight for their rights. SNCC was a group of young protesters that wanted change immediately. John lewis along with Diane Nash and other leaders created a group for non-violent protesting. They made the sit-ins at lunch counters so that African Americans could have equal rights in the diners. After a while many people started joining in the the sit- ins across the states. They may say that the sit-ins only played a small role in the Civil Rights Movement …show more content…
One example would be the freedom riders who were a group of people that wanted to desegregate the buses so blacks and whites could sit together. They went from Washington D.C to the deep south. They risk their lives just to get equal rights on buses. One of the bus was taken down and burned with people inside luckily they survived but they got beaten afterwards. But after months the states prohibited segregated busses, this shows that ordinary people like us can make a change and don't have to depend on leaders. But there are times when ordinary people need leaders for help. The Little Rock Nine wouldn't have desegregated central if Thurgood Marshall did not win the court hearing for Brown Vs The Board Of Education. Thurgood Marshall made the Little Rock Nine integration become true when he won the hearing at the court. This shows how ordinary people need leaders to help them so they can get what they want. They may say that the Little Rock Nine did most of the work but the desegregation would not have happened if Thurgood Marshall had not help them achieve their goal. This shows that at times leaders triumph over the ordinary
However it has to be considered, that the African Americans and the organisations themselves were more important in the advancement of blacks gaining their civil rights. The African Americans, always seemed to have a strong leader, all the way back to Booker. T Washington, who was one of the first people to lead the blacks in their civil rights movement in 1865. It
In 1954, the Supreme Court took a step in history with the Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka by stating that, “In the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’, has no place. Separate facilities are inheritably unequal.” Little Rock, Arkansas a city in the upper south became a location of a controversial attempt to put the court order into effect when nine African American students were chosen to desegregate Central High in Little Rock. How did the Little Rock Nine affect America? Sanford Wexler stated in The Civil Rights Movement: An Eyewitness History,” its “effect would ripple across the nation and influence the growing Civil Rights Movement;” in addition, the Little Rock crisis forced the federal government
Throughout our nation’s history, there are many instances where a certain group or individual expressed their courageousness by voicing their opinions to make our world a better place. Their willingness and determination to change society for the better good of the people showcase their tremendous courageous qualities that are not present in everyone. A powerful example of courageous acts that greatly impacted our nation are the Little Rock Nine students from Little Rock, Arkansas. As you probably know in the mid-1900s, almost all public schools were segregated, meaning there was a separate school for white kids and a separate school for black kids. In Ben Cosgrove’s Time Magazine article titled “Brave Hearts: Remembering the Little Rock Nine”, he talks about the nine brave African-American teenagers who risked their lives in order to attend Little Rock Central High School, an all-white public school. Because segregation in the southern schools was so prominent, many citizens of the south were outraged
Over thousands of blacks were discriminated in the 1950s because of their skin color. Blacks and whites were prohibited to go to the same school just because of their skin color. However, in the year of 1957 the Little Rock Nine were the first nine black students that integrated to Central High. If this group of people didn’t have the courage to attend Central High our schools would be extremely different today.
The civil rights movement was a monumental part of history and still has a large impact on society today. Martin Luther King Jnr took charge in leading the movement and achieved many things while he was leading it. The civil rights movement may not have even taken place without King and everting he put into the movement to make it happen. Malcolm X was another very influential leader that was taking charge to be a part of the movement, but had a very different approach.
Young African American’s had to take an active role because many older adults were set in their ways, too afraid to do anything. Previously learning in school, The NAACP was the primary group focusing on civil rights. Further reading has shown that this is not completely accurate. Per Cleveland sellers, the NAACP was widely known but had setback from certain events. Many students who were involved in sit-ins before the freedom writers were believed to be under the SCLC or NAACP. As in the book, many African Americans only know of the NAACP. The SNCC group was a small student led group that also planned and participated in demonstrations. The SNCC formed to give younger blacks more of a voice in the civil rights movement because they felt that the SCLC was out of touch for them. With support from Ella Barker the SNCC worked their way into the movement. The SNCC evolved over time, from being a small unknown student organization, to a very known
Melba Patillo was kicked, beat up, and had acid thrown in her face. At some point during school white students burned an African-American effigy in a vacant lot across from the school.
If two people of different races are just alike you shouldn’t separate them. But you also shouldn’t tell one part of the story to make something or someone look good. The Plessy vs. Ferguson case came up with the famous quote “separate but equal” Meaning things could be separated between races as long as each race had all the same things. Particularly in this case between Blacks and Whites, but in schools, restaurants, and many other places it wasn’t equal. So there was a case called Brown vs. Board of Education which fought to integrate schools and Brown won. The first to integrate was the Little Rock Nine in Little Rock, Arkansas. While the Little Rock Nine were integrating the press illuminated and distorted information and pictures of the
There are many ways that the press worked to clarify events for the national audience from the Little Rock Nine. The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine black children who wanted a chance to go to Central High School for educational purposes. What they didn't know was that there were segregationists who would do everything in their power to make sure the black students wouldn't have the experience they wanted at Central. The media took these moments to make news that everyone would see and know about.
The Little Rock Nine faced many struggles, and dealing with the Governor of Arkansas was one of them. As Elizabeth Eckford recalled in her interview with Facing History and Ourselves, she “walked further down the line of guards to where there was another sidewalk,” but when she “stepped up, they crossed rifles” (Eckford). She was informed the night before that there would be guards at the door, but she thought it was to protect them. This didn’t seem to be the case for her, though, because after trying three times to enter the school, she was led by a soldier into the crowd of angry people, shouting for her to leave. She said that they, “to [her] ears sounded like a mob” (Eckford). This was society’s first reaction to the Little Rock Nine,
Throughout the Civil Rights Movement, many leaders emerged that captured the attention of the American public. During this period, the leaders' used different tactics in order to achieve change. Of two of the better-known leaders, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., the latter had a more positive influence in the progress of the movement.
America has had quite a history. Moreover, America has had a distinct history concerning racial differences. From the Civil War to the Civil Rights Act, America has showed past that is unforgettable. However, America has showed a history concerning African Americans that still show up in our present today. The Little Rock Nine, staged in 1957, proves that we are not that far away from our previous actions against a different race. In the American heritage and main structure of government, it says that all men are created equal. This paper will tell of the Little Rock Nine and their struggle, and how it has changed America for the better.
One of the most elements of the book is the evolution of the organization called SNCC. SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) was founded in conjunction with the lunch counter sit0ins that originated in Greensboro, North Carolina in February 1960. SNCC activists were known to practice slow, tedious and patient voter registration drives in the most dangerous parts of the South. However, they seldom received credit for their efforts on a national level. Despite their lack of national attention, SNCC activists often managed to annoy white federal officials and black civil rights leaders. SNCC attracted radicals from the Revolutionary Action Movement, black nationalists from the North and a host of other mavericks. From its humble beginnings, SNCC was a peaceful group that used nonviolent methods to seek racial equality. Over the course of time, SNCC became more assertive in their methods of demanding racial equality and
The Civil Rights Movement of the 50's and 60's was arguably one of the most formative and influential periods in American history. Hundreds of thousands of civil rights activists utilized non violent resistance and civil disobedience to revolt against racial segregation and discrimination. The Civil Rights Movement began in the southern states but quickly rose to national prominence. It is of popular belief that the civil rights movement was organized by small groups of people, with notable leaders like—Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, and even John F. Kennedy—driving the ship. That is partly correct. The Civil Rights Movement, in its truest form, was hundreds of thousands of people organizing events and protests,
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny” (King) Martin Luther King speaking these infamous words is only a small portion that reveals the inspirational nature that allowed him to overcome racism. Oppression whether it is for race, gender, sexuality is still a “ series of unfortunate events” that occurs in our world every single day. The ground that America was built on was based on equal rights for all, yet 200 years later injustice not only exists but thrives. However, if nobody overcame oppression what would our world look like without those heroes and leaders?. In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther king is depicted as a man who was able to fight for his people and his freedom even after all the horrific encounters with racism he had to witness. In Sherman’s Alexei’s, “What you Pawn I will Redeem”, Jackson Jackson, even after left homeless and alone, fought to get his grandmothers regalia back. Dana Johnson’s Melvin from “Melvin in the 6th grade”, lived through bullying and violence but was still able to remain a hero in Avery’s eyes. What made those people so amazing? Is it there charm, wit, perseverance? Leaders become influential when other people strive to have those same heroic qualities. A true hero is an ordinary person who exemplifies forgiveness, passion and empathy which allow them to overcome an oppressive situation and