The Role Of African-Americans In The Civil Rights Movement

The history of the struggle for the advancement and progression of African Americans is a larger-than-life story. It reveals their endeavors for the initiation of change in political, financial, educational, and societal conditions. They did everything to shape their future and that of their country i.e. the United States of America. This struggle for the attainment of equal rights has helped them to determine the path and the pace of their improvement and development (Taylor & Mungazi, 2001, p. 1).

“I'm not going to get killed trying to force myself on people who don't want me. Integration is wrong.White people don’t want it, the Muslims don't want it.”- Muhammad Ali. A lot of African-American during the civil rights movement had endured a lot to go through to be where they are at in sports. African-Americans had a very tough time trying to get their rights, it was very hard for them to earn respect from the people that lived in the south. Since they knew they weren't going to be respected, some players even decided to not sign autographs or anything. Which is uncommon now a days, because most athletes care a lot about their fans and try to do a lot for them. According to John Hareas of NBA.com, Bill Russell didn't sign any autographs

The decade of the 1950s marks the start of a national movement for the civil rights and liberties of African-Americans. Prior to this decade, African-Americans were mistreated and their rights were overlooked. A desire for equality unified them and sparked an awakening in America. Nation-wide movements began and motivation amongst the blacks grew, leading the movement to become the largest social movement in America of the 20th century. With the leadership of a couple fearless men and women, the blacks were able to take a stand and fight for their freedom, without the use of violence. Although they faced much opposition, the African-Americans devoted themselves to the struggle for civil rights

Civil rights have always been an issue in the American society, which has been proven over the years by all of the prejudice comments made by white people. Negros were forced to drink out of different water fountains, use different bathrooms, and were overall treated as lesser people. Since the creation of the United States negros have either been slaves or segregated throughout our country's history, even today at some places people don't treat African Americans with the respect that they should receive. Even though the change has exceeded tremendously it is still far from perfect. Martin Luther King Junior was a key aspect to our society in pushing towards equality. During the civil rights movement there were many individuals who also helped the cause such as Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, and other significant figures that are well known today. There is a wide variety of feats that our nation as one, needs to surpass in order to be equal.

This is an interesting question I often use the words Black and African American interchangeable, but in this week’s reading, I read that during the era of the Civil Rights Movement, some Black Americans would rather be addressed as Black, not African American because they were not born in Africa and also because they are not in Africa, they are in America and they are Americans.

Even though African American women have played vital roles in social justice movements, they are often overshadowed because of their gender. Only a few organizations like Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) gave more access for female leadership. But more often than none, women had informal positions of leadership.

After the Civil War, there were many reforms that were implemented to give African-Americans equal civil rights. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were created, but the black codes denied legal rights to African Americans. The black codes eventually led to the Jim Crow Laws which instituted segregation in the south. Although the amendments were created for equality, African Americans were discriminated against and many groups were created to participate in the Civil Rights Movement. The most effective association was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and their strategies could still be used today in civil right issues.

The African American Civil right movement in the late 1950’s and throughout the 1960’s was a powerful fight for equal opportunities to the basic rights and privileges outlined by the US government. During this movement thousands of African American individuals and those who believed in the power of the movement, battled against the piercing white supremacy through various tactics including grass root movements. The grass root movements in the 60’s was characterized by organizations of individuals fighting for equality on the behalf of the African Americans, ultimately shaping American history. Such movements helped to raise awareness on a political level, of the injustice all African American’s endured. Grassroots activist during the 60’s were able to organize marches, rallies and protests in order to mobilize and strengthen the Civil Rights Movement. Grass rooting activism during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60’s shaped American History by aiding in the abolished laws restricting African American’s freedom to vote, the abolishment of segregation in school, and the passage of the Civil Rights act outlawing discrimination.

My partner and I stand in affirmative of the following resolution. Resolved:The united states government ought to pay reparations to African Americans. African Americans have had roughly 300 years of legalized oppression. If that doesn’t entitle a group to reparations, I’m not sure what does. This would benefit ALL Americans by providing the environment in which African-American talent can rise to its potential that is why we as Americans have the duty to pay back the African Americans in reparations.

If you take a look at the progress our nation has made over the years you will most likely see that the changes that have been made were due to a person or group realizing that there are major issues occurring in our society and government that desperately needs to be changed. A problem that our nation had for many years was the unfair mistreatment of the African-American people. After years of this mistreatment African-American people finally started to demand the change that they have rightfully deserved to for so many years, and as a result the Civil Rights Movement took place. For so many years people were basically ignorant about the situation that was taking place right in front of their eyes. The majority of whites raised their children to believe that the blacks did not deserve to be treated as equals because people with darker skin were beneath them, while blacks had to mentally prepare their children for the harsh reality that they were going to have to face for possibly the rest of their lives.

The African American civil rights movement was a long journey for African American nationwide. The success involved many people, hardships and time in order to advance the African American community in America. The purpose of the movement was to achieve their rights, cease discrimination, and racial segregation.

Many Americans try to pretend that just because slavery has come to an end and the Civil Rights movement occurred that racism has just suddenly vanished, but that 's not the case. A person is not born racist, it is taught while growing up in a racist environment. It is a learned behavior of hate towards someone not you. Racism is very evident in men 's professional sports today but also had an even greater effect in the past. There was a point in time where African American males were not allowed to participate in professional sports and they were shunned and labeled as outcasts who did not have the decency to step on the same field, court, or ring. Now that they are allowed to participate in professional sports African Americans have to deal with a great deal of racism in today 's society which brings about many controversies such as riots, banning of athletes, team fines, and the sale of teams. In today 's society sports has great influence, effect and power which can serve as a bridge for the gap between racism and discrimination. Racism will never fully go away, but as a society work can be done to lessen the problem and come to a point where it is so minuscule it wouldn 't even be a thought. People can 't change the world unless they change themselves. It starts with the people first.

The African American Civil Rights movement was a defining moment in world history. It was a movement aimed at gaining equality and freedom for African American people. While many different types of people contributed to the achieving of this goal it could be argued that the youth were the driving force of this movement. Evidence suggests that they were an effective protest group who greatly contributed to the outcome of the civil rights movement. In order to determine the reality of this statement this essay will analyse:

During the early 1950’s and 1960’s, the civil rights movement defined how African Americans progressed from being considered second class citizens to a unified demographic who became more endowed to handle the high tensions between them and the white segregationists. After World War II, protests began to rise between the 1950’s and 1960’s. The large number of blacks that served in the military or worked in the war industry saw that they had a greater place in the world than they had been given in previous years.

During the Civil Rights Movement, women were determined to liberate themselves from economic, political, and social oppression. Despite their intense efforts, very few women were able to sustain leading roles in this movement. Time and again, female activists were forced to shadow the men on the front lines. Most organizations at the time referred women to positions behind the scenes because they thought it was unnecessary for women to take part in violent riots. As a result, many women became volunteers who prepared the rallies and cleaned up after all the action had taken place. As the movement progressed, women began to look for higher positions other than demeaning service roles. In particular, they sought an equal partnership alongside