Essay: Civil rights movement – development of civil rights in America

Through out the 14-year span of the civil right movement; 1954-1968, many Americans both black and white fought for African Americans to be viewed equally in schools, work place, and their everyday lives. The fight was also geared to earning the same constitutional rights that Americans are granted. Their fight was done peacefully and tactfully. Though African Americans were beginning to see possibilities of freedom from slavery due to legislation proposed in 1863 by former President Abraham Lincoln, they were set free by the 13th amendment on April 8th 1864 which called for fully abolishing the act of slavery. Which set oppression of the black man and segregation policies in full force. Segregation wasn’t fully contested until Africans became part of the United States military and begin fighting in World War II. Once the war had come to an end Africans began to protest the fact blacks were not considered equal.  Jim crow laws were still in place where blacks were segregated in schools, dinners, busses as well as places of employment. In the 1950’s NAACP (National association for the advancements of colored people) and organizations like CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), SNCC (Student Non violent Coordinating Committee)  and SCLC (Southern Christian leadership Conference) became more prevalent. In 1954 Brown V. Board of Education passed which allowed whites and non whites to attend the same school. However, it wasn’t until Ms. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man in 1955 did the movement really begin. Rosa Parks arrest that day led to a boycott of the busses. From there freedom rides by college students took place as well as peaceful marches, rallies, and sit-ins all became a way to communicate to the government that the need for desegregation was to occur.
In Kansas, Brown V. Board of Education was passed on May 17, 1954. Brown V. Board of Education was to proposed to contest the previous law Plessy V. Ferguson, Plessy V. Ferguson was based of the principle separate but equal. “The decision upheld the principle of racial segregation over the next half- century. The ruling provided legal justification for segregation of trains and buses, and in public facilities such as hotels, theaters and schools. “
(Court 1896) Brown V. Board of Education was drafted to allow students of all color to attend schools nearest their homes. Many of the NAACP lawyers came together to challenge this bill. It took decades for the Supreme Court to accept that blacks and whites should attend the same school and be offered the same opportunities. Once the legislation did pass “Chief Justice Earl Warren exclaimed “We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. “ (Brinkley n.d.) There was no set time for schools it desegregate. Pupil placement became prevalent which allowed schools to place students in specific schools biased solely of their academic level. This kept the school segregated as the whites had been receiving better education to begin with. The beginning of the next school year only 684 schools had complied with the desegregation laws out of the 3,000 school whom were ordered to desegregate, the schools who had followed the Brown V. Board of Education law saw parents pulling their white children and placing them in “segregation academies “. The money used to fund these academies was still form the government. Former President Eisenhower did not believe in this cause. He was quoted stating” Brown V. Department of Education would set the united states back at least 15 years.” However, Eisenhower did come to the defense of black students in Arkansas when a mob of angry white citizens wouldn’t allow them on to the school’s propriety. Eisenhower sent troops and the national guard to protect those students.
Claudette Colvin was the first to be arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman while riding the bus on her way to school, this fifteen-year-old girl was in violation of Jim Crow laws. The next arrest was made merely nine months later on December 1st, 1955 to Mrs. Rosa Parks of Montgomery, Alabama. Mrs. Parks tired from her long hours of work at a department store said she will not be giving up her seat to a white man whom was entering the bus. She rightfully sat in the fifth row, the first row allowed to people of color. Her arrest encouraged the protest of the busses that had already been under consideration after the arrest of Claudette Colvin.
The MIA (Montgomery Improvement Association) led by Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy put a motion to fellow people of color to begin the Bus Boycott (ushistory.org 2010). The MIA was hoping to accomplish a 50 % rate of Africans to avoid using public transpiration.
The boycott was done in hopes to gain the first come first serve policy, meaning whites may be sat in the back if people of color were to arrive on the bus first. The officials of Montgomery did not approve of the segregation of their public transportation system, there were many push backs.                            Over the course of 13 months MIA was able to gain support of 99% of Africans to boycott the buses. The people choosing to boycott car pooled, walked or rode in taxies some taxies began charging only 10 cents to riders which was the same as bus fair. (Staff 2010). With such a large part of the public transportation being blacks the companies began seeing a major loss in revenue, the loss of revenue pushed the bussing company to run less busses.  Which led to
A loss of revenue for shopping centers as well. This pushed the government to desegregate the city busses on December 20th, 1956 the following day December 21st, 1956 the boycott was called off and people of color began riding the transportation system once more.
During the Bus Boycott Martin Luther King was seen as a leader, he was the President of SNCC. He practiced the teachings of the bible and of Mahatma Gandhi which included peaceful protests.   He staged sit-ins, encouraged blacks to keep the peace in hopes that the newly found media would portray the protests of the south in a positive light. The media did display the  “savage violence at the hands hands of enraged whites” (Brinkley, American History n.d.) President John F. Kennedy had to act, he sent federal marshals to protect the protesters whom been receiving brutal violence when they were simply sitting  at a restaurant, walking the streets, riding the bus or attending school/college. Kennedy put efforts into enforcing the Brown V. Board of Education. The university of Mississippi is court ordered to allow its first African American student, the outrage pours out from the community. Governor Ross Barnett did not enforce the order. Riots began from the community of white civilians; Kennedy sends federal tropes to keep the peace.  King then launches a movement in Birmingham, Alabama. The commissioner Eugene Conner known as “Bull” allowed for brutal retaliations to the peaceful protests which included tear gas, attack dogs and electric cattle prods.  Bull then arrested hundreds of protesters. King’s hopes of the violence to be televised, had come true, people around the world watched in horror of the events happening in the south.
Freedom Rides was met with one of the most brutal attacks on peaceful protesters.
The freedom Riders, whom were both white and black college students would ride the Greyhound busses and Trail way busses through Washington DC, Richmond VA, Charlotte NC, Rock Hill SC, Atlanta GA, Anniston AL, Birmingham AL, Montgomery AL, and Jackson MS. Along the route the Freedom riders were hoping to peacefully sit and watch how establishment served blacks. They knew they would be comforted with violence, but the violence they ensued was unthinkable. When the Rider’s on the Greyhound bus reached Anniston, Alabama their bus was surrounded by angry whites known at the Klu Klux Klan (KKK). They rocked the bus and slashed its tires while chanting kill them! Once the bus made it through the mob of whites it noticed a car in front whom wouldn’t allow it to pass, then the tires gave out. That’s when the mob rushed the bus, breaking a window in the back of the bus and throwing in a smoke bomb. The riders were unable to breathe, so they knew it was better to face the bomb then to suffocate. When they faced the angry members of the KKK they beat the riders as well as set their bus on fire.  Then the second bus reached Birmingham, Alabama, these Rider’s met a similar fate.  They were beat along with bystanders with iron pipes, clubs and chains.   The next set of Riders went to Montgomery Alabama, where they were greeted by reporters and a mob of KKK members.
“Reporters greeted the Freedom Riders, but before the first question could be answered, a mob, bearing lead pipes and baseball bats, attacked first the reporters, smashing their equipment, before turning their attention to the Freedom Riders. By this time, some of the Freedom Riders formed a human chain by joining hands. The mob quickly overwhelmed them.” (Services n.d.)
Fallowing the attacks on the Freedom Riders Martin Luther King Jr led a march down Washington D.C. in August,1963. This march was generated to create support for legislation of which would allow Africans to be equal and the demands of jobs for blacks. There were more than 200,000 people who were there and marched with King. When the protesters arrived at the Lincoln memorial King gave his famous “I have a dream speech”. Sadly, five years later n April 4th, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee King was killed.
The Civil Rights movement led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places as well as banning discrimination of sex, race, or religion. In 2008 the people of the United States of America voted in our 44th president, our first African American President, Mr. Barack Obama.
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