...Equal Rights for Some On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted into the system, giving freedom that may have never been intended. This document specifically affected blacks. One effect was the emancipation of slaves, which gave blacks their freedom. Although blacks tried to get equal rights into the new constitution, there has been several alterations which extended from the freedom of slaves to the egalitarianism amongst men and women. The position of slavery was involved in the drafting of the document. The declaration contained an evident undertake of liberty and equality that was discontented for African-Americans prior to the Civil War and was only moderately rewarded after. Thomas Jefferson wrote in the declaration...
Words: 1259 - Pages: 6
...1960's there was many inequalities that really held back many people from especially the African Americans to have the right of being just like everyone else. But as well all know the white refused to give those type of right to them. So this is when the African Americans would start to take a stand for one another in a Civil Rights Movement lead by many African American activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Eisenhower. These Americans stood up for what they knew was right not only for them but fir the good of their people. Martin Luther King Jr. immediate purpose was to convince Americans across the country to embrace racial equality and to further strengthen the resolve of those already involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Audiences could really embrace these words that Dr. King was saying in his "I Have A Dream" speech. Though audiences' purposes are not as easily summarized to the fact of the racial inequality towards the whites and African Americans. Some at the time may have sought to be inspired by Dr. King. Opponents to racial equality who heard his speech may have listened for the purpose of seeking to find ways to further argue against racial equality. Audiences since then may have used Dr. King's speech to educate or to advocate for other social justice issues. Eisenhower also having to do with acting to those same ideas of inequality. Eisenhower viewed civil rights as a local opinion. Openly and successfully defying the Federal authorities even when...
Words: 1179 - Pages: 5
...African American Civil Rights DBQ African Americans struggled for equal rights for a long and difficult time. However, in the 1950’s the modern civil rights movement began. There were many ways in which African Americans have been denied equal rights, but the government, individuals, and groups helped deal with the inequalities faced by African Americans. African Americans have been denied equal rights because of segregation and education (doc.1, doc 2, O.I.) Even though the country ruled, “separate, but equal” black and white schools were very different (O.I, doc 1.) African American schools could be very far away from their residence, for instance Linda Brown, who lived in Topeka had to walk 39 blocks to school (O.I, doc 1.) Also, African Americans did not have very good facilities, and were short on supplies compared to nearby white schools (O.I.) This was not the only thing stopping African Americans from reaching equality, Jim Crow laws also played a big part(O.I, doc 4.) Jim Crow laws separated blacks and whites in restaurants, transportation, and schools (O.I.) In addition, African Americans could not drink out of the same water fountain, or use the same restroom as Whites (O.I) The African American facilities were inferior to the white facilities. (O.I.) Without having the same education and with the Jim Crow laws in place, African Americans had trouble becoming equal (O.I.) Since 1950 there have been many methods used to fight against the inequalities faced by African...
Words: 535 - Pages: 3
...Haller Eng-132 22 April 2016 Civil Rights Movement In history there have been many changes socially and physically. In the 1960’s the civil rights movement was significant for the equality of people. After the abolition of slavery in 1853, there had been a continuous conflict between the races of people who lived in the United States. In the United States there have been and still are many hate groups. Many think that after the civil rights movement African Americans and whites people got along perfectly; however, there are many stories on how white people have been disgracing African Americans. There were many types of protesting during this time. Some protest involved violent and some involved non-violent protesting. Many influential people were here at the time such as: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. There were also many hate groups at the time that tried to erase the African American population. During this time there were many rights that were violated during the civil rights movement. Many amendments were also made to stop the segregation such as the 14th and 15th amendment. The civil rights movement was a mass protest movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the southern United States that came to national prominence during the mid-1950s. This was in the roots of centuries-long efforts of African slaves. (Carson, 2015) The south was worse than the north about how this. The civil rights movement was about of the Jim Crow laws...
Words: 1920 - Pages: 8
...Historically, the Civil Rights Movement was a time during the 1950’s and 60’s to eliminate segregation and gain equal rights. Looking back on all the events, and dynamic figures it produced, this description is very vague. In order to fully understand the Civil Rights Movement, you have to go back to its origin. Most people believe that Rosa Parks began the whole civil rights movement. She did in fact propel the Civil Rights Movement to unprecedented heights but, its origin began in 1954 with Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka was the cornerstone for change in American History as a whole. Even before our nation birthed the controversial ruling on May 17, 1954 that stated separate educational facilities were inherently unequal, there was Plessy vs. Ferguson in 1896 that argued by declaring that state laws establish separate public schools for black and white students denied black children equal educational opportunities. Some may argue that Plessy vs. Ferguson is in fact backdrop for the Civil Rights Movement, but I disagree. Plessy vs. Ferguson was ahead of it’s time so to speak. “Separate but equal” thinking remained the body of teachings in America until it was later reputed by Brown vs. Board of Education. In 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, and prompted The Montgomery Bus Boycott led by one of the most pivotal leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. After the gruesome death of Emmett...
Words: 916 - Pages: 4
...Selma to Montgomery. African Americans have the same voting rights as the whites but, their equal right had not secured. Instead, they were scant by racist registration officers. The victorious lead by Martin Luther King Jr. and his siblings brought one of the most significant victories in the Civil Right Movements. This movement forever changed our history. Despite the 14th and 15th amendments, the civil rights of African Americans right to vote were systematically taken away. After the Civil War, Congress prevented Southerners from re-establishing white supremacy. Confederate states wrote new constitutions and were readmitted to the Union, but only after ratifying the 14th Amendment. This Reconstruction amendment prohibited states from denying "the equal protection of the laws" to U.S. citizens, which included the former slaves. White Americans nationwide began to vote out the Republicans and replace them with democratic government legislators and local officials. Media covered events ranging from the 1950s Montgomery bus boycott to the democratic national convention. Unless you were famous...
Words: 464 - Pages: 2
...How far were the actions of the African Americans the main reason for the advancement of the Civil Rights in the period 1865-1980? “Power concedes nothing without demand, it never has and it never will”[1]. Said by Fredrick Douglass in 1857, an escaped slave who had bearded the brunt of the slave years. He had come to the realisation that African Americans had a fountain of “power”; however that power that they possessed would never establish anything without a “demand”. Fredrick Douglass awoke the conscious of African Americans to make them realise that wanting to be free and wanting to achieve full civil rights was not enough, neither was enduring a life under white supremacy waiting for life after death to see a new dawn .Believing and hoping was not enough. “Power concedes nothing without demand” the solution is to be willing to work hard to establish it yourself by demanding what belongs to them. However using power in order to concede civil rights was a struggle which was acknowledged by Fredrick Douglass “Without struggle there is no success”. To achieve advancement in African American Civil Rights, African Americans had to undergo a process of struggle. A rainbow is not made without rain; you can not want rain without thunder and lightening being accompanied by it. To achieve full civil rights African Americans had to pay the price along the way which was persecution, de-humanisation and scrutiny. Martin Luther King being inspired by Fredrick Douglass said “Freedom...
Words: 4801 - Pages: 20
...African Americans have all the same rights as white Americans do today; however it has not always been that way and they have had to fight to be treated equal. The main topics that will be covered in this paper will be the 15th Amendment, the creation of the NAACP, Malcolm X and the Black Muslims, Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans., Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. African Americans were slaves until the Civil War ended in 1865; however the United States was still divided on the rights of African Americans. African Americans even though they were freed from slavery they were not treated equally and did not have all the same rights as white folks did such as voting rights. The 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870 and stated “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." (Bowles, 2011, 1.1). This was an important step for African Americans to be treated equally in the United States. However it was just the beginning and the Southern States would try to fight this Amendment by created many different barriers for the African Americans to block their rights to vote. Some of these barriers that were used were poll taxes and literacy tests, along with intimidation and violence. Thomas Mundy Peterson of New Jersey became the first black person to vote because of the 15th Amendment...
Words: 2607 - Pages: 11
...Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were widely considered the best civil rights activists in the 1960’s. Back then, black people did not have as near as many rights as white people. This angered not only African Americans, but even white people, all over the country. Two of these enraged people were MLK and Malcolm X, who fought to earn their civil rights. The question is, who had the better philosophy though? By philosophy, I mean their ideas of what they want and how they should achieve it. Because Malcolm X was a realist, separatist, and a believer in equal rights for all African Americans, I believe he had the better philosophy. Malcolm X had the better philosophy because he was a realist. This means he realizes that the only way that African...
Words: 485 - Pages: 2
...Civil Rights Leaders Krystal Pride-Lang ENG/250 March 6, 2015 Daniel Noia Civil Rights Leaders Many African American men and women stood on the front lines for civil rights. These leaders fought for the right to vote and have the voices of the African American community heard. These leaders just didn’t consist on people only protesting for their equal rights, however. Some were famed authors, poets, play writes and inventors. Two influential civil rights activists that come to mind are Maya Angelo and Jesse Jackson. These two helped in the fight for equal rights, but they also were much more than that. They lived completely different lifestyles and accomplished many different tasks within their lives. Jesse Burns, also known as Jesse Jackson, was born on October 8, 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina (Dyson, 2006). His father always noted him as being a gifted child. Jesse’s father recalls Jesse saying that one day he would be a preacher and lead his congregation through the water. Once Jesse Jackson graduated high school in 1959, he attended college. He was enrolled at North Carolina A&T where he excelled in his football career. This was also the time in his life where he decided to begin his activist career (Dyson, 2006). He was a part of a sit-in movement to help integrate Greensboro’s pubic facilities (Dyson, 2006). By 1964, Jesse had received his Bachelor of Science degree in sociology. Throughout his life, Jesse Jackson had a very influential role in regards...
Words: 674 - Pages: 3
...African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement Destiny McClenningham Anderson University Introduction: “Vulnerable Populations” are subgroups who possess specific characteristics that distinguish them from others in the population (Jansson, 2005).The group I choice to focus on was African Americans. African or black Americans are define is an ethnic group of citizens or residents of the United States with total or partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa(Foner & Garraty,1991). The time I choice to focus on with my group was the civil rights movement. This era play a key role in African American history. What is the African American history leading up to this time? What was going on during this era? What social policy was affected during this time? History: There was a lot of history leading up to the civil rights movement. In the late 1950s and 1960s there was an increase in racial violence and protests in the South(Jansson). A 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation African Americans in the South still inhabited a unequal world(Foner & Garraty). “Jim Crow” laws at the local state levels barred them from businesses, schools, public bathrooms, transportations, and theaters from juried and legislatures(Foner & Garraty). In 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court shut down the “separate but equal” doctrine that formed the basis for state-sanctioned discrimination(Foner & Garraty). This event draw national and international...
Words: 1444 - Pages: 6
...Gianni LaRagione History 17B Prof. Coburn November 18, 2013 Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was the time in America in which Blacks and other minorities started getting more independence and more equal rights. This movement required several courageous leaders and many life changing events occurred in order for America to become the integrated nation that it is today. A lot of protests and boycotts took place but they were usually non-violent, which the minorities discovered worked the best. Throughout this period in time schools, public places and other everyday places slowly but surely became integrated. One of the first major events that happened was the Brown v. Board of Education case. Oliver Brown, who was an African American, had a daughter. The school at which she attended was far from her house and in order to get there she had to pass by a unruly neighborhood which she was uncomfortable walking through. There was a school right across the street from her house but since the rule was “separate but equal is constitutional” she could not attend it because it was a white only school. Her father complained and the case was taken to the Supreme Court. The ruling of Plessey v. Ferguson was overturned and the new ruling was that “separate but equal isn’t equal.” After this event most school became integrated. The first time a jury became integrated was after the Hernandez v. Texas case. A Mexican, Pete Hernandez was wrongly accused of murder. At...
Words: 555 - Pages: 3
...On August 28, 1963 one of the largest Civil Rights march in the history of the United of States took place in Washington D.C, it was also the most famous for being non-violent. More than 250,000 people from all around the United States gathered together for this march. Most of them were African Americans and another 60,000 were white people. Some were famous, some were rich celebrities and some were poor laborer. People were from different religious organizations, labor unions, different Civil Rights groups, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the American Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) all came together to march for freedom, jobs, and demand for justice. The march began at the Washington monument and end at the Lincoln Memorial. This was a two mile walk. Phillip Randolph, a black labor leader. He was also head of the negro American...
Words: 650 - Pages: 3
...Chia Hsu (0813642) 18 May 2014 Current Events McShane, Michael Q. “Brown v. Board of Education anniversary: Our unfulfilled promise African-American kids” www.foxnews.com FOX News. Published May 17, 2014 According to Michael Q McShane, the Catholic school Saint Jude Educational Institute in the state Alabama is going to close at the end of this school year. This Catholic school is located at the heart of the African American community of the city, and in the civil right movement it was an important role. And because of many low income African American are unable to pay for their tuition, Saint Jude only charged $4,800 per student and spent $8,183 on each student. This had already caused Saint Jude may close at any time. But by looking for this case of Saint Jude, Alabama actually can easily help it by paying the losing tuition of each student, and Alabama would still be saving and Saint Jude won’t be close. In today life, although African American families is getting better of their income, 55percent was growth between 1963 and 2011, and also can see more African American kids finish four years college. But there is still many African Americans unable to study in the school. According to the quote in this news “It has been said by some that education is the civil rights issue of our time. Sixty years after the Kansas case of Brown v. Board of Education, students may no longer be segregated but education opportunities are unequal.”, the government should help struggling...
Words: 402 - Pages: 2
...| Who Involved | What Happened | Why Important | Jackie Robinson | Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers, and African-Americans. | Jackie Robinson became the first African-American in U.S history play for a major league baseball team in 1947. After he retired, he joined the Civil Rights Movement, playing a huge role. | Jackie Robinson’s achievements broke down racial barriers and helped wake up America’s conscience. Within the first five years of his career, over 150 African-Americans joined the minor and major leagues. | Montgomery Bus Boycott | African-American Bus Boycotters, Rosa Parks, Supreme Court | On December 1, 1955, African-American Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white man and was later arrested for it. After this incident, African-Americans refused to ride the city buses in Montgomery to protest the segregated seating. | The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ordered Montgomery to integrate its bus system, and one of the leaders of the boycott, a young pastor named Martin Luther King Jr.), emerged as a leader of the American civil rights. | Little Rock Nine | The Nine African-American Students, President Eisenhower, Orval Faubus, National Guard, 101st Airborne Division. | After the U.S Supreme Court decision after Brown v. Board of Education, all segregated schools were declared unconstitutional. So after a group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School, they were prevented from entering by Orval Faubus, the...
Words: 723 - Pages: 3
