Running head: CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE SIXTIES 1 Civil Rights in the sixties Michael Crawford HIS/145 December 1, 2011 Amy Linimon Civil Rights in the sixties Civil Rights Movement: An Introduction America was a country borne out of a group of people's desire for Freedom from oppression, under the Lockean belief of human equality. Despite this however, discrimination & racism coloured American history. Indeed, it wasn't until the early part of the 20th century when the American Legal System formally recognized African Americans as 'citizens'. In America then, how are minorities seen? Remember that America was born out of the former New England Colonies that were once under the British. Therefore, America is predominantly made up of Anglo-Europeans who can trace their roots back to Europe & the Colonial Period. In the 1950's, any group that are not equally represented & enjoying the same rights & privileges under the protection of the American constitution or could but due to ethnicity & other factors are discriminated against is considered a minority. Women since the birth of the nation have struggled for gender equality, hence back then they were also considered a 'minority'. Even in the There were of course the African-Americans who were big players in the Civil Rights movement. The American Indians are also considered minorities although they were not as politically visible as pushing for the civil rights movement as the feminists & the African Americans (Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, etc.). The plight of the African-Americans from the days of slavery to the period of segregation is well documented. In the 19th century, lynchings of 'slaves' were a spectacle that mobs took part in, one of the ugliest display of racist tendencies in Anglo-American majority. We now live in a period of 'equality' when women and minorities are well represented in the elite movers and shakers of American society - our President is African- American, the Secretary of State is a woman and the Congress and the Cabinet made up of individuals representing the varied ethnicities that make up America. This however was not the reality at the height of the Civil Rights movement. While the government and the conservative group pictured the Civil Rights movement as illegal and at times criminal, its outspoken leaders and advocates endured prison and the varied other punishments levied against them for inciting what they saw as 'a just revolution'. The media were divided into pro and supportive groups and anti-Civil Rights movement. Some Christian Media worked against the movement publishing materials using the tenets of faith to justify segregation. Much of these publications were based in the South - former territories that fought against the abolition of Slavery. Civil Rights are the rights & powers of an individual that he can exercise under the jurisdiction of Civil Law. Human/Natural rights of an individual are those he/she is born with, therefore inalienable. Many have argued that civil & human rights are of the same nature from political, philosophical & religious points of view. British Philosopher John Locke has heavily influenced the founding fathers during the creation of the American Nation with his views on the nature of human & civil rights especially that relating to one's right to life, property & liberty. Minority means the 'smaller' grouping, that collection of people which is not considered of major cultural, political & social impact upon a nation. Civil Rights are guaranteed by law of the country that bestows them and can be argued in its' courtrooms (i.e. right to freedom, right to privacy). The Civil Rights movement that blossomed in 50's America culminated in the enaction of the 1964 Civil Rights Act - banning Begin Match to source 2 in source list: http://sthweb.bu.edu/index.php?option=com_awiki&view=mediawiki&article=African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955–1968)&Itemid=176discrimination in employment practices, the Voting Act of 1965 that restored and protectedEnd Match equal Begin Match to source 2 in source list: http://sthweb.bu.edu/index.php?option=com_awiki&view=mediawiki&article=African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955–1968)&Itemid=176voting rights, the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965End MatchBegin Match to source 5 in source list: http://www.conserveind.com/articles_printable/20090807_print.shtmland the amended Civil Rights Act of 1968,End Match banning Begin Match to source 5 in source list: http://www.conserveind.com/articles_printable/20090807_print.shtmldiscriminationEnd Match from home ownership. Civil Rights were the social issue of said periods sharing front page with news from the Vietnam War. A subculture formed which, aside from forming against or pro opinions, took action either to take part in the movement or to combat it. In the radio and TV debate on Civil Rights raged. Martin Luther's Pacifism Bass (2001) declares that Begin Match to source 3 in source list: http://www.tourisme-alsace.com/e-carte-postal/hj.php?article=King+Letter+Birmingham+JailMartin Luther King Jr.'sEnd Match"Letter from Birmingham Jail" as Begin Match to source 3 in source list: http://www.tourisme-alsace.com/e-carte-postal/hj.php?article=King+Letter+Birmingham+Jailthe most important written document of the civil rights era.End Match It found Begin Match to source 3 in source list: http://www.tourisme-alsace.com/e-carte-postal/hj.php?article=King+Letter+Birmingham+JailaEnd Match purpose to be that pronounced, tangible, thought-provoking and reproducible narrative Begin Match to source 4 in source list: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1389of the longEnd Match and painful Begin Match to source 4 in source list: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1389road to freedomEnd Match and equality. As Begin Match to source 4 in source list: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1389a movement,End Match theirs Begin Match to source 4 in source list: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1389was centeredEnd Match on non-violent action and speech - frustrating, verging on desperate. King lived in the era of segregation where racism against the disenfranchised, especially the 'negro' as he referred to the African American, seemed to be an institutionalized practice in America despite the long established abolition of Slavery post Civil- War. A peace-advocating and intelligent clergyman, what seemed at that time to be a hurried and pragmatic response to criticism of the peaceful protest movement he led in Birmingham that saw him imprisoned is now considered a seminal and classic writing in social movement literature. At the heart of King's argument is the now oft repeated statement "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The letter he answered to, the now famous "A Call for Unity" penned by white Begin Match to source 7 in source list: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081015140513AAB9pjQclergymenEnd Match acknowledged Begin Match to source 7 in source list: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081015140513AAB9pjQthat social injusticesEnd Match exist Begin Match to source 7 in source list: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081015140513AAB9pjQbutEnd Match deplored Begin Match to source 7 in source list: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081015140513AAB9pjQtheEnd Match civil rights movement in the streets, labelling the peaceful action extremist as such issues ought to be fought in court. King's defense is that without non-violent direct actions, true civil rights cannot be achieved or exercised. He believes that civil disobedience is justified when it is faced with what he terms as unjust laws. For him, "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." In the letter, he likened the Civil Rights Movement to that of the Paul answering God's call to deliver Macedon. He further illustrates that oppression can only go on so long by drawing from historical and biblical sources examples of movements for freedom and justice against an unjust society/state. He declares, "Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro." On Malcolm X In the 60's the Civil Rights movement led by African-American advocates has gained such strength and intensity due to the organised structure of Civil Rights Groups advocates. Malcolm X or Malcolm Little was among those leaders of organised structures. He was a charismatic public speaker despite his foster home upbringing and criminal record - it was this experience that made him who he was - an advocate for Black Pride. Many accuse of bringing on intense racism and ideas of Black supremacy bordering on violence against 'the whites'. The movement became more prone to physical violence and intense rioting of African-Americans as well as looting and such activities were 'justified action'. For him, the diplomatic and pacifist stance taking on by Martin Luther King were unacceptable - he had an extremist stance - Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlthe complete 'separation' ofEnd Match the Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlAfrican Americans fromEnd Match the Whites. Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlTheEnd Match march in Washington for him was a Farce and he referred to the equality and pacifist movement leaders as 'chumps' and 'stooges' of the 'White Regime'. For Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X was a dangerous extremist who fuelled 'hatred' in susceptible Blacks against creating race-relations. In his many speeches, Malcolm X justified violence as a form of 'Black self defence' and used passages from the Islam faith, a religion he converted to while in jail despite his Baptist upbringing, to justify 'black supremacy' and with an apocalyptic tone declared Begin Match to source 6 in source list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Xthat 'the demise of theEnd Match whites are Begin Match to source 6 in source list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Ximminent'. The movementEnd Match in the 60's especially that of African-American Civil rights Advocacies were fractured as many, tired of 'waiting' listened to Malcolm X. It created bitter rivalries between former allies and advocates. Their faith differences notwithstanding with political rivalries within their own organizations due to jealousy over influence, some movements fractured with their members turning against each other sometimes with violent results. Malcolm X gained popularity and influence internationally among world leaders. As a Muslim he tried to visit Mecca but was refused at first due to the fact that he did not speak Arabic. He left his own Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlorganization, Nation of IslamEnd Match and found Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlMuslim Mosque, Inc.End Match and the Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlOrganization of Afro- American UnityEnd Match which advocated for 'Black Nationalism' positioning himself as the Black Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlNation'sEnd Match leader. Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlHe taughtEnd Match his followers Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlthat Black people were the original people of the world and thatEnd Match the 'Whites' Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlwereEnd Match from the Begin Match to source 1 in source list: http://plumbot.com/Malcolm_X.htmlrace ofEnd Match demons - a fantastical notion that is so far away from Islamic tenets. Demonizing Christianity and accusing other Black Christians of 'cavorting with the Devil', Malcolm X became a polarising figure in the Civil Rights movement. His international exposure however made him change some of his views in the end having 'rearranged' his thoughts on race relations. He declared (Clarke, 1994): "Brother, remember the time that white college girl came into the restaurant-the one who wanted to help the [Black] Muslims and the whites get together-and I told her there wasn't a ghost of a chance and she went away crying? Well, I've lived to regret that incident. In many parts of the African continent I saw white students helping black people. Something like this kills a lot of argument. I did many things as a [Black] Muslim that I'm sorry for now. I was a zombie then- like all [Black] Muslims-I was hypnotized, pointed in a certain direction and told to march. Well, I guess a man's entitled to make a fool of himself if he's ready to pay the cost." Sadly, we will not know the full extent of the effect of this change of heart. He was assassinated by Nation of Islam members while delivering a speech in an Organization of Afro-American unity event. His former followers became his murderers who took his life by repeatedly firing a sawed-off shotgun and an assortment of handguns into him. The kind of violence he justified for the purpose of 'fighting the whites' is the vary one that took his own life. References: (Web) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/malcolmx/index.html http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ccbh/mxp/index.html http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1389 http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/popular_requests/frequentdocs/clergy.pdf http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/socrates http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/GREECE/SOCRATES.HT (Print) Bass, J. & King, M.L. (2001), Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Martin Luther King Jr., Eight White Religious Leaders, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail, Louisiana State University Press. Davis, Townsend (1998). Weary Feet, Rested Souls: A Guided History of the Civil Rights Movement. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Jackson, Thomas F. (2006), From Civil Rights to Human Rights: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Struggle for Economic Justice, University of Pennsylvania Press. CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE SIXTIES 2 CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE SIXTIES 3 CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE SIXTIES 4 CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE SIXTIES 5 CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE SIXTIES 6 CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE SIXTIES 7 CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE SIXTIES 8