Category: Civil Rights Movement

For the longest time in the history of the American society, black people faced severe discrimination from the white community. They were denied of their basic rights and they faced segregation, marginalization, maltreatment as well as poor working conditions.

Other than these, slave trade which involved the dehumanizing sale of African Americans thrived and black men were also denied the right to vote. This provoked a fight for civil rights through the Civil Rights Movement which fought for the African Americans rights a ccording toFinlayson (11).

This essay delves deeply into the contributions of Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks to the Civil Rights Movement which played a great role in redeeming the black people from this discrimination.

However, on the ground this was not the case as the African Americans were segregated, marginalized, maltreated, and subjected to poor working conditions. They also lacked opportunities and access to public amenities according to Levy (7-10).

This saw the blacks come together in churches through song, literature, businesses, homes, families, poems and books all with the goal to fight against discrimination by the whites.

Among these were Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks who used literary works to voice out their displeasure on the discrimination against blacks as well as portray a humanitarian point of view on the plight of the African Americans in the 20^th century (Marshall Cavendish Corporation 4).

Richard Wright was among the young Americans born in the period when segregation and discrimination was at its peak. During this period, blacks were not supposed to contradict a white person but take in the segregation happily, cheerfully and humbly (Rowley 5).

Wrights father abandoned their family when he was young and went to a segregated high school and was deeply hurt by the poor conditions that African Americans were living in. He published his first short story in 1924 and during the great depression; he did a variety of jobs and joined the communist party.

He also wrote articles for the Daily Worker. He later moved to New York where he wrote a collection known as Uncle Toms Children which won him an award whose money he used to finish his famous book, The Native Son (Williams and Beard 358).

Wrights writing was mainly influenced by the prejudice and suffering he saw the black people go through as well as his own personal life. He was very outspoken on the injustices of racism and discrimination.

His first book Toms children was soft and brought many to tears. To him however this was a failure in conveying his message as he wanted his audience to be shocked by the realities of racism which he was able to do in The Native Son.

The book Native Son brought about racism in a very harsh and unmasked manner especially in the last chapter, the trial. It is the story of a man who kills two women; a white woman by accident and his black girlfriend purposely out of frustration and anger.

He is caught and taken to trial but he is only convicted of one murder; that of the white girl which he committed accidentally. The murder of his black girlfriend is completely ignored and went unpunished showing the white communitys extent of their racism (Fraile 151).

In the Native Son, Wright relies on naturalism and symbolism to bring out his key themes which include injustice, racism, violence and oppression. The bigger one is the representative of Americas racial hatred.

The names of the characters also hint at the themes, for example, Mr. Max to represent Marxism and Clara Mears to mean a merely exploited black woman (Nelson 500).

Wright also brings light to how discrimination affects black men as providers in their families in his play Man of all work. The play also reflects his experience with his father who was not willing to work hard to provide for the needs of their family.

In this play, he uses symbolism and irony to show how black men are forced to do all sorts of work sometimes even having to pretend to be women to provide for their families. In another play called Man aint God like that, Wright explores western cultural imperialism.

It also explores the effects of merging Christianity with traditional African beliefs. Also in this play, he uses irony to hold the story and bring out its themes (Nelson 498-500).

The other significant writer into the fight for civil rights is Gwendolyn Brooks. Gwendolyn Brooks unlike Richard Wright was a poet cum reporter and thus used poetry in her contributions to the fight for civil rights.

Brooks had an eye for the discrimination of the blacks and their oppression by the white people. She saw a world filled with poverty, violence and loyalty. In the midst of this was humanity with a strong prideful persistence that was indifferent to oppression of that other group which surrounded and threatened it.

Her poetry therefore not only represented this bleak world but also her personality as a strong black woman. Her books include, A Street in Bronzeville which portrays the frustration of a World War 2 veteran with American racism and the Maud Martha.

Among her famous poems is Annie Allen a poem on the life of the black woman, The Bean eaters which talks about the civil rights movement and In the Mecca, a poem on the Black Nationalism.

Other literary works include Man of the middle class, The Chicago defender and The loveliest lyncher is the Lord which tries to understand and represent the ordinariness of white life (Wright 36).

In her poems, Brooks employs various styles to bring out her themes. In her poem Annie Allen for example, Brooks employs a realistic tone. Her tone evokes bitterness without invoking any tendencies towards violence or separatism.

The poem follows Annie through different stages that open her eyes to the various realities of life around her. Annie starts her quest in childhood where she desires to break from the norms of her mother in the notes of childhood and girlhood.

She is then exposed to the realities of marriage and love in the Anniad and finally chooses her identity in the womanhood. The poem strives to bring out the theme of equality and the demolishing of all forms of racial discrimination.

She uses stylistic devices such as a contrast milk- glass, fruit -bowl, jelly- jar, and old peach cans to show different worlds. Also, the juxtaposition between dreams and reality, rhyming couplets, similes such as like a candle and set against the weeds of disappointment among others (Saber 36).

In conclusion, both writers made significant contributions to the fight for civil rights. Through their literary works, they were able to bring out the intricacies and suffering that came with racial discrimination.

Their blunt depiction of the lives of the African Americans in the 20^th century forced the white people to view their actions as they were. This awakened them from their ignorance and showed the world as a whole the plight of the African Americans.

Works Cited

Finlayson, Reggie. We shall overcome: The history of the American civil rights movement. USA: Twentieth Century Books, 2003. Print.

Fraile, Ana. Richard wrights Native son. London: Rodopi International, 2007. Print.

Levy, Peter. The civil rights movement. USA: Green Wood Publishing, 1998. Print.

Marshall Cavendish Corporation. America in the 20th century. USA: Marshall Cavendish, 2003. Print.

Nelson, Emmanuel. African American Dramatists. UK: ABC-CLIO, 2004. Print.

Rowley, Hazel. Richard Wright: The life and times. USA: University of Chicago Press, 2008. Print.

Saber, Yomna. Brave to be involved: shifting positions in the poetry of Gwendolyn Books. Peter Lang Journal (2010): 5-9. Print.

Williams, Horace and Ben, Beard. This Day In civil rights history. USA: Newsouth Books, 2009. Print.

Wright, Stephen. On Gwendolyn Brooks: Reliant contemplation. USA: University of Michigan Press, 2001. Print.

The Civil Rights Movement in its modern form was characteristic for the development of the American society during the period of the 1950s-1980s. The movement was started as the reaction of the African Americans to the social segregation and discrimination.

The protests against segregation and discrimination were actively supported by the public, and President Kennedy initiated the discussion of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to stop racial discrimination in the American society.

Although the positive role of the Civil Rights Movement for changing the role of the African Americans in the American society is visible, this topic is also essential to be discussed because the movement for the African Americans rights provoked the associated movements against the social and gender inequality.

Thus, many effects of the Civil Rights Movement are observed in the modern American society which develops resolving the challenging questions of racism and inequality. That is why, this research aims to answer an important question: What modern effects of the Civil Rights Movement related to the issues of racism, discrimination, and inequality can be noticed in the present-day American society?

To explain the effects of the Civil Rights Movement from the sociological perspectives, it is necessary to refer to the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist theories.

Many modern researchers focus on the functionalist perspective and agree that the Civil Rights Movement influenced the society positively, and these effects can be observed today because the society is transformed, the problems of racism and inequality are discussed openly; referring to the conflict perspective, it is possible to note that discrimination is illegal, and the principle of the social justice and gender equality are followed.

Following the functionalist perspective, it is essential to state that the society develops as the whole composed of connected parts which should interact according to the idea of social balance.

From this perspective, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-1960s caused the development of many other social movements oriented to protecting women, sexual minorities, and workers rights, and these movements contributed to maintaining the necessary social equilibrium.

According to Isaac and Christiansen, ascendant social movements and modern protests can contribute to advancing the results of the Civil Rights Movement of the 20^th century because the principles of the social justice are re-thought and followed according to the tendencies of the new transformed society (Isaac & Christiansen, 2002, p. 724-725).

Referring to the principle of social interconnectedness, the authors conducted the quantitative research on the connection between the Civil Rights Movement and changes in the labor militancy, and they concluded that the Civil Rights Movements methods can also be successfully followed today (Isaac & Christiansen, 2002).

As a result, the Civil Rights Movement can be discussed as the functional element because it influenced the radical transformation of the American society leading to the social stability and to actual changes in the social positions of the African Americans.

It is important to note that today the issues of racial discrimination are observed rarely because the social vision of the problem changed as a result of the Civil Rights Movement, and these consequences are the manifest functions, according to the functionalist theory. The concept of racial discrimination is contrasting to the ideas of social openness, tolerance, and flexibility.

These ideas play an essential role in the modern American society, and they serve to support the notions of equality and justice. Thus, the manifest functions are in the improvement of the social status of the African Americans, their education and career opportunities and in the improvement of the womens status, their employment opportunities, and changes in roles division.

The changed opinions of the modern Americans on the issues of gender, race, and ethnicity can be discussed as latent functions.

These ideas are reflected in the work of Michael Ezra, the professor of American multicultural studies, who state that the Civil Rights Movement is the radical shift in the development of the American society, and the functional consequences of this reform for the social visions can be observed during a long period of time (Ezra, 2009, p. 118-119).

In spite of the fact that Ezra pays much attention to the role of the Civil Rights Movement for the development of the idea of equality in relation to the African Americans, it is possible to agree with the author regarding the discussion of the movements positive effects on the current situation in the contemporary American society.

One of the main positive effects of the Civil Rights Movement related to the progress of the modern American society is the concentration of the publics attention on the issues of gender inequality. According to the conflict perspective, the competition of the different groups is the fundament for the social development.

In his work, Caulfield states that the Civil Rights Movement contributed to drawing the publics attention to the problem of the African Americans in general and African American women in particular (Caulfield, 2011, p. 25). Thus, the movement contributed to empowering women and to developing the idea of gender equality.

From this point, women organized the movement for their rights to oppose the principles of the patriarchal society because of their conflicting interests and associated gender inequality.

That is why, following the conflict perspective and Caulfields conclusions, it is possible to state that the positive effect of the womens empowerment observed in the American society today is the consequence of the significant social conflict known as the Civil Rights Movement.

The American society in its new transformed variant demonstrates the example of how the Civil Rights Movement can lead to the prolonged positive effects, but these effects are the results of many protests, demonstrations, and manifestations which are symbols of the social conflict.

The conflict perspective can be applied to discussing the work by Olzak and Ryo. According to the authors, the effectiveness of the Civil Rights Movement depends on the goal diversity and on the variety of the used techniques and methods and on the range of expected outcomes (Olzak & Ryo, 2007, p. 1580).

Goal and tactical diversity led to the significant positive outcomes of the movement, and these outcomes can be observed even today, but this diversity supports the idea that the interests of diverse groups were met during the Civil Rights Movement.

In this case, the social power belongs to the white Americans and males, when women, African Americans, and sexual minorities are the representatives of the lower classes which oppose to the current state.

However, the conflict resulted in the positive effects for such categories of the population as African Americans, women, and sexual minorities because their role in the American society was changed. Interactionism is focused on the role of peoples interactions for the social development.

Referring to the micro-sociological level, it is possible to note that the effects of the Civil Rights Movement are in the provision of the opportunity to live in the transformed society where the principles of the social justice and equality work while determining the peoples interactions in groups and communities because racial or gender discrimination and segregation can influence people individually.

Although Andrews discusses the issue of the social movement with references to the period of the 1960s-1970s, in his work, the author also supports the idea of significance of the Civil Rights Movement for the further progress of the society in relation to changing the principles of the peoples interactions (Andrews, 2001, p. 72).

In this case, it is also essential to state that the actual results of the Civil Rights Movement can be observed more clearly today because it is possible to conclude now whether African Americans and white Americans interact according to the ideals of equality and justice, and whether women and men have equal rights.

Although there is the range of quantitative and qualitative studies on the effects of the Civil Rights Movement on the American society, the authors of these studies choose to concentrate on the short-term or immediate effects of the movement on changes in the social position of the African Americans or women.

Moreover, referring to the existing literature on the topic, it is possible to note that it is rather difficult to answer this question in detail or with the focus on the numerical evidence, while following the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives.

The authors are inclined to refer to the statistics and studies factual findings, but the answer to the research question is still based on the results provided in the qualitative researches. From this point, it is possible to answer whether the effects of the Civil Rights Movement on the modern American society are positive or negative.

The researches reviewed in this paper provide the general answer to this question. The authors of the reviewed works are inclined to argue that the Civil Rights Movement influenced the American society positively, and these positive effects can be observed even today while referring to the analysis of the modern position of the women, African Americans, and sexual minorities in the American society.

Racial discrimination and issues of inequality are discussed in the modern society openly, and many efforts are made to resolve these issues which were hushed up before the Civil Rights Movements development.

Thus, following the functionalist perspective, it is possible to state that the Civil Rights Movements effects on the modern American society are functional or mainly positive because the cases of racism are observed in the American community more rarely, the issue of segregation is not discussed today, and the public is active to double the efforts in relation to resolving the issues of racial and gender discrimination.

Furthermore, today, the public is active to promote the ideals of the social justice and equality, and women and African Americans have the opportunity to take the same positions as the white people or males. These changes can be explained with references to the conflict theory.

From these perspectives, the implications of the research are in stating the direct connection between the positive results of the Civil Rights Movement and current situation in the modern American society.

Nevertheless, the direction for the future research should be associated with finding the numerical data and evidence to support the idea that the observed positive transformation of the American society into more tolerant and democratic one is the result of the Civil Rights Movement.

References

Andrews, K. (2001). Social movements and policy implementation. American Sociological Review, 66(1), 71-95.

Caulfield, B. (2011). Civil rights revisited: The growing African American pro-life movement. The Human Life Review, 37(2), 25-29.

Ezra, M. (2009). Civil Rights Movement: People and perspectives. USA: ABC-CLIO.

Isaac, L., & Christiansen, L. (2002). How the Civil Rights Movement revitalized labor militancy. American Sociological Review, 67(6), 722-746.

Olzak, S., & Ryo, E. (2007). Organizational diversity, vitality and outcomes in the Civil Rights Movement. Social Forces, 85(4), 1561-1591.

A powerful article by Bernice McNair Barnett explores why black women are still invisible and unrecognized as leaders in the American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Based on 36 personal interviews and multiple published and archived sources, the author demonstrates that black women in the South have played a prominent role in the struggle for their rights. However, the main obstacle to recognizing their leadership roles was discrimination based on race, gender, and class, both in society and academic literature.

The images of female activists in scholarly research are subject to a number of biases. These include stereotypes of poor black women being passive members of society and a preference for middle-class activists over ones from more modest social backgrounds. Questionnaires compiled by Barnett asked interviewees to choose between different leadership roles and relate civil rights activists to these categories. The findings demonstrated that male activists and especially Martin Luther King were rated much higher than their female counterparts. Among the intrinsically feminine roles in civil rights activism, the respondents identified mobilization and fundraising (Barnett, 1993, p. 172). Moreover, research on social movements in America focuses on men and the elite as the vanguard of protest. In turn, the early feminist scholarship places great emphasis on the activism of middle-class white women.

The authors findings demonstrate that although leadership was interpreted as a multifunctional category, the distribution of roles was gender-, race-, and class-oriented. While sexist attitudes and economic hardships often prevented black women from being recognized in the social movements, they have made significant and undeniable contributions to the struggle for rights.

Question: According to this study, what are the main reasons why the role of Black women leaders has remained invisible and unrecognized?

Reference

Barnett, B. M. (1993). Invisible southern black women leaders in the civil rights movement: The triple constraints of gender, race, and class. Gender & Society, 7(2), 162182.

Without doubt, Paul Hendrickson, Bernice McNair Barnett and Danielle L. McGuire assert that Black women made noteworthy contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. As Barnett (163) notes, Black women were at the forefront of formulating tactics and strategies, initiating protests and securing resources such as communication networks, money and personnel that necessitated the success of collective action.

These included distinctive women such as Aurelia Browder, Jo Ann Gibson and Viola White among others. Such women formulated strategies and tactics such as declining to ride buses to work to boycott against the segregation laws, I had stopped riding because I wanted better treatment (Hendrickson 290).

They also refused to give seats to White passengers in buses, I am not going to move out of my seat&I got the privilege to sit here like anybody (Hendrickson 294) as a way of initiating protests. In addition, Black women with fair skin also used the sneering strategy; reminding the Whites who thought and treated them as Whites that they were not different from Blacks, was a member of the darker race (Hendrickson 293).

Conspicuously, Black women such as Mrs. Gilmore formed clubs that sought money to finance the movement (Barnett 168). In addition, they sought after the personnel that the movement required. For instance, the Albany Movement had a woman leader who organized young people to attend demonstrations and meetings (Barnett 168).

However, despite their paramount contributions, sometimes more than men and it was women more than men (Hendrickson 289), Black women remained invisible in reference to their recognition as leaders in the movement, except for a few such as Rosa Parks. Evidently, Black women were not under any male leaders directives, including the most influential male, Martin Luther King, a clear indication that they deserved recognition on their own.

The Black women took their own initiatives. This is because they shared a common desire for freedom from oppression (Barnet 163) that made them have the courage to start their initiatives without relying on men directives. They were angered by the unjust segregation laws that made them victims of racialism, and unjust treatment by officers and in the public (McGuire 59). Hence, they took their own initiatives because they wanted better treatment (290) which they would get if they cooperated with the Black people in the movement.

The key factors that left the Black women unrecognized or led to recognition of just a few of them as leaders are class, race and gender biases (Barnet 163). In terms of gender bias, focus on Civil Rights Movement research was on the elite Black male professionals such as Martin Luther King and ministers, not the women.

In addition, women were negatively stereotyped as poor, illegitimate and female-headed, thus making them unworthy of recognition as leaders. In reference to race, Feminist scholarships focus was on White women activism. In terms of class, there was a middle-class orientation ignoring and excluding the working-class and poor Black women experiences in the civil movement. This yielded the perception that Black women were politically passive, organizers or followers, not leaders.

In reference to the discussion above, it is crucial to talk about Black womens contribution to the movement. While focusing on individuals would explore key women leaders in the movement, other women, the invisible, would be left out. Hence, it warrants that Black women be explored using an all- inclusive framework.

This demand exploring the sex-specific ways that Black women contributed to the movement because they collectively have a history of their own (Barnet 165), a reflection of their own role, concerns and values as women and Afro-Americans.

Works Cited

Barnett, Bernice McNair. Invisible Southern Black Women Leaders in the Civil Rights Movement: The Triple Constraints of Gender, Race, and Class. Gender and Society, 7.2 (1993):162-182. Print.

Hendrickson, Paul, 1944-The Ladies Before Rosa: Let Us Now Praise Unfamous Women. Rhetoric & Public Affairs 8. 2 (2005): 287-298. Print.

McGuire, Danielle L. At the Dark End of the Street. Black Women, Rape, and Resistance- A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. 40-67. Print.

Introduction

Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson played crucial roles in the Civil Rights movements in the USA. The African Americans and other minority groups in the US faced discrimination. For instance they were not allowed to vote.

They were denied freedom to mix and mingle with Native Americans in both public and social gatherings. To handle these challenges needed resolute leadership. Eisenhowers presidency saw the introduction of the Civil Rights Act in 1957. Lyndon Johnson, on the other hand, equally grappled with this issue early enough.

Historical background

The social historians have managed to cogently present the politics that surrounded the civil rights movement. They particularly focused on retelling the predicament of the underclass and their strategies of progress over time.¹

Ezra has adequately managed to present the struggle through which the African Americans went through to gain civil liberties and recognition in the American society.He further avers that although civil rights movement has been greatly highlighted, it just marked a lower position of the road to freedom (Ezra 5).

Actually, the African Americans started their struggle for freedom many years. The struggle could be traced all the way to the Atlantic Slave trade. He has successfully illustrated what the slaves did to express their resistance to slave trade. For instance, he says that the slaves never wanted to abandon their heritage (Ezra 38). They married fellow slaves and went ahead and had families.

They have resisted through a myriad of ways such as feigning illness, spoiling the tools meant to be used for working and to some extent would even capture and murder their captors. It is against this backdrop that 1954 to 1968 came to be greatly associated with civil rights movement. It was a momentous era in the African Americans struggle for freedom as it led to substantial gains in the fight for equal rights.

The era was one characterized by heightened activism. Secondly, the era gained the support of non blacks. The whites also sympathised with the cause of the struggle. The movement also managed to gain the support of the aims of government, the executive, legislature, and even the judiciary (Ezra 6). The executive particularly did so through issuing of speeches of civil rights movement.

Fourthly, the civil rights movement managed to receive international attention and support. Finally, the media was not left behind. It played a pivotal role in projecting the civil rights movement as one was putting the American moral conscience to question.

Lyndon Johnsons participation in the Civil Rights movement had started earlier, though covertly. His experience of teaching in a segregated school made him develop a deep conviction that segregation was morally wrong. He always thought of once transforming America into a great society, and when he thought of segregation, he felt that America was not pursuing that direction of greatness.

He had worked with the segregated minority groups since 1928. As an elementary school teacher in a segregated Mexican American only school, Johnson saw how the small community was wallowing in abject poverty and illiteracy. They also lived in squalid conditions. By this he felt that the situation could only be remedied through provision of education.

Eisenhower and Civil Rights Movement

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) approached the Civil Rights movement with measured caution (Jacoway 65). His support for the Civil Rights movement was measured so as he could not seem to antagonize his voting base. Eisenhowers contribution towards civil rights movement has been mired with controversy. Many analysts felt that he stood on both sides of the fence.

All in all, his action or inaction had crucial contribution to the civil rights movement in the US. Many analysts have seen that Eisenhower tried all ways possible to avoid issues that had to do with race conflict. But this could not go on for long as he got spurred into action in the Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954.² The Supreme Court had ruled that segregation that occurred in the public schools was unconstitutional.

It is believed that this Supreme Court ruling did not go down well with Eisenhower (Jacoway 70). Consequently, he declined to sanction its endorsement. Most opponents of desegregation got their agitation bolstered by this silence from the highest office.

As such, most whites from the south formed councils whose sole purpose was to hinder or sabotage any compliance to the courts ruling through various ways including violence and intimidation. Other groups resorted to political action to discourage compliance.

Though Eisenhower had not been publicly associated with the Civil Rights Movement, the Little Rock incident made him respond. Initially, his belief was that no one should force the other person to change beliefs and convictions through legislation.

He thought that such change could only be occasioned through their heart. In other words, he did not want to support legislation for Civil Rights but the event at Little Rock school formed a turning point on the whole view.

Eisenhower, though opposed to the ruling of the court, was duty bound by the constitution to respect it. So, when white mobs prevented some black students from joining Little Rock High school, Eisenhower had to dispatch the army to guard and make sure the black students were protected the whole year (Jacoway 44). Even Governor Faubus reluctantly agreed to let the African American students enrol in the school.

The troops stayed at the school for the whole year and in 1958 Central High School in Little Rock produced the first African American graduate. In this situation it can be seen that Eisenhower contributed towards the initial implementation of desegregation in the American public schools.

This he did but not without constant interruption. For example, we are told that in 1958 Governor Faubus, in a bid to sabotage desegregation, went ahead and closed all public schools. This was solely aimed at stopping the integration program that was already underway.

Another area in which Eisenhower contributed greatly towards civil Rights Movement was legislation. For instance, it is recorded that he was the one who first signed civil rights legislation. The law required that the federal government protects all voting rights of individuals regardless of colour, creed etc.³

The situation was particularly worse in the Southern states: African Americans had completely been disenfranchised  their voting rights had been denied despite the constitution having stated otherwise. The states managed to prevent them through roadblocks such as subjecting them to literacy tests and even poll taxes licence for letting them vote.

But it should not also be forgotten that the jury of the matter was that the jury was predominantly white hence there was no hope of a fair verdict. Eisenhower did not tire in signing legislation.

For example, in 1960, he further went ahead and signed his second Civil Rights law that was a further advancement over the previous one (Jacoway 86). In other cases, the president invoked executive authority to further champion civil rights as envisaged in the constitution.

In a nutshell, Eisenhower valued moderation as he went about the civil rights issue. For example, he urged both sides to go slow. He urged those who wanted the rights to be implemented to go slow as well as those who were opposed to desegregation. To him the both sides were exhibited extremist tendencies in their approach, something he seemed to abhor.

Lyndon Johnson and Civil Rights Movement

Johnsons soft spot for civil rights movement is well documented. He started implementing his aspirations at the formative stage before he even became president.

He recognised the effect of racism even while serving as President John Kennedys Vice President (Kirk 101). He appreciated that the blacks had played a crucial role in World War II; hence the need for the state to treat them well otherwise he thought that could result in a bloody revolution.

After assuming the US Presidency, in 1963 after Kennedys assassination, Johnson set out his vision of transforming America into a Great Society. He felt that this could only be achieved through eradication of poverty and racial discrimination. During this tenure the Civil Rights Bill was passed into law.

Some southerners were not amused with Johnsons interest in Civil Rights by seeing to it that the Bill was passed in its entirety without any form of dilution (Kirk 97). He devoted all his energy and resources to achieve this end. However, Johnson seemed to receive a backlash from the whites and even the blacks, who thought the Bill was not comprehensive enough.

To further ensure the right to decent living and education, Johnson felt that his Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 was a solution towards helping the poor out of the squalid conditions in the ghettos.

True to his wishes, very poor states like Mississippi received uplifting federal funding that led to a large number of African Americans accessing higher education. The African American students quadrupled within a very short time.

Though Johnson feared opposition from Congress, he further pushed the voting Rights Act of 1965. The political face of the South changed dramatically as it became integrated.

Johnson succeeded in his legislative journey because of his persuasive nature and strong desire and determination to right all the wrongs that had bedevilled the minority in the country. The voting Rights Act actually helped the African Americans and other minority groups in the US to vote freely without any hindrance.

Furthermore, the Acts made the African Americans gain economic and political power (Kirk 77). Despite all the work that Johnson had done, there were riots in Watts, Los Angeles. These riots had been occasioned by some element of de-facto discrimination that continued to thrive. This type of discrimination was one that was not easy to legislate against. The Africans further rioted till 1966. Riots occurred in more than 38 cities in America.

All in all, Johnson can be said to have played a very important role in the civil rights movement. This could be seen in his success in putting a stop to de jure kind of discrimination. Now African Americans could vote freely and even get voted for during elections.

In the field of education his Education Acts acted as catalysts for disaggregation in schools and other educational institutions. Even in his other Acts, Johnson managed to greatly improve the economic stature of the Africans as even their unemployment rates reduced by over 34%.

Conclusion

The historians have successfully managed to analyze the civil rights movement. From their expose, they have managed to show or reveal how presidents Eisenhower and Johnson were faced with the dilemma to pursue civil rights while at the same time deeply worried about losing votes from opposing sides. All in all, they finally managed to promote civil rights.

Notes

1. See U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Report, Justice (1961).
2. Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
3. See William L. Taylor, The Passion of My Times: An Advocates Fifty-Year
4. Journey in the Civil Rights Movement (Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2004), p. xv.

Works Cited

Ezra, Michael. Civil Rights Movement: People and Perspectives. California: ABC-CLIO, 2009. Print.

Jacoway, Elizabeth. Turn Away Thy Son: Little Rock, the Crisis that Shocked the Nation. New York: Free Press, 2007. Print.

Kirk, John. Beyond Little Rock: the Origins and Legacies of the Central High Crisis. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2007. Print.

There are several definitions of what a leader is, but still all interpretations of this concept agree on one aspect: the basis of leadership is the psychology of a strong personality independent of others opinions, capable of managing any situation and making decisions quickly. A leader is a person with significant authority who can make solutions in the interests of the community. The psychology of a leader is the psychology of a winner. In the history of humanity, there are many leaders in various fields: politics, military affairs, or economics. One such example is one of the early leaders of the civil rights movement, American investigative journalist Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, who, thanks to her qualities of character, remained a significant figure in history and brought change to society.

The concept of a leader hides a whole set of particular character traits that allow remaining such a successful person. First of all, leadership is based on a moral component, since such persons take on moral responsibility for their actions and their followers actions. Moreover, to become a leader, a person should understand peoples needs and be able to articulate the primary needs of a group. He or she must be communicative to build communication in society and express his or her ideas effectively. Confidence or the assurance in own actions, words, and point of view is no less critical. Those who can give people reliance, even if not immediately, but in the future, people will follow. It is also essential for a leader to take risks and understand where the fine line lies between risk and recklessness. Responsibility is always associated with a certain amount of risk and liability for other peoples actions. Therefore, a leader should not only combine the listed qualities but also constantly develop them.

Ida Bell Wells was a prominent African-American journalist, civil rights activist, and womens rights leader in the womens electoral movement. She is also best known for her bold and effective opposition to lynching. According to Kruse et al. (2020), this woman was not afraid of public pressure, openly expressed her opinion, and took responsibility for her words. She constantly took risks, actively investigating cases of lynching black men, and wrote candidly about it in many publications. Even the attack on the office of her newspaper, as a result of which Wells was forced to leave for Chicago, did not stop the woman from speaking on forbidden topics. Moreover, during her participation in womens suffrage parades, she refused to stand in the back because she was black, which caused a lot of media coverage. Ida said: It is better to die fighting injustice than to die like a trapped rat (Kruse et al., 2020, p. 24). These are the words of a genuine leader who can change social imperfections. Thus, Ida Wells traits such as responsibility for her actions and willingness to take risks indicate that this woman was a leader.

Wells ability to speak out and inspire the masses deserves special attention. Kruse et al. (2020) note that she promoted her position, which was opposed to social trends throughout the United States, and made two trips to England to draw public attention to the issue of civil equality and lynching. Her ability to communicate effectively and express her views persuasively resulted in Wells having followers worldwide and enlisting the support of many people. Furthermore, Wells organized the Negro Fellowship League, which assisted newly arrived black migrants from the south. Thus, communication skills and the ability to dialogue helped the woman become a leader.

Ida B. Wells possessed all the qualities characteristic of leaders: responsibility, the ability to clearly express her point of view, understanding of the needs of society, and confidence. Throughout her life, this woman relentlessly demanded equality and justice for African Americans. She became one of the earliest activists of the civil rights movement. Thus, Ida was one of the most influential leaders in fighting against lynching in the United States.

Work Cited

Kruse, Beth et al. Remembering Ida, Ida Remembering: Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Black Political Culture in Reconstruction-Era Mississippi. Southern Cultures, vol. 26, 2020, pp. 20-41.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the brightest and most persistent leaders within the Civil Rights movement. He inspired millions of people and made them take their stand.

First, this preacher was seen as a religious leader who stood for Christian morality in terms of the American society, but soon he entered the US political arena.¹

Martin Luther King managed to make the government hear the poor peoples message. The movement had a great impact on the American society.

Several programs aimed at helping poor people of color were launched. Of course, the war in Vietnam undermined the development of the programs and the movement itself.

Martin Luther King noticed the negative trend and he took his stand to make people see the devastating effects of the war. The leader noted that lots of programs were shut as the funds were used to support the military industry.²

He knew that the war was a great mistake and he wanted to make people see that. He stressed that according to polls millions of people were against the war. However, millions were also unsure and were silent.³ Martin Luther King tried to make those people speak.

Notably, the leader of the Civil Rights movement provided comprehensive evidence to support his stand. He linked the Civil Right Movement to the Vietnam War and justified his viewpoint.

Firstly, he argued that the funds which were to be sent to help poor people were allocated to support the military operations.⁴ Martin Luther King stressed that there was another problem, which was much more serious.

He noted that the government sent thousands of young men of color as well as white men to fight for illusive values.⁵ Of course, these were two basic reasons why the war had a negative impact on the development of the Civil Rights movement.

However, Martin Luther King also named one more reason which could have negative effects in the long run. He noted that the movement for Civil Rights could be changed and become more violent.⁶

He claimed that many fighters for the Civil Rights were adopting violent measures of struggle since they witnessed the ways which were used by the government.

Admittedly, it was quite logical to use violent actions against the government which used force to achieve certain goals. Martin Luther King claimed that it was a very dangerous trend and the government had to reconsider its ways.

It is important to note that those precautions were ignored. Many people tried to highlight Kings errors. Thus, there were articles where King was depicted as an ignorant and unpatriotic idealist who did not see the whole picture.⁷

Nonetheless, the history has shown that the ideas expressed by Martin Luther King were rightful and correct. More so, they are still up-to-date. The US government has used force to pursue certain goals.

The military operations in Iraq can also have devastating effects as the US society is still torn in parts. Many people try to struggle using peaceful methods, but the strategies used by the government can be soon adopted.

It is crucial to consider Martin Luther Kings statements as people can learn a lot from his speeches.

If Americans follow the way shown by Dr. King, they will build a united society where no oppression exists. It is high time to read his speeches carefully and come to the correct conclusions and make proper decisions.

Bibliography

Dr. Kings Error. The New York Times. Web.

King, Martin Luther. Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence. Web.

Thomas, Frank A. American Dream 2.0: A Christian Way Out of the Great Recession. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2012.

Footnotes

1. Frank A. Thomas, American Dream 2.0: A Christian Way Out of the Great Recession (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2012), 52.
2. Martin Luther King, Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Martin Luther King, Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.
7. Dr. Kings Error, The New York Times.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the brightest and most persistent leaders within the Civil Rights movement. He inspired millions of people and made them take their stand.

First, this preacher was seen as a religious leader who stood for Christian morality in terms of the American society, but soon he entered the US political arena.¹

Martin Luther King managed to make the government hear the poor peoples message. The movement had a great impact on the American society.

Several programs aimed at helping poor people of color were launched. Of course, the war in Vietnam undermined the development of the programs and the movement itself.

Martin Luther King noticed the negative trend and he took his stand to make people see the devastating effects of the war. The leader noted that lots of programs were shut as the funds were used to support the military industry.²

He knew that the war was a great mistake and he wanted to make people see that. He stressed that according to polls millions of people were against the war. However, millions were also unsure and were silent.³ Martin Luther King tried to make those people speak.

Notably, the leader of the Civil Rights movement provided comprehensive evidence to support his stand. He linked the Civil Right Movement to the Vietnam War and justified his viewpoint.

Firstly, he argued that the funds which were to be sent to help poor people were allocated to support the military operations.⁴ Martin Luther King stressed that there was another problem, which was much more serious.

He noted that the government sent thousands of young men of color as well as white men to fight for illusive values.⁵ Of course, these were two basic reasons why the war had a negative impact on the development of the Civil Rights movement.

However, Martin Luther King also named one more reason which could have negative effects in the long run. He noted that the movement for Civil Rights could be changed and become more violent.⁶

He claimed that many fighters for the Civil Rights were adopting violent measures of struggle since they witnessed the ways which were used by the government.

Admittedly, it was quite logical to use violent actions against the government which used force to achieve certain goals. Martin Luther King claimed that it was a very dangerous trend and the government had to reconsider its ways.

It is important to note that those precautions were ignored. Many people tried to highlight Kings errors. Thus, there were articles where King was depicted as an ignorant and unpatriotic idealist who did not see the whole picture.⁷

Nonetheless, the history has shown that the ideas expressed by Martin Luther King were rightful and correct. More so, they are still up-to-date. The US government has used force to pursue certain goals.

The military operations in Iraq can also have devastating effects as the US society is still torn in parts. Many people try to struggle using peaceful methods, but the strategies used by the government can be soon adopted.

It is crucial to consider Martin Luther Kings statements as people can learn a lot from his speeches.

If Americans follow the way shown by Dr. King, they will build a united society where no oppression exists. It is high time to read his speeches carefully and come to the correct conclusions and make proper decisions.

Bibliography

Dr. Kings Error. The New York Times. Web.

King, Martin Luther. Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence. Web.

Thomas, Frank A. American Dream 2.0: A Christian Way Out of the Great Recession. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2012.

Footnotes

1. Frank A. Thomas, American Dream 2.0: A Christian Way Out of the Great Recession (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2012), 52.
2. Martin Luther King, Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Martin Luther King, Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.
7. Dr. Kings Error, The New York Times.

The I Have a Dream speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a powerful message that remains relevant to both the United States and the world even today. The speech is full of outrage, contains allusions to the Bible and the US Declaration of Independence. It is considered one of the best in the history of mankind. The main theses of Kings political speeches were not only the equalization of the rights of Whites and Blacks, but also a more global idea  world peace for the sake of the prosperity of humanity. According to Corbett et al. (2017), Kings speech became the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, legitimizing its goals.

The March was organized by Philip Randolph and Bayard Ruston to advocate for the civil and economic rights of the blacks in the United States. In the United States, the 1960s was characterized by the rise of Civil Rights Movements, the aim of which was to suppress and end discrimination and racial segregation against African Americans.

It was during the 1960s that the African Americans began realizing accomplishments in their struggle for civil rights, and using them as a base for fighting further. Galvin (2020) states that the basic narrative of justice is of a brutally oppressed people who took the initiative, defined their own needs, and demanded freedom (p. 1). The most used strategies by the Civil Rights Movement included freedom rides, boycotts, voter registration drives, marches, and sit-ins. This article seeks to discuss the impact of the 1960s Civil Rights Movements on the nation and minority groups and whether the ideas of the 1960s still have relevance today.

The Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s did not effectively change the nation. Some might argue that African Americans did not benefit that much from the new regulations brought by the movement. According to Bloom and Hatcher (2019), the Civil Rights Movement confronted the denial of political rights to Blacks, forced segregation, and the degradation of Blacks to second-grade class citizenship (p. 5). However, the White people were still significantly more privileged than the Black Americans, remaining on top of society. The biggest failure of the Civil Rights Movement was in relation to poverty and economic discrimination.

There was still a high prevalence of discrimination in employment and housing despite the laws being passed. Further, the business owned by minority groups were still denied equality in regards to access to financing, markets, and capital. As a result, many African Americans and other minority groups remained poor and further frustrated by never-ending police harassment, discrimination, and low standards of living. From these, many boycott groups arose, such as, for example, Black Panthers.

The Civil Rights Act had a large impact on the minority groups across the continent. The action initiated a greater federal role in protecting the rights of the minorities by increasing the protection of their voting rights. The Jim Crow laws ended with the establishment of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Moreover, federal penalties for those who violated the civil rights of people, especially working class, were established by the Civil Rights Act of 1968. It further outlawed discrimination of minorities in the sale and rental of about eighty percent of housing in the United States.

The tactics and strategies that were used in the 1960s by civil rights activists would not apply to todays racial and ethnic conflicts. As stated earlier, some of the popular strategies adopted by the Civil Rights Movement in their fight against racial and ethnic conflicts were based on the notion of non-violent civil disobedience. Pineda (2021) claims that the Civil Rights Movement is not only a powerful example of civil disobedience, but also a horizon of judgement of all civil disobedience (p. 1). These methods of protests included freedom rides, boycotts, sit-ins, voter registration drives, and marches. As we are aware by now, these strategies by Civil Rights Movements were not effective in regards to implementation. Therefore, since it was not successfully implemented in the 1960s, then there are higher chances that it may not be effective in solving the racial and ethnic conflicts of today.

It is worth mentioning that racial and ethnic conflicts are on the rise today in the United States and other parts of the world. In order to effectively reduce the racial and ethnic prejudice experienced today, the strategies to be applied needs to address both institutional and individual sources of prejudice. Further, the strategies should receive the support and active participation of those with authority and power in any given setting. In addition, these strategies need to examine similarities and differences across and within racial and ethnic groups. This includes differences related to gender, social class, and language.

The ideas of the 1960s still have relevance in the current era despite the tremendous progress witnessed in the United States since then. For example, African-American students still experience racial discrimination in the field of education even today. According to the U.S Department of Educations Civil Rights office, there is still opportunity gaps existing in public schools across the United States. In addition, there are some discriminatory policies and practices that still exist in schools that prevent students of color from accessing quality education. In addition, racial inequality and poverty among African Americans are still prevalent.

One relevant example is that Hurricane Katrina mainly affected the African Americans who were concentrated in poor neighborhoods, as was still the case in the 1960s. There have been activities in the current era which have been inspired by the Civil Rights Movements, including the immigrant rights demonstrations and the formation of various Latino civil rights and womens rights movements.

Although this historical event happened a long time ago, the general idea of the Civil Rights Movement is modern and relevant to this day. As stated by Martin Luther King, it is impossible to win by responding with violence to violence. Martin Luther Kings insistent calls for unity and nonviolent action in response to oppression and brutality are worthy of deep respect and long memory. His speeches have become key moments in American history in the struggle for racial justice. The Civil Rights Movement can also have a major impact on diversity in America today. Civil rights vary greatly over time, culture, and form of government.

Therefore, they tend to follow societal trends that condemn particular types of discrimination. For example, the LGBTQ+ community, which has been actively advocating for the rights of all queer people for the last fifty years. Aside from fighting against discrimination in the LGBTQ society, the Civil Rights Movement can help fight the discrimination against Arab Americans, which rose after the terror attacks of the 11th of September, 2001, otherwise known as 9/11.

References

Bloom, J. M., & Hatcher, R. G. (2019). Class, race, and the Civil Rights Movement. Indiana University Press.

Corbett, P. S., Janssen, V., Lund, J. M., Pfannestiel, T. J., & Vickery, P. S. (2017). U.S. history. OpenStax, Rice University.

Galvin, R. (2020). Let justice roll down like waters: Reconnecting Energy Justice to its roots in the Civil Rights Movement. Energy Research & Social Science, 62, 101385. Web.

Pineda, E. R. (2021). Seeing like an activist: Civil disobedience and the Civil Rights Movement. Oxford University Press.

The Civil Rights Movement is an era that was dedicated for equal treatments and rights to the activism of the African American in the US. In this period, people were united for the political, legal, cultural and social changes to end segregation and prohibit discrimination.

The civil rights movement spanned following the decision in the Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 via the Voting Rights Act 1965 passage that marked the watershed period which accomplished more than just the elimination of the racial barriers. This movement was very important to the history of the US and the world. It is through this movement that discrimination was established as unjust and not tolerated in the nation and examples set for those people who were oppressed (Davis, 2001).

The labors of the Civil Rights Movement eliminated the segregation legally and publicly. This era made a redesigning of the countrys social system. It is this movement that changed where the African American could attend their college or take some drinks. This effort united more citizens in order to achieve a common goal.

The majority of people with disregard to their race fought for the elimination of discrimination and just treatment of the African Americans. The movement led to an overwhelming transition of the American cultural, political and social life. There were changes to the prevalent notions concerning the rights of black citizens. The rights of people were protected by the courts regardless of their skin color (Eagles, 2004).

In many instances, the word civil rights juggle the images of Martin Luther King in his I Have a Dream speech in the capital. Many people recall on a darker note the television footage of the peaceful marchers who were beset by the snarling police dogs and the fire hoses.

Other remembers the unwavering faces of the black college students waging their campaigns at the southern lunch counters. Most definitely, one would not forget the black school girls who were attending a Sunday school and ended up dead in the bomb that ripped in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

Despite this, African American has always fought for their rights. Many of them consider the civil rights movement to have begun when the Africans were initially brought to chains. The blacks who struggled with their enslavement and fought for their fundamental rights of citizenship laid the foundation of what is now the civil rights movement (Dittmer, 2003).

When the slaves were first brought to America back in 1619, there was thorough discrimination and abuse of human rights until the abolishment of slavery in the thirteenth amendment after the civil war when the blacks gained their freedom. Inequality and racism were the order of the day with the blacks largely illiterate and bereft of property and money. Even after many measures were taken to safeguard the slaves, many still had other means to prevent the blacks from any citizenship benefits.

Other racist groups like Ku Klux Klan even used more harrowing methods with other forms of violence to lynch the blacks. Two incidents are known to have brought the issue of the civil rights into the spot light of the public. These were the NAACP of 1954 and the ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education. In this case, the segregation of public schools was considered unconstitutional (Davis, 2001).

In summary, the civil rights movement left an undeviating mark on the history of the American society. The movement saw the overt discrimination end and the violence that was considered racial ended immeasurably. Today, everyone can exercise their rights freely and even vote and run for political positions.

Millions of blacks have been lifted out of poverty as well because of this movement due to the economic opportunities that resulted from it. I would like to assert that the civil rights movement actually served as an advancement model for the minority groups.

References

Davis, J. (2001). The Civil Rights Movement. New York: Cengage Learning

Dittmer, J. (2003). Essay on the American Civil Rights Movement. London: Springer

Eagles, C. (2004). The Civil Rights Movement. Boston: McGraw-Hill