Category: Civil Rights Movement

Introduction

The 20^th century has been characterized by not only huge advances by the human civilization but also periods of turbulent wars and conflicts between various parties. These conflicts include: civil wars, civil rights and freedom movements and their occurrence is not limited to specific geographical locations.

While these conflicts were primarily characterized by war, bloodshed and huge losses in human life, music also played a role in the conflicts. Music is hugely regarded as the universal language that traverses over cultural boundaries and nations thus unifying the human race.

Music is believed to have the ability to evoke sentiments ranging from happy sensual emotions to sad and enraged feelings. As an art, music has evolved together with man from a humble mostly percussion beginning to complicated symphonies that engage many instruments.

In conflicts, music has served as a tool both for spreading messages as well as encouraging people to keep up the struggle. This paper shall set out to articulate the role of music in specific civil wars and freedom Movements of Europe and America. The paper shall focus on music styles, instruments and the artists of the particular political period. The impacts of music, whether negative or positive, in the political period shall then be highlighted.

Music in Wars and Freedom Movements

• The Italian Resistant Movement

One of the resistance movements in which music played a huge role was the anti-fascist resistance movement in Italy. The Italian Resistant Movement was formed following the ascendancy into power by the Fascist ruler Mussolini.

This movement sang the song Bella Ciao during the Second World War as they revolted against the Fascist ruler Mussolini. The Bella Ciao is defined by Bessel and Schumann (2003) as new lyrics on an old folk tune and it is the song about a male partisan who waves goodbye to his lover as he joins the Resistance to fight for socialism and freedom. Bella Ciao was originally a traditional song from the repertoire of the paddy-field workers of Lombardy.

It was adopted and adapted by anti-fascist partisans and it became the popular anthem of Italians resisting the German take-over of their country. The author of the Bella Ciao is unknown but the song was written to inspire the left-wing anti-fascist fighters.

Cheles and Sponza (2001) assert that for the partisans, the reworked fork ballad (Bella Ciao) served to unify peasants, artisans, urban and rural people under the banner of a shared ideology. The lyrics to the Bella Ciao include lines like if I die fighting as a partisan, you must come and bury me (Bessel & Schumann, 2003).

Another line reads Bury me there, up in the mountains, shade my grave with a lovely flower, so all the people who pass that way Will say Oh see that lovely flower! Ah thats the flower of the partisan fighter (Bessel & Schumann, 2003). This points to the fact that the partisans were aware of the reality of death in their struggle.

The song inspired the anti-fascist fighters that their deaths would not be in vain as they would be remembered as the fighters who died for freedoms sake. The song served as a great motivator for the anti-fascist fighters who were mostly outlawed by Mussolinis regime.

• Giovinezza By the Fascist Movement

In Mussolinis Italy, the anti-fascist movement was not the only party to employ the use of music as the fascist movement also made use of music to further their agenda. A particularly powerful song by the Fascists was Giovinezza which was composed in 1909 by Giuseppe Blanc.

Giovinezza (which translates to Youth) was a hymn that was originally chanted in the First World War by Italian troops. The version of Giovinezza that was used by Mussolinis regime was composed by Salvator Gotta and its lyrics were abridged to play on fascist themes. Giovinezza became the official song of the fascist movement during Mussolinis regime and it went on to gain the position of new national anthem (Falasca-Zamponi, 2000).

The aim of Giovinezza was to reinforce the position of Mussolini as the leader of the Fascist Movement and of Italy. Indeed, it placed Mussolini as the central hero with the refrain of the song acclaiming Mussolini with the fascist hurrah Eia, Eia, Alala. Giovinezza included lyrics such as Swear fealty to Mussolini highlighting the indoctrinating nature of the song.

Youth spiritually infused fascism and gave Mussolini who was the self proclaimed representative of youth the right to lead Italy. For the Italian Fascist regime, youth was central and of essential concern and Fascism was portrayed as a movement of the young and daring. Koon (1985) articulates that according to the Fascist regime, Italy would under fascism fulfill its glorious destiny as a youthful and virile nation struggling against the decadent and fossilized remnants of the old Europe for its rightful heritage (p.16).

The choice of Giovinezza as the Fascist anthem clearly points to the fat that youth was a key myth of the movement. The song includes words exhorting youth such as youth, youth, spring of beauty, in the hardship of life, your song rings and goes. As a political tool, Giovinezza helped to advance the myth of the leader as infallible father figure and encouraged the formation of youth groups. Following the defeat of Mussolini, Giovinezza was banned in Italy. To the present time, Giovinezza remains banned in Italy and a person stands risk of imprisonment for merely singing the song.

• France Socialist  Internationale

The Internationale is hugely credited to be the main socialist anthem. The Internationale was written by the French Poet Eugene Pottier in 1971. The piece was set to music by Pierre de Geyter, a Lille textile worker and it was first sung in Lille in 1888. The lyrics of the song portray the state and the law as the enemy of the worker.

While the song was mostly used by Socialist workers, it was also taken up by the military. In particular, the song was used in the First World War by soldiers expressing despair and disillusionment. Sweeney (2001b) reveals that mutinous troops sang the Internationale and waved red flags to express bitterness and help instigate further dissent.

Portis (2004) notes that the success of the Internationale is due to its stirring lyrics and the equally uplifting music written by Pierre Degeyter. The Internationale was favored by the socialists since it appealed to the concrete concerns of the poor and powerless who were exploited by the tyrants.

The song contains words such as Arise ye prisoners of starvation! Arise ye Wretched of the earth! For justice thunders condemnation, A better Worlds in birth (Portis, 2004, p.32). Portis (2004) hails the Internationale as the most important vehicle for the spread of local socialist messages.

The Internationale inspired a religious-like fervor unlike any simple song of political protest and it captured the social imagination of generations. The Internationale is one of the very few militant songs sang by working people and socialists in France that continues to be used to the present day. Portis (2004) states that to many French people, the song evokes memories of the heroic days of labor struggle.

• Hasta Siempre Che Quevera

In the course of the 20^th century, South America was home to a number of revolutions which resulted in governments being overthrown. Castros regime came to be as a result of the 1959 revolution which resulted in Fidel Castrol becoming leader of Communist Cuba.

Following this revolutionist victory, songwriters began to write specifically in praise of the revolution and its heroes. One of the most notable songwriters was Carlos Puebla who was well known for writing simple but melodic songs that exhorted the deeds and personalities of the new Castro regime.Hasta Siempre, Commandante was a rapturous ode to Che Guevara and it was written by Carlos Puebla on the departure of the Argentinean guerrilla-doctor to Bolivia for revolutionary struggle (Sweeney, 2001).

The title of the song is from Che Guevaras popular saying Hasta la Victoria Siempre which translates to Until Victory Always. The song is about the legacy of Che Guevara and his iconic role in the Cuban revolution. The song was styled after the trovadores favored by old-fashioned traveling minstrels who plied their musical trade across Cuba in the early part of the 20th century.

The main instruments used by the Trovadores were acoustic guitars and the bass guitar. Carlos Pueblas ode to Che Guevara gave the genre a political and grittier edge. According to Sweeney (2001), the song was written in memory of Che Guevara and for the struggle that immortalized him.

The song pays tribute to Che Guevara with the lyrics including words like We learned to love you, from historys heights, where the sun of your bravery, laid siege to death (Sweeney, 2001). To the present time, Hasta Siempre stirs up the revolutionary spirit that Che Guevara represented. As a matter of fact, the song was used as a backdrop to a film about Pinochets coup in Chile (Sweeney, 2001).

Conclusion

This paper set out to discuss music that was used in various civil wars and freedom movements in the 20^th century. Specific songs that were used in the Italian Resistant Movement, the Italian Fascist Movement, the French Socialist and the Cuban revolution have been documented.

From the analysis presented in this paper, it is clear that music was used as a tool to inspire as well as to make the audience favorably disposed to certain views or even spread propaganda. The Italian Resistant Movement used the song Bella Ciao in their fight against fascism while the Fascist Movement used Giovinezza to indoctrinate the masses to the Fascist ideals.

The Internationale was used as a vehicle to spread the socialist message in French as well as by workers protesting against the government and their employers. The Hasta Siempre praised the iconic communist revolutionary Che Guevara. While the music in all this instances differed significantly in style and lyrics, the music served as a powerful tool for advancing certain ideals. It can therefore be authoritatively stated that music is a powerful tool that can help to change the course of social and political affairs of a nation.

References

Bessel, R. & Schumann, D. (2003). Life after death: approaches to a cultural and social history of Europe during the 1940s and 1950s. Cambridge University Press.

Cheles, L. & Sponza, L. (2001). The art of persuasion: political communication in Italy from 1945 to the 1900s. Manchester University Press

Falasca-Zamponi, S. (2000). Fascist spectacle: the aesthetics of power in Mussolinis Italy. University of California Press.

Koon, T. H. (1985). Believe, obey, fight: political socialization of youth in fascist Italy, 1922-1943. UNC Press Books.

Portis, L. (2004). French Frenzies: A Social History of Pop Music in France. Virtualbookworm Publishing.

Sweeney, P. (2001). The rough guide to Cuban music. Rough Guides.

Sweeney, R. M. (2001b). Singing our way to victory: French cultural politics and music during the Great War. Wesleyan University Press.

Although in the twentieth-century slavery was abolished, African Americans still had fewer rights than their white fellow citizens and were treated with oppression and disrespect. This situation gave rise to the civil rights movement (CRM) in the 1950s, when the blacks decided to improve their position in society. This essay will provide a brief overview of the CRM and discuss its impact on the contemporary life of African Americans.

Before the CRM, the whites considered the blacks inferior to them. Therefore, after the abolition of slavery, they wanted to be separated from the African Americans. It resulted in Jim Crow laws that established racial segregation, controlled Blacks politically and socially, and exploited them economically (Fleming and Morris 107). Being discontented with their position, the blacks started the CRM. The catalyst for the movement was Rosa Parks refusal to let a white man have her seat on a public bus, which led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After that, since the CRM activists preferred nonviolent methods of struggle, protests and demonstrations were held to promote civil rights reforms (Fleming and Morris 111). Although the blacks protests were met with resistance, they managed to achieve the adoption of several significant laws granting them essential rights.

The CRM resulted in passing the laws that eliminated segregation in schools and discrimination in public places, protected the voting rights of the blacks, and ensured equal housing opportunities. People of color were allowed to hold public office, which enabled Barack Obama to become the first Afro-American president. The CRM influenced television since blacks were permitted to appear on the screen. It also inspired other minorities, such as Latinos and Native Americans, to fight for their rights. The crucial point of CRM is that it happened not on the initiative of governments or ruling classes but because the oppressed left the authorities no alternative but to meet their requirements (Fleming and Morris 120). Thus, this movement proves that with due arrangements, even social segments deprived of power can achieve considerable results.

In conclusion, CRM was a significant social movement in US history. It eliminated the remains of slavery, vested the African Americans with essential civil rights, and shaped the current social position of the blacks. Although there are still issues related to racial discrimination, such as disparities in education or criminal justice, they are not as severe as they used to be in the twentieth century.

Work Cited

Fleming, Crystal M., and Aldon Morris. Theorizing Ethnic and Racial Movements in the Global Age: Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, vol. 1, no. 1, 2015, pp. 105-126.

Introduction

One of the most important event of 1960s US was the Civil Rights Movement. The movement gave equal rights to African-Americans in the US which included right to vote. Although it officially ended in the late 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement has had far reaching impact on the US society, some of which we continue to see to this day. Two of the best perspectives to get a good insight into the impact of the movement in the 21^st century are that of a sociologist and a political scientist.

Sociologists Perspective

Sociology is the study of systems of social actions and their relationships (Ross, 2005). The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was a major social action which had far reaching consequences. The relationship of social actions of the time to the realities of the 21^st century world cannot be denied or underestimated. And sociology is increasingly concerned with this relationship. As Chen and Phinney (2004) point out, in recent years, sociological research on social movements is concerned with determining the outcomes of these movements. Hence, as we try to understand the implications of the Civil Rights Movement on the life in 21^st century, looking at it from the sociological perspective becomes imperative.

Some of the direct impacts of the movement are on policy implementation, elective office and on demographic changes. The biggest impact of the Movement was on life and rights of the African Americans. As Morris (1999) has pointed out, the life for African Americans before the civil rights movement and now in the 21^st century is in stark contrast. Even though slavery had ended in the nineteenth century, white domination continued well into the twentieth century as the Blacks were kept at the bottom of the economic order. African American were disenfranchised and not allowed to participate in the political process, or be appointed as judge or act as jurors.

The Civil Rights Movement changed all this. The major public policy impacts of the movement were the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Although these Acts brought about huge changes in the rights and lives of African Americans, the most visible of which is the election of President Obama as the first African American president, there are still a number of gaps to be filled. The African Americans continue to be among the poorest citizens of the country. They are also most likely to be disenfranchised by being convicted of a crime. Although, the African Americans themselves may be responsible for their plight, the public opinion too had been slow to change. So though the Civil Rights Movement may have ended, its implications continue into the 21^st century and will continue till the black can join the main stream America much more easily than they do now.

The one lasting impact of the US Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was that it became a model for all the future movements in the US and other countries. As Morris points out, the movement was extremely important because a group of relatively powerless people were able to have such a monumental impact on the nations social fabric.

Political Scientists Perspective

As discussed above, the Civil Rights Movement also had an important impact on the politics of the nation. The election of President Obama, in this respect, can be considered the ultimate victory of the African Americans. But the process which led to this victory makes the study of impact of the movement on the politics of the nation imperative. Hence, besides studying the impact of the movement on the life in 21^st century from a sociological perspective, it is also important to discuss it from a political perspective.

Bringing political rights to the African Americans was not easy and in the initial years, even the Black themselves did not believe that they managed to wrestle certain rights for themselves. This is obvious when we realize, that in the initial years of the Civil Rights Movement, very few black southerners were politically active (Beyerlein & Andrews, 2008).

Despite the perceived success of the movement, it was not without a significant White backlash, which can in part explain the still bad living conditions for a majority of African Americans. According to Boyd (2009), the re-emergence of the Republic Party in the South was the result of the successful exploitation of the situation by the Republicans and a White backlash to the Civil Rights Movement. This backlash may have had far reaching impact on public policies and the Republican political agenda. Being forced to give up their way of life as a direct result of the Movement, the South became even more conservative as the Republican Party capitalized on their anger. The resulting Republican policies have shaped the national US policy in large parts and continue to do so in the 21^st century.

Andrews (1997), has carried out a systematic research to understand the relationship between the Movement and its political outcome. His research examined four major political outcomes which included the number of black voters registered, votes cast for black candidates, number of black candidates running for office and the number of black elected official. While Andrews enquiry is mostly from a political science perspective, it gives some insight into the impact of the movement on social relations. His findings point out that almost two decades after the end of the movement, the representation of African Americans in public office is still low compared to their population. This suggests that even though the movement has officially ended, it will be decades before its starts having a real impact on the political processes, just as it will be some time before the African Americans are openly accepted in the mainstream American society.

Conclusion

The American Civil Rights Movement has had far reaching impact on the American way of life. Opportunities, which were simply not available to the African Americans prior to 1960s were now made available to them. This meant that for the first time in American history, they had right to freedom and equality in the real sense. The result was the rise of the African Americans in several fields including in politics. The increasing number of African Americans in the politics today is the proof of success of the Civil Rights Movement.

However, the Movement was not without its backlash. The one negative implication of the Movement, which continues in to the 21^st century was the increased conservativeness of the South. This has resulted in the Republicans establishing themselves in the southern states and has shaped the conservative republican policies, which continue to have impact even on the national policies, right into the 21^st century.

Reference List

Andrews, K.T. (1997). The impacts of social movements on the political processes: The Civil Rights Movement and black electoral politics in Mississippi. American Sociological Review, 62(5), 800-819.

Beyerlein, K., & Andrews, K. (2008). Black Voting During the Civil Rights Movement: A Micro-level Analysis. Social Forces, 87(1), 65-93.

Boyd, T. (2009). The 1966 Election in Georgia and the Ambiguity of the White Backlash. Journal of Southern History, 75(2), 305-340.

Chen, A.S. & Phinney, R. (2004). Did the Civil Rights Movement Have a Direct Impact on Public Policy? Evidence from the Passage of State Fair Housing Laws, 1959-1965. Web.

Morris, A.D. (1999). A Retrospective on the Civil Rights Movement: Political and Intellectual Landmarks. Annual Review of Sociology. 25. 517-539.

Ross, J. (2005). Major Sociological Concepts. Web.

Simeon Wright, Emmet Till’s cousin once wrote “It never occurred to me that Bobo would be killed for whistling at a white woman”. This quote could not be any truer for how Emmett Till faced his murder in Money, Mississippi after playing a prank on a white lady. Till’s story created recognition on the bigotry that was pervasive in the south in 1955, significantly after endeavors across the country to integrate and become equivalent. Till’s Death signified a new symbol for the Civil Rights Movement and enabled the ultimatum of equivalent rights for all nationalities and races in the United States.

Till spent his early days in a working-class neighborhood on Chicago’s southern side, where he had gone to a segregated elementary school, which did not set him up for the extent of racism that he experienced in Mississippi. Although he was cautioned by his mother to look out for himself due to his race, the young man appreciated pulling tricks. On August 24, 1955, Emmett visited a country store in Money, Mississippi with his cousins and a few partners where he relished that his hometown girlfriend was white. This resulted in his African American sidekicks who at the same time distrusted him, dared him to request the white lady residing at the store counter for a date.

As he walked into the store to purchase some chocolates, Till remarked on his departing “Bye, baby” to the lady. There had been no observers in the store to witness the situation, except for one – Carolyn Bryant who witnessed the event the whole time behind the counter. Emmett was forced to carry a 75-pound cotton gin fan to the bank of the Tallahatchie River where he was commanded to remove his garments. From there, the white woman’s husband and her brother physically abused him until he was dead. Emmett had his eye plucked out, a bullet was fired through his head and his neck was strapped with barbed wire around the cotton-gin fan he carried, in which he was drowned in a river.

Although Emmett’s death was a brutal suffering not only for him but for his community, his loss was witnessed by 18-year old William Teed who was approached by a man with a gun if he had seen or heard anything of the events. In order to save his life, Teed answered “No.” Teed was not the first to witness the event but Moses Wright, Emmett’s uncle, who failed to see his nephew the past night went out to find him only to have discovered later on that his corpse was in the Tallahatchie River. Emmett’s corpse appeared in bad, condition while the only asset of his body remaining recognizable was the ring his mother gave him before his parting.

Emmet’s mother, Mamie Till was aware of the heartbreaking news and decided to have her son’s remains get delivered to Chicago. Her son’s lacerated body convinced her to coordinate an open casket funeral for the entire community to understand the brutality of her young son. Mamie Till notified Jet, an African-American magazine to take part in the memorial service and take photos of Emmett’s unidentifiable corpse. The magazine company before long distributed the terrible photographs as the nation paid heed.

Fourteen days had preceded the covering of Emmett’s body, where Milam and Bryant were on trial in an isolated town hall in Sumner, Mississippi. Moses Wright, one of the few bystanders, decidedly distinguished the litigants as Emmett’s executioners. On September 23, 1955, the all-white jury spent under an hour prior to giving a ruling of “not guilty,” clarifying that they accepted the state had neglected to demonstrate the personality of the corpse. Numerous citizens were shocked by the choice and furthermore due to the state’s solution to avoid prosecuting Milan and Bryant on the disparate charge of murder.

A year following the Supreme Court’s milestone choice in Brown v. Board of Education to order the completion of racial isolation in government funded schools, Till’s loss gave a significant impetus to the American social liberties development. A hundred days later, Till’s legacy encouraged Rosa Parks not to surrender her seat on an Alabama city transport, causing the yearlong Montgomery Bus Boycott to take place. Nine years passed and Congress enforced the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting numerous types of racial separation and isolation. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act, prohibiting unfair democratic practices, was enacted.

The Emmett Till murder preliminary uncovered the severity of the Jim Crow isolation in the South and was a driving force behind the African-American social liberties development. In 2017, Tim Tyson, writer of the book The Blood of Emmett Till, stated that Carolyn Bryant abnegated her declaration, conceding that Till had never contacted, compromised or irritated her. She remarked, “Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him”. Unlike her husband, Carolyn Bryant felt deep regret as far as it mattered for her in the fierce homicide.

The inheritance of a little fellow transformed the views of racial issues, and possibly changed the route of the Civil Rights Movement. Emmett Till’s inheritance is still passed on to ensure that the community will demonstrate tolerance and bring an end to prejudice and other segregation. An occurrence as little as conversing with a store agent does not legitimize savagery or murder. Crosswise over America, the nation will recollect Emmett Till and how he was simply carrying on with his life. Every citizen has the option to have this joy and it should not be prosecuted with separation. It is great news the United States is less bigot and keeps progressing in the direction of correspondence and participation with one another.

The movie that plays in our minds when we think of the Civil Rights movement is one starring Martin Luther King Jr giving powerful speeches and inspiring both the Black and White populations to carry the banner for social freedom. Although Martin Luthger King Jr was a driving force in the movement, there were so many others who bore the weight of the cause who did not draw as much attention to themselves. There were countless groups dedicated to fighting the social injustice of racial discrimination like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the sudentes for a democratic society, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Congress of Racial Equality just to name a few. During the 1960s, women, along with people of color, were still facing many forms of discrimation and were often overlooked further concluding that the women involved in the Civil Rights Movement, both black and white, had to fight harder since they were already at a disadvantage.

Ruby Hurley, also known as the “Queen of Civil Rights”, was one of the most influential women who participated in the movement, heince her nickname. She is mostly recognized for her work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and advocating strongly for non-violent legislation that promoted equality for all. After Hurley completed college, she was employed by the federal government for a short time, and then she began working for an Aftrican American owned financial institution called the Industrial Bank of Washington. At the time that she was working for the bank, she also attended evening law courses at Robert H. Terrell Law School. Despite the fact that she did not earn a degree in Law, she acquired an understanding and many skills pertaining to the legislative process, further aiding her work with the NAACP. Being raised in Washington D.C., Hurley was not accustomed to the level of segregation and strength of the Jim Crow laws that was prevalent in the south. When her duties with the NAACP brought her to Birmingham, Alabamama she was challenged with oftentimes fearing for her life and not just her place in society. In the book, My Soul is Rested, Hurley shares the following:

At that point, I was just about sick of civil rights and sick of fighting the white folks and sick of the south and I said “I’ve had it.” Because every time I picked up the telephone it was a threatening call, and when I’d go home, I never knew weather it was going to be bomb. I had gotten down in weight; with my height I weighed about one hundred fifteen pounds. I couldn’t eat, and days I’d go without food because I just could not eat in Jim Crow places. The only place I could get to alot of places to fight for civil rights was by the bus, and the bus stops, the places to eat were all segregated, and I was not going to eat in a segregated place. . . This was segregation. This was what existed in the South. And I listen to young folks nowadays talking about old folks “taking it.’ They don’t know how we didnt take it. There were those who died rather than take it. (135)

After moving to the south, Hurley was given the title of Regional Secretary and then Director of the southeast Regional branch of the NAACP. Under Hurley’s care and supervision, this branch of the NAACP would become the group with the most members, skyrocketing over 90,000 by the end of the 1960s. Ruby Hurley contributed 39 years of her life to the NAACP and was one of only a few women to rise to the top of the organization defying the social expectations of women. After her death in 1980, Hurley left a blazing legacy of passion and endurance while she fought for Civil Rights.

Sheyann Webb entered the fight as a young child at the age of eight. As she was on her way to school one January morning, she passed a meeting at the Brown Chapel AME Church and felt the pull to join. She entered the church, settled into a pew and listened to Hosea Williams say the words “If you can’t vote, then you’re not free; and if you ain’t free, children, then you’re a slave.” these few words led her to participate in the movement with everything she had. Soon she was attending meetings, rallies and marches instead of school and leading the congregation in freedom songs. Webb reflects in My Soul is Rested by saying, “Every time he came around, I used to sit on his lap in the pulpit and lead a favorite tune of his, “Aint gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around.” and everytime hed come and get ready to leave, hed say, “Sheyann, What do you want?” I’d say, “freedom.”(204) Sheyann’s one birthday wish was that her parents would register to vote, despite their disapproval of her actions with the civil rights movement. Soon after making her request, her mother told her, “Shey, you’re getting your birthday present a day early.” Sheyann walked between her parents and held their hands as they merged into long line to register. White passersby sprayed Raid and disinfectant at them in hopes to deter them from waiting any longer. The courthouse closed before they even reached the doors but their minds were made up. Her parents eventually did both register to vote and so did Sheyann on her 18th birthday.

Vivian Malone Jones left her mark on history by becoming the first African American to graduate from the formerly segregated University of Alabama. She was only one of the first two African American students at the University in the year 1963. Even though Jones was an exceptional high school student and member of the National Honor Society, she was one of several Black students to have her application unfairly rejected from UA because of things like “class size” and “enrollment” problems. But this did not put a damper on her educational goals because she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at Alabama A&M, which was a mostly black university. Unfortunately for Jones and conveniently for anti-civil rights supporters, the school lost its accreditation. In hopes to earn an accredited degree, she applied to the University of Alabama’s School of Commerce and Business Administration. Joining forces with another African American student, James Hood, Vivian Jones and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed suit against UA for denying entry to Black students on the basis of race. At first the odds were in their favor when a district judge ruled in favor of the them entering the university but this development was blocked by the then-governor George Wallace in the famous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” event. Governer Wallace stood his ground on his promise to uphold segregation in the state, coining the now infamous slogan of “Segregation Now, Segregation Forever.” it was only after federalized guard troops arrived to intimidate, four and a half hours after Governer Wallace’s refusal, were both James Hood and Vivian Jones admitted to the University. Vivian Malone Jones states in My Soul is Rested, “But the University of Alabama had a reasonable fee, it had the major that I was interested in, and here they were telling me, a citizen of Alabama, that the only reason that I couldn’t attend was because I happened to be black. It was absolutely ridiculous.”(332-333) In november of 1963, there were three bomb blasts at the University of Alabama, with one just four blocks from Vivian Malone Jones’ dormitory. She said in an interview, “I decided not to show any fear and went to classes that day.” With concern for her wellbeing, the university hired a driver for her, a student named Mack Jones. The two eventually fell in love and got married. After Vivian finally graduated and earned her degree from Alabama, she worked for the United States Justice Department in its civil rights division. In addition to this job, she also worked at the Environmental Protection Agency as director of civil rights and urban affairs as well as director of environmental justice before finally retiring with a full career behind her in 1996. In the same year that Jones retired, former Governor Wallace presented the Lurleen B. Wallace Award for Courage, which he named for his late wife, to Vivian Jones. He told her that he had made a mistake 33 years earlier concerning her entrance to the university and that he admired her. This interaction between the two ultimately led to the discussion of forgiveness.

Lastly, I will mention a woman who endured much at the hands of racial injustice and who ultimately impacted the financial status of many african americans in a very positive way. Fannie Lou Hamer was born in Mississippi to sharecroppers Lou Ella and James Townsend. She was brought up in a devastating level of poverty, and at the young age of six was made to join her family picking cotton. When she was twelve, she had to leave school completely to work. Fannie grew up and married and continued to live and work on a plantation. In the year 1961, Hamer received a hysterectomy by a white doctor without her consent or knowledge while undergoing just a simple surgery to remove a uterine tumor. This horrific act of forced sterilization of black women, as an attempt to reduce the black population, was such a prevalent practice that it was named a “Mississippi Appendectomy.” Now that the couple was unable to have children of their own, they adopted two daughters. Within the same year, Fannie became involved with the civil rights movement. She became a SNCC organizer and on August 31, 1962 led 17 volunteers to register to vote at the Indianola, Mississippi Courthouse. When the group unfairly denied the right to vote due to a literacy test designed for them to fail, they were harassed on their way home, when police stopped their bus and fined them $100 for the charge that the bus was “too yellow”. The next year, after she’d successfully registered to vote, Fannie and a few other black women were arrested for sitting in a “whites-only” bus station restaurant. They were taken to the jailhouse, where she and several fo the other women were violently beaten, leaving Fannie with lifelong injuries. Despite all of her physical setbacks, in the year 1964, Fannie’s national reputation shot up as she co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. That year, Hamer and other MFDP members went to the Democratic National Convention and pushed to be recognized as the official delegation. Hamer spoke before the Credentials Committee, calling for mandatory integrated state delegations. President Lyndon Johnson was not a fan of the things that Fannie had to say so he held a televised press conference so she would not get any television air time. But her speech, filled with its detailed and aggressive descriptions of the racial prejudice in the South, was televised later reaching many ears, despite the Presidents efforts. Rightfully frustrated by the political process, she transitioned to an economic approach to racial equality. This took te form of a “pig bank,” which would provide free pigs for black farmers to breed, raise, and slaughter. After this she created the Freedom Farm Cooperative, which served to buy up land that blacks could own and farm with the help of one another. Fannie Lou Hamer purchased 640 acres, launched a coop store, boutique, and sewing enterprise while single-handedly ensuring that 200 units of low-income housing were built to help african americans gain financial stability.

The Ku Klux Klan is a hate group that goes aganist multiple ways of life like being gay, being a color that isnt white, and certain religion. Beginning in the civil war by a few generals. Being very well known throughout the public knowledge they’ve stayed a very stable group without much issue of being taken down, although they avoid being caught by meeting in public places or members home. They were private before the civil rights movement, but during the event they became very public and they helped influence the public into wanting to give the african americans rights. After the civil rights movement the Ku Klux Klan fell in members as people who was in it was looked down upon. Although it being looked there are still thousands of members today in modern society who still hate certain races and sexualities. They still try to recruit members to this day by fliers and giving out “kandy” in order to get to young adults, teens, and children to join the klan and send their message to other people(Sevcik J. KKK giving out “kandy” to recruit new members in South Carolina). The law hasn’t always been against the KKK they would help them in stopping the african americans during the civil rights movements. Now this doesn’t mean they all were part of the kkk as the were just doing what they were told to do while some other officers had other motives. With the klan still being active and thriving there small in number and is slowing being outlawed to be in the klan and join in their activities. With hiding there’s activities have become extremely hard nowadays because of technology.

The Ku Klux Klan was formed 1861/ during the civil war. “The klan was first formed by six Confederate generals in Pulaski, Tennessee on December 24, 1865” ( Ku Klux Klan). When they began they said the reconstruction of the government was dangerous and suppressive. Because of that they planned to overthrow the government so they could make it the way they wanted. With this happening they became illegal in states from the Carolinas to Arkansa. In order to get their message across they would dress up in white outfits and terrorize the colors if they attempted to do anything they thought they shouldn’t. This tactic failed as it did not give the reactions they were hoping for because of the horrible things they did towards colored people. A secret convention was held for the klan in Nashville, Tennessee in order to create new class and ranks so they could show who had the most autocratic power. The ranks go as Grand Wizard is first command, second is Grand Dragon, third is Grand Titan, fourth is Grand Giant, fifth is Grand Cyclops, sixth is Grand Magi, seventh is Grand Monk, eighth is Grand Exchequer, ninth is Grand Turk, tenth is Grand Scribe, eleventh is Grand Sentinel, twelfth is the staff, and thirteen is the removal; he is the one who will take the place if any is removed from the “Ku Klux Klan”(KKK is as easy abc). From 1868 to 1870 during the time federal troops occupied the area started replacing democratic with radical regimes in order to have more power over the south. A local group called the Klaverns started becoming more uncontrollable and dangerous that the Grand Wizard at the time former General Nathan B. Forrest disbanded the klan in 1869. Same time during that year the president called for the members of the klan to disband and disarm, some didn’t do it so hundreds of klansman were arrested. The remained of Klaverns slowly faded away as the rights of colored people became more accepted in society while this wouldn’t be the end of the klan as they would return in 1915 (ku klux klan).

The klan returned after disbanding in 1915. The person who brought the klan back together was Colonel William Simmons. During World War one society was at an imbalance, some was of fear others was realization of new power. The Klan spread fast through the states. The states were Colorado, Oregan, Kanasa, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylviania, and New Jersey”kkk”. The Klan preachered white supremacy and down upon illegal aliens, non-protesters, liberals, They went after the Roman Catholic church. The klan would use scare tactic to scare the modern society by burning cross. They would also kidnapped, flogged, and mutiled many people. In some communities the klan was helped by local police. In 1924 the klan was at its most powerful it was said they have three million members in the klan. Then during the mid 1920s the klan fell apart as corrupt power with the leaders, internal conflict, and alleged klan immorality and violence badly damage the klan “kkk”. This would cause the klan to fall down into few thousand members left. The klan continue to do there legal act of terroism up to World War two. They were still very small in the south and active with there message. The klan joined a German-American bund, it would allow them to threaten the blacks with punishment if they tried to vote. They join this group while the nazi government was holding a ralley at Camp Nordland, New Jersey. After the US joined the war the klan slowed down their activities . Then in 1944 they it disbanded formally unable because they were unable to pay their taxes. But after the war they reformed in 1947 and keep going with their activities. Although it did not last long as the unity broke down and competing units did not last long enough to land on the government watch list(KKK) .

Their activity would spike once more during the civil rights movement. There were about five thousand members at the time. So they could meet they would have to do it in secret. They would go to members houses, bars or clubs they would also hold secret conventions. The Klan wasn’t always at every attack at the colors but rather their influence was there showing the effects of the hate they spread through the years. Then the civil rights movement began. Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up. Then the Montgomery Bus boycott happen and this became the first step for colored people to lead to get rights. Then Little Rock Nine happened, that was when nine black students enter the first integrated school. Then the freedom riders began to go around the states. On May 14th they were traveling through Carolina, then there bus was attacked tires cut and bombed. The riders were arrested and beaten. Then the Birmingham Demonstration happen what happened there was someone blew up a bomb and it killed four innocent choir girls. With all these events that had happened Martin Luthor King Jr lead a march on Washington. This is the very event where he gave his iconic speech “I have a dream”. This speech sparked the change for rights for the colored. Then in 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law which this act would end of discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. It would also allow everyone attended one school and not two sepreate ones. But their fight never ended they would continue to spread their message across the states. By doing this would result in the Malcome X Assassination, Selma Montgomery March, the Watts Riot, Detriot Riot, and would end up with the Assassination of Martin Luthor King Jr. While he was doing a nonviolent demonstration a sniper shot him through the head killing him. With his death it would set riots in hundred of cities. Congress would make april llth to remember king. There’s nothing that says the klan did any of theses actions but rather from their past actions from all the hate they carried through the years it helps contribute to the hatred during this time and would spread of hate and violence against these peaceful protest as good people fought for something they always deserved ( Civil Rights Movement timeline).

While discrimation was eliminated this would not stop the klan they would continue their fight against people who are not white to not to get rights. Years later there fight continues while they are now looked down upon unlike back before the movement. They would lead to inspirations like skinheads and Neo Nazis. Then also there actions would lead to radical actions by members of society who aren’t even in the klan. Then there’s statues of the members of the klan that cause marches to get taken down. Then in other parts of the world human traffing and slavery is still down, we could do something but theres no way we could ever spot who and wheres it happening. The current location of the klan is unknown but there still out there doing there things spreading hate to people who do not deserve it and teaching young to hate people who aren’t all bad. Then there spread of hate is still seen through social media as the influence of their hate keeps going through big content creators who then spread this to kids. While not all creators do it on purpose, it’s just a simple slip up in talking then there’s actual people say it knowing what the true meaning is but conutiens. The klan’s power is still out there too this day even though it might not be them it still happens. The world is still full of hate and there’s nothing we can do about except help those people look at the world differently and help them do the right thing and let the world become equal. The world is a dark place but yet the light is still there and not every person is bad and we need to allow the light to shine of good deed and allow the world to become bright and peaceful to help everything to become good as that’s what the world needs now not the spread of hate like what the klan does but by letting the good of the world come out the world might just become a better place

Civil rights are the rights each person has in society, no matter what their race, sex or religion may be. Guaranteed fundamental freedoms to all individuals. The Civil Rights Movement was an era dedicated to activism for equal rights and treatment of African Americans in the United States. During this period, people protested for social, legal, political and cultural changes to stop discrimination and end segregation in the United States. The Civil Rights Act led to greater social and economic flexibility for African-Americans across the United States and banned racial discrimination, which created access to resources for women, religious minorities, African-Americans and low-income families. There were many social groups who rallied against segregation. Two groups who were very influential were Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, who had very different tactics when it came to protesting. Those tactics being non-violent and violent.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. Martin Luther King Jr. was an extremely influential spokesperson for nonviolent methods of achieving social change. Martin Luther King grew up in an activist family. His father, Martin Luther King Sr, was a supporter of Marcus Garveys ‘back to America movement’ in the 1920s. His mother, Alberta Williams King, was the daughter of one of the most influential African American ministers. King had grown up around people who fought for their rights which explains his heavy involvement in the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr fought hard against the law to bring equality to America and achieve civil rights for all people. Martin Luther King made his protests very public in order to prove the importance of having a non-violent protest. He was a role model to many people during his time. Some of the achievements Martin Luther King made were; His leadership role in the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955, Delivering his famous “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963, Being a supporter for nonviolent protest in the Memphis Sanitation Worker Strike in 1968, and helping to establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, a civil rights organization that supports protesting without violence. Martin Luther King faced many challenges throughout his campaigning. During the bus boycott, his home was bombed and he was arrested during a campaign to desegregate the city of Birmingham, Alabama. He went to jail multiple times during his life. King also turned to issues that were difficult to solve. For example, in 1968, he went on the Poor People’s Campaign to improve jobs and housing for African-Americans, mainly in urban areas. Martin Luther King, Jr. faced many challenges, including violence, the problems of uniting his movement, the problem of pressuring the federal government for change, and the problem of inequality. The reason why Martin Luther King Jr is so significant is that he became a symbol of the Civil Rights Campaign. He did not invent it and was not the only leader in it, but he captures the public imagination more than anyone else in civil rights history.

Malcolm X was also one of the most famous black nationalist leaders in the United States. He promoted black pride and was known all over the world as a human rights leader. Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925, and was assassinated on February 21st 1965. Malcolm’s father, Earl Little, was a leader in an African-American group called the UNIA. This caused the family to be harassed by white supremacists. They even had their house burnt down. When Malcolm was six years old, his father was found dead on the tracks of the local streetcar. The police said the death was an accident, but many believed that his dad was murdered. When Malcolm was a young boy, he felt like he had no real opportunities. Turning him to a life of crime. In 1945, he was caught with stolen goods and was sent to prison. There he joined the Nation of Islam religion. And later became the minister for the Nation of Islam. He worked at several temples around the country and became the leader of Temple Number 7 in Harlem. When the African American Civil Rights Movement began in the 1960s, Malcolm did not believe or agree with Martin Luther Kings non-violent protesting. Malcolm didn’t want a nation where blacks and whites were integrated, he wanted a separate nation just for black people. Malcolm X encouraged black people to “fight back” against people who tried to stop them. He believed that blacks should create a new society of their own rather than try to integrate with the white society. Although Malcolm X encouraged violence, he also encouraged pride and made a big contribution to the black power movement of the 1960s. Malcolm X had some difficulties during his protests. Most difficulties he faced were due to his involvement in the Nation Of Islam, which he was suspended from in 1963 after commenting on the assassination of John F Kennedy where Malcolm X stated that it was a case of “chickens coming home to roost. Chickens coming to roost never did make me sad, they’ve always made me glad,” (Malcolm X, Dec 1st 1963, www.quora.com) Malcolm X was such an influential person in the civil rights movement because he brought a new and different perspective to the movement. He spoke to a different group of people. He proposed that African Americans should return to Africa and that a separate country for black people in America should be created. He stood for his own cause.

Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X were both very influential people during the civil rights movement. While they both stood for the same cause, they had very different protesting tactics. While Martin Luther King preached non-violent protesting and achieving equal rights, Malcolm X believed in black supremacy and encouraged fighting against the whites. Malcolm often criticised Kings protesting methods. ‘What Martin Luther King is doing is disarming the Black people of America of their God-given right and of their natural right,'(Malcolm X, no date given, www.AZquotes.com). While Malcolm X was a very powerful voice and was idolised by many people, Martin Luther King was the one who actually showed he was making a difference. Martin Luther King was the leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and made one of the most famous speeches in the world, the “I Have A Dream” speech which brought beneficial media exposure to his campaign. Martin Luther King Jr was a more well-known leader for the Civil Rights Movement. He was always a peaceful leader, and always handled things with his non-violent approach. King wanted all races to come together and form equality, while Malcolm X wanted black supremacy. He wanted blacks to become the superior race. If society followed through with Malcolm X’s approach for segregation and for races to be separated the world would be a much different place. An interesting similarity between the two men is that both were very religious, but followed different religions and paths.

Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Charles Perkins, were three main crusaders of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. These proponents had similar endpoints in mind, but their methods, ideologies and approaches to this issue were very different. Despite the differences they had, these three brave men risked their lives to bring justice and to end racial segregation.

Martin Luther King Jr, born in Atlanta, the USA on the 15th of January 1928 was the main face of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. He was named Michael at first, after his father, but both changed their names to Martin when he was very little. King Jr. and his siblings were born to an economically stable middle classed family background, therefore they received better education than most of the average children of his race. He began to notice the racial segregation around him at a very young age. He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi in India. Even though he experienced violence, he never considered violence as a solution. “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” (keepinspiringme, 2011) By organizing sit-ins, marches, Protests and boycotts Martin encouraged African b Americans to protest legally and non-violently. He believed that his methods could build a country where all races were treated equally without any segregation. Martin was Christian and he used sayings and examples from the bible throughout his campaign. His speech “I have a dream” on August 28th, delivered in the Lincoln Memorial on the March of Washington Jobs and freedom attracted civil rights supporters from all over the world. (Wikipedia, 2019) Martin Luther King was assassinated on the 4th of April 1968 leaving the world the message “you can kill the dreamer, but you can’t kill the dream”

Charles Nelson Perkins, generally known as Charles Perkins can be identified as the Australian version of Martin Luther King Jr. Charles born in the 16th if June 1936, was an aboriginal activist and international soccer player. (Wikipedia,2019) Unlike King Jr.; Charles grew up in a very unprivileged and uneducated background where he was judged stereotypical means. He experienced racial segregation at a very young age. Soon after he was born, his mother was expelled from his town, Alice Springs to Rainbow city. Charles saw how the world sees aboriginal people as animals. Uncivilised; uneducated and violent.(Indigenous Australia, 2012) He understood that without knowledge, people will not respect his opinion and to stop the segregation of Aboriginal Australians, therefore he should get a proper education. Charles Perkins was the first Aboriginal Australian to get a degree at the University of Sydney. (Wikipedia, 2019) Unlike Malcolm and Martin; Charles engaged in a wide variety of sports. He boxed, cricket, Rugby league, Rugby Union and Aussie Union mainly as a method of the consolation of his traumatic childhood. (Indigenous Australia, 2012) Even though Charles didn’t have a strong religious background like the other two leaders, he believed that many church organizations showed a self-righteous and contented attitude towards aboriginal people and the religious views they respect and follow.(Indigenous Australia, 2019) Charles organized sit-ins and non-violent protests and boycotts as a part of Freedom ride following Martin’s footsteps. He too believed that violence is not the answer and respected non-violent philosophies. The biggest difference between King Jr. and Charles is that Charles actively participated in protests and sits. Martin was an inspiration but Charles worked along with the civil right supporters to obtain the civil rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. After worked hard throughout his life to end all means of racial discrimination Charles Perkins passed away on the 19th October 2000 because of kidney failure.

In the other hand, Malcolm little, commonly known as Malcom X, took a different approach from Martin Luther King and Charles Perkins n in the process of obtaining human rights. Born 19th of May 1925, Malcom was a minister and a prominent human rights activist in the early 1960s. (Wikipedia, 2019) I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it’s for or against.” Malcom was a man of justice.(keepinspiringme, 2011) Making “By any means necessary” the theme for his campaign, Malcom was prepared to take any mandatory measures to achieve his goal; even if it involved violence. Malcom was a Muslim and followed and practised Muslim concepts. His religious background has a significant effect on the decisions he made, so did the background he grew up in.(ThoughtCo., N.D.) Just like Charles; Malcom grew up in an unprivileged background that was contentious and barely had any education facilities. His father was murdered in 1931 and his mother was sent to a mental institution and his siblings were sent to foster homes. Malcom served ten years in prison due to the involvement of criminal activities at a very young age. He converted into Muslim during this time and joined the black Muslim movement. The black Muslims believed that they were a separate race of black people and used self-defence as a mechanism to gain civil rights. (keepinspiringme, 2011) His pilgrimage to Mecca; later in his life changed his perspective to a more nonviolent one. Malcom x was assassinated in 21st of February 1965 at the young age of 39. Martin Luther King and Malcom may have taken different approaches in the concept of non-violence but the two African Americans had some significant similarities shared between them. (Life Examinations, N.D.) Not only did they were born to Baptist fathers but they also had educated wives. Another striking similarity between the two proponents is the cause and the age of their death. Both Malcom and Martin were assassinated at the age of 39. (ThoughtCo., N.D.)

In conclusion, even though Malcom X approach of obtaining civil rights was contradicting from Martin Luther King and Charles Perkins, they all worked hard and played an immense role to provide justice to black African Americans and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Before the years of the 1950’s, African American’s had been fighting against racial discrimination for centuries. However, during the 20th century, the struggle entered the mainstream of American life. The blacks continued to endure the devastating effects of racism along with the prejudice and violence put against them. Up until the Civil War, the blacks were kidnapped from Africa, forced into slavery and exploited to work as servants against their will. They didn’t have control over their own lives, the people that owned them did. There were also groups like the Ku Klux Klan, an American white supremacist group that targeted them, including threats of violence, bullying, lynching, setting fire to buildings and murder. African-Americans were also segregated in many settings including education, employment, public facilities and more. The Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s caused a huge amount of controversy and discussion which changed all this. The movement was a struggle for social justice for blacks to gain equal rights under the law. It was the fight for equality that spanned over two decades. Two people that are considered some of the ‘main leaders’ of the movement were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. King promoted a passive, subtle approach towards the issue while Malcom promoted violence. Their two approaches are the main difference between the individuals. Their main similarity is that they both promoted civil rights and wanted to achieve equality for African-Americans in whichever way they deemed it to be possible.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist whose background, beliefs and attitude towards the whites affected his methods and approach towards change. King was born on 15th of January, 1929 in Atlanta with his mother, father and two siblings. King then went on to raise a family of his own. Both King’s father and brother were activists during the movement and King’s father directly influenced him and his beliefs. His father infused him with religious beliefs upon the Christian faith and King was also influenced by the peaceful teachings of Ghandi. King, due to his religious upbringing, believed in the use of peaceful demonstrations, acting on love and calmness. This lead King to believe that non-violence was the key to the change African-Americans wanted. In fact, King went on to preach for all to hear “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” (Martin Luther King Jr. 1964) His passive approach of nonviolence sought to secure moral ends through moral means. He preached that the two communities could integrate together peacefully and slowly merge without creating a big fuss or doing so in an aggressive manner. His approach of non-violence provided a positive approach towards the issue of racism and helped to stop wars and preparations for war, to resist violence, to struggle against all types of oppression and discrimination and to seek social justice and genuine democracy for people all around the world.

Malcom X was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who became a popular figure during the civil rights movement. Along with King, his background, beliefs and attitude towards the white affected his methods and approach towards change. Malcom was born on the 19th of May in Omaha. He grew up with his mother and father, alongside his six brothers and four sisters. Malcom’s father, Earl Little was a pastor and supporter of Garveyism, an aspect of Black Nationalism. Earl was very influential on Malcom as a kid and helped to determine his values. Earl taught his teachings of Garveyism to those who came to the meetings he would host after church and each time, he would take Malcom along with him. Due to being raised in a Black Nationalist tradition, Malcom did not believe that you could get your freedom, self-respect and dignity by simply letting somebody beat up on you, and you not try to defend yourself. This was why Malcom emphasised self-defence. A direct quote from Malcom that portrays this is when he said “I don’t even call it violence when it’s in self-defence; I call it intelligence.” (Malcom X) Malcom was the spokesman for the Nation of Islam (NOI), the Black Muslim movement which violently rejected America, along with its Christian values. He promoted a segregationist approach that sought to instil in blacks pride in their African heritage. He didn’t hate white people, but believed the blacks were superior. He advocated blacks separation but in a different way. He wanted the formation of a self-governing black nation in Africa.

King used many different methods and tactics in order to achieve the change he was looking for, each of which promoted reaching integration through a non-violent process. Each of his methods evolved around the one aspect, civil disobedience. The most commonly known method King used would have to be his famous “I have a dream” speech delivered in 1963. King and other leaders of the movement organised a huge march for equal rights in Washington, D.C. It attracted a massive crowd of over 200,000 followers and protested against racial discrimination in schools and the workforce, along with demanding minimum wage for all workers. King’s speech was delivered directly from the heart. It was what he believed and saw as the truth regarding racial injustice in the U.S. Repetitively King declared “I have a dream” and followed it with statements describing his hope for future America. He hoped for a world in which children would no longer be judged for their skin colour “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character” (Martin Luther King Jr., 1963) and where all black and whites alike would join hands “I have a dream that one day in Alabama,… little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” (Martin Luther King Jr., 1963) Along with many other things, he also hoped that one day, whites and blacks would be able to sit together in harmony “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” (Martin Luther King Jr., 1963) King delivered his speech in order to motivate his followers to continue to boycott and protest until they were granted full equality privileges. His speech served to focus the attention on the need for racial equality in that present time, not some time down the road, further along in the future. Another example of a method in which King helped bring around change was the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. In Montgomery Alabama, King led a boycott against city buses that refused to let blacks sit in the front seats. The rapidly growing protest led to a citywide boycott until the rules were officially changed. Even though King and his followers were sent to jail, the boycott succeeded in changing the unfair, racist laws allowing segregation aboard buses. King’s motivation behind the act was that he wanted to bring around change in a non-violent way. He strongly believed in equality and bus segregation went against that. The purpose of his protest was to make people aware of the situation, which he did successfully. People all around the country became aware as it was launched on a massive scale, projected all over the media and lasted longer than a year. Another event was the Memphis Sanitation Worker Strike. During 1968, 1,300 black sanitation workers in Memphis protested against their terrible working conditions, discrimination and low pay. The first strike occurred without King but shortly after, he went to Memphis to speak and support them on their second march. The strike finally ended after two months when the city of Memphis agreed to the workers’ demands. His motivation behind going to Memphis was that King wanted to support his fellow peers. They were all in this together, it wasn’t each man for his own and he wanted to show that. In order to achieve total equality he couldn’t just practice what he preached in his own home town, he had to branch wider and serve others who needed his help. These are just 3 of Kings many strategies that helped contribute to change.

Malcom, just like King had many strategies of his own in which he used to fight for change. One method that Malcom did to try achieve change in his own way was he publically protested against what King preached. Malcom regularly criticised King and accused him of bowing down to whites and subjugating blacks to the very culture that had historically denigrated and abused them. Malcom went on to voice his opinion saying ‘The white man pays Reverend Martin Luther King, subsidises Reverend Martin Luther King, so that Reverend Martin Luther King can continue to teach the Negroes to be defenceless. That’s what you mean by non-violent: be defenceless. Be defenceless in the face of one of the most cruel beasts that has ever taken a people into captivity. That’s just the American white man.” (Malcom X) He tried to get people to despise King and his methods towards change in order for them to move to his side and still fight for civil rights, but in the way he believed was right. Malcom’s main methods to achieve change were protest. He went on to host many other protests and urged his followers to defend themselves against white aggression by “any means necessary.” (Malcom X) During his protests, he promoted the use of violence and the importance of fighting back, not just letting yourself be thrown around. At one stage Malcom publicly quoted “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.” (Malcom X) Malcom had many strategies of his own in which he used to fight for change.

Although King and Malcom were two extremely different individuals with vastly different opinions, the two shared many similarities. Although King and Malcom had different approaches as to how they wanted to achieve change and equality for African-Americans, overall, they wanted the same result. The two men had similar motivations when it came to change, they wanted what they believed was best for their community. They wanted to be treated equally, respectfully and for the prejudice against them to be stopped. Along with this, both were majorly influenced by their religion and fathers, although influenced in different ways. Their religion and fathers were what motivated the two men to fight for change and speak up for what they believed in. For example, King’s family were Christian and taught King to love all equally and do unto others as you’d have them do to you. Malcom’s father followed Garveyism. He taught Malcom to believe in Black Nationalism and that blacks should be separated in order to form their own government but still should be treated equally and respectfully.

Although the two shared many similarities, the two also had major differences despite their common goal. One major difference was the two methods the men used. While King practiced coming into integration through non-violent methods and slowly joining hand in hand, Malcom practiced quite the opposite. He took a rather violent approach. He preached if the blacks were treated disrespectfully, they should defend themselves. He believed you would never get freedom otherwise. You had to defend yourself and prove your worth, otherwise you’d never get anywhere. Not only were the methods they used different, so were their attitudes. While King had a rather positive approach and hoped for blacks and whites to integrate together openly, Malcom took the negative road of violence in order to prove they deserved respect. He taught people that they needed to earn it, it shouldn’t just be handed to them.

King and Malcom were two extremely significant individuals involved in the process of the civil rights movement. Each had their own different approaches, both of which influenced the change that occurred as a result of the movement. While King took a more passive, non-violent approach, Malcom resorted to violence. The two approaches these men took were affected not only by the religions they followed, but the individuals around them which they respect like their fathers and other influential characters. I believe King had a more effective approach than Malcom. I believe the methods he used like the bus boycott, his speeches and the Memphis Sanitation Worker Strike brought about a greater social change than that of Malcom’s through receiving major media attention. This attention launched his events on a massive scale and made them known world-wide. Through the methods King used, he was able to achieve specific change. The bus boycott led to the laws being eventually changed and the Memphis Strike led to the workers’ demands being met and them being given the respect they deserved. I personally am also more drawn to King’s methods of non-violence, promoting awareness and striking for change, but not creating any extra unnecessary stigma around it. Because of his commitment to peace, nonviolence and equality, King’s methods upon the issue of civil rights made genuine headway in American society. King without question, advanced the movement with his well-spoken elegance and grace. In the modern society of today, King is also more known and remembered than Malcom. If you were to bring up both names in a conversation, more likely than not the person would have something to say about King but may not know about Malcom. Seeing as King is much more well-known, this may be proof that his methods towards change were more successful. These are the reasons I believe Kings approach’s to change were more effective than those of Malcom’s.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. He grew up in a devoted, and affectionate family environment. Even though King’s parents demonstrate a positive environment, that did not shield King from racism, or discrimination. He was advanced in his knowledge; so leading him to attend Morehouse College at the young age of fifteen. King then expressed his unquestionable passion for becoming a ministry. Atof, twenty-five King completed college, while being a pastor at a Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama (A&E Networks Television, 15 Apr. 2019.)

The Montgomery Bus Boycott began on March 2, 1955, due to black women being forcefully removed from a seat on the bus, simply so white people could be seated; therefore leading Rosa Parks to be one of the black woman arrested. Shortly after Parks was arrested, Martin Luther King met with the head of the NAACP. Eventually, King was elected to the Montgomery Boycott. Since King was leading the Boycott, he was an easy target for many attacks, expectually threats. King forced the Boycott to make a necessary change in the Supreme Court’s idea of separate but equal, which was seen to black people as unconstitutional. Due to Martin Luther King believe that violence would not be used for any circumstances, it helped them outlaw the rule of segregated public transportation.

In 1957, King, and others established a national organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The conference focused on morality. The establishment of the conference assisted in peaceful protests, and advancing the number of registered black voters. King taught everyone nonviolence, and how beneficial it can be if done correctly. Because of King’s concept of nonviolence, student’s that did sit ins were able to abolish segregated lunch areas in certain cities. Later King was arrested for sitting in segregated lunch area in a city which was not accepting of his actions, he was later freed with no pending charges.

In 1963, Martin Luther King was arrested for having a peaceful protest in Birmingham, Alabama. King them wrote a letter that told other black Americans to continue to use nonviolence, because we don’t use violence, the only thing they can do is listening, and they will eventually try to come to an agreement. It was 28th of August 1963, when the March on Washington began. King presented to other black Americans his, “I Have a Dream’ speech, which focused on the hope that someday all black Americans will be free, and will be seen as an equal to any other gender of race. King’s speech leads him to receive a Nobel Prize in 1964.

In March of 1965, a group of black and white people, including King, used his concept of nonviolence to make a stand. They all walked toward a barricade prayer, and peacefully walked away. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced his support of King’s protests, and instructed troops and national guards to protect not only King, but all the protesters too. Shortly, after this peaceful protest Johnson approved of the 1965, Voting Rights Act (A&E Networks Television, 15 Apr. 2019.)

In the 1960s, King tried to help others in power understand that more needs to be done for the poor, they should be given more economic equality. In 1968, King acted in an interracial movement “Poor People’s March” in Washington. This march was intended to forcefully make the government focus on the employment, and housing problems that were drastically growing. The plan was to demonstrate daily from May 14th to June 24th, 1968. The protesters would consist of many races, just so people of power could understand it is not only about color, the overall problem was effect all Americans.

If it wasn’t for Martin Luther King Jr., I would live a life of hardship, as a black woman, I have experienced racism. I have experienced pure cruelty, because of the color of my skin. Sure, racism is still alive, racism is something that will never die, but Martin Luther King helped make sure that we still have our rights, and we can easily press charges, and have something done about racism. He made sure that I am able to have opportunities, he made sure I am able to vote, have rights, be equal to any other race. Martin Luther King made sure that can be free. King helped us find our place in this world, and made sure that it was known that black people are important (Cook, Samuel DuBois,1968, pp. 348–354.)

King helped establish Black History Month, which helps kids know that black history is not always focused on slavery, that was a part of our history, but our history doesn’t revolve around that. I admire Martin Luther King Jr. for making a difference, not only for himself, but for generations to come. He demonstrated selflessness, and patience. Martin Luther King played such a significant role in so many lives, he now has a day dedicated to appreciating what he has done for all of us. Martin King Day was signed by President Reagan, he declared it to be placed on every third monday of January, just before Black History Month (A&E Television Networks, 9 Feb. 2010.)

References

1. “Martin Luther King Jr.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 15 Apr. 2019, www.biography.com/activist/martin-luther-king-jr.
2. Cook, Samuel DuBois. “Martin Luther King.” The Journal of Negro History, vol. 53, no. 4, 1968, pp. 348–354. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2716359.
3. Miller, Keith D. “Composing Martin Luther King, Jr.” PMLA, vol. 105, no. 1, 1990, pp. 70–82. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/462344.
4. Sturm, Douglas. “Martin Luther King, Jr., as Democratic Socialist.” The Journal of Religious Ethics, vol. 18, no. 2, 1990, pp. 79–105. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40015109.
5. “MLK Federal Holiday Declared.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Feb. 2010, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mlk-federal-holiday-declared.
6. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Poor People’s Campaign.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 12 June 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/Poor-Peoples-March.