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How Did The Cold War Cause Changes In American Society

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From 1877 to 1981, black people’s position in American society had progressed drastically from newly freed slaves to, in the eyes of the law, equal citizens of America and politically and legally integrated within the country. War had a monumental impact on the progression in this period, as it provided African-Americans with an opportunity to prove their worthiness of American citizenship, experience life and racial tolerance outside of the America and resulted in gaining mass international exposure. The international opinion that arose from this publicity, the change in white attitudes towards Civil Rights and legality during 1877-1981 all also respectively impacted the advancement, and in some cases, the hindrance, of Civil Rights.
America’s declaration of war on Germany in 1917 to ensure political liberty and the …show more content…
Concerns of damaging America’s reputation fundamentally convinced government officials to favour Civil Rights reforms more than they previously had done as racial segregation “became an embarrassment to Washington” in its unwanted media attention. This continued to be the case during the Vietnam War when Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted into the U.S army whilst black people continued to be “treated like dogs” in America. His refusal to be drafted into the American army “gave other [African-Americans] courage” , providing the movement with new momentum and determination. As a result, the Cold War was undoubtedly a turning point in the progression of Civil Rights as it coincided with, and was partly responsible for, America’s global success consistently being undermined by its racial inequality. Consequently, war was invaluable as it provided the movement with motivation and the exposure it required to be

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