...During the years 1955 – 1964 there were a significant amount of peaceful protests organised by groups like the SCLC, SNCC and NAACP. During this period there was a significant change in the progress of racial equality and it is clear that peaceful protest was a direct cause of the change. Earlier protests did things such as raising awareness, making smaller changes to state laws and showing that blacks had power without using violence. Later and bigger protests such as the March of Washington made bigger changes such as pushing towards the Civil Rights Bill. During the late 1950s and early 1960s the main forms of peaceful protest were the sit- ins, freedoms rides and Montgomery Bus Boycott in. The sit-ins in 1960 were important to the civil rights movement because they raised a lot of awareness when they spread to 54 cities in 9 states in just 2 months. They were also important because they showed that despite the fact the black protestors were not being violent, white racists would still react violently. The Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956 was significant because it showed the effect that black Americans can have economically and also the power they could have without using violence. The violence black people involved in the boycott received from white southern racists showed their determined racism. The bus boycott raised more northern support and inspired boycotts in other cities and caused the buses to be desegregated, however the rest of the city remained segregated. The...
Words: 894 - Pages: 4
...How far was the effectiveness of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s limited by internal divisions? (30 marks) During the Civil Rights Movement great improvements were made gradually for the small minority groups in USA, for example Black African Americans, Hispanic groups and also women. However, from the very beginning there were internal divisions within the civil rights movement as well as external divisions. These partitions were caused by four major factors; methods such as peaceful protest and violence, ideology, effects of tension from jealousy and rivalry and lastly personalities of the different civil rights organisations and their leaders as they were competing for media attention and public recognition. These divisions did limit the effectiveness of the civil rights movement as they slowed down the process and cause many complications. These divisions were extremely clear thought out the 1960s as there was the development of Black Power and their methods of violence which is a contrast to Martin Luther King’s approach which was peaceful protest. In the early 1960s many successes came about for the civil rights movement especially for SNCC and of Martin Luther King. The Greensboro sit-ins led by SNCC in 1960 is an example of a triumph as they demonstrated that civil rights campaigns could spread quickly and also showed that other organisations could work together as the sit-ins attacked all aspects of segregation and it lead to the extending of the existing NAACP...
Words: 913 - Pages: 4
...decade most known for its high level of civil rights and free speech reform activity, the Civil Rights Movement reached its peak as protests spread through the nation. Upon the late 50’s, many of America’s college youth had organized themselves into activist groups, promoting their rights to support off-campus causes. The University of California in Berkeley was one of the many that faced this student commotion. A minority of the university’s students actively engaged themselves in the Civil Rights cause. In an effort to lessen the student’s ability to promote causes such as these, Berkeley officials took legal precautions towards preventing on-campus political activities by initiating a ban. In the fall semester of 1964,...
Words: 1712 - Pages: 7
...Peaceful resistance positively impacts the free society in which we live. Through peaceful resistance, one can express their views without the violence or uproar that often comes with it. It has solved many fundamental problems in the US government. Henry David Thoreau expressed his distaste for the Mexican-American war by refusing to pay his poll taxes. He did not believe in no government, did not want to start an uprise, or create an anarchy but instead create a more just government. Thoreau wanted a government in which protected its people and was fair to all. He also opposed slavery and wanted equal rights for all. “There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men. When the majority shall at length vote for the abolition...
Words: 618 - Pages: 3
...A Commitment to Non-Violent Protests: As an African American teenager and student in 1968, I’ve gotten used to facing violent opposition and being around inconsiderate and unsympathetic whites. It has recently come to my attention that not enough people understand how effective non-violent protest has been to our lives. The Civil Rights Movement has definitely made people, including me, realize how important their voice and opinion can be, which has significantly changed America. Peaceful protests work far better than taking a violent approach to it. With nonviolent protests, there are fewer obstacles to conquer and less physical involvement and commitment. Even though some non-violent protests are not successful and fail to achieve their...
Words: 750 - Pages: 3
...American Civil Rights Background Timeline of events / Personalities 1860: Abraham Lincoln elected US president. * Made the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, a law which would see the release of all slaves in America. * Belief that the slaves should be freed was a key factor in sparking the American civil war. 1861: The American Civil War begins at fort Sumter. * Fought between the United States of America, who opposed slavery, and the Confederate States of America, a new nation established by seven slave states in the south. * Not the only reason for the civil war, slavery was a key issue being fought over. 1865: The 13th amendment is passed, permanently outlawing slavery. * Shortly after the surrender of all confederate forces, ending the civil war. 1866: The civil rights act is passed by Congress. * The first to define US citizenship as well as state that all citizens were protected by the law. * It is expected that the act was passed, despite being vetoed repeatedly by President Andrew Johnson, in order to protect the rights of African-Americans. 1870: The 15th amendment is passed, giving the black man the right to vote. 1875: A bi-racial senate and House of Representatives passes the civil rights act. * Designed to protect all Americans in their access to accommodations and facilities such as restaurants. * Never enforced and was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme court in 1883 1896: The Supreme Court introduces...
Words: 1518 - Pages: 7
...Birmingham movement was a culmination of King’s ideas, theology, experiences and civil rights tactics’. How far do you agree with this statement? Martin Luther King undoubtedly played a key role in helping black people win civil rights through the Birmingham movement in 1963. However it can be argued that his leadership though effective was only partly responsible for the gains made by the campaign; as the opposition changed their tactics, Martin Luther King’s ideas and theologies were tested and therefore he was made to harness alternative strategies that had been initiated by other civil rights activists. Essentially the Birmingham movement was crafted to allow the best possible outcome. King preached a distinctive philosophy based on the teachings of Jesus and the example of Mohandas Gandhi. He believed that all Christians should love their enemies and never retaliate. Nonetheless, he also taught that Christians should stand up to injustice. Consequently, he advocated civil disobedience and direct action, insisting that protest should always be peaceful. The perseverance shown through peaceful protest won mass support from both the public and media making it difficult for Federal government to ignore demands. King involved in provoking the authorities but it can be said that the brutality stimulated from such protests was what gave King the upper hand; it provided him with the driving force to challenge the system. Peaceful protest was applied to the Birmingham movement, since...
Words: 1210 - Pages: 5
...Why did the Civil Rights movement become fragmented after 1966? The civil rights movement became fragmented after 1966 for a number of reasons such as the difference between peace and violent methods, legal campaigns, collaboration with whites and the difference between separation or integration. The decision to use peaceful or violent protests was one of the reasons as to why the civil rights movement became fragmented after 1966. King advocated that protests should remain peaceful in order for them to get what they want. He showed he could do this by having many peaceful marches for example the March on Washington which JFK feared would become violent but King proved him wrong. However, after the Meredith shooting CORE and SNCC put an emphasis on more radical ways such as self-defence and the use of violence. Leader of SNCC Stokely Carmichael argued that black people needed to use violence to defend themselves. Therefore, this caused the civil rights movement to become fragmented because the difference of violent and non-violent protests caused divisions between the civil rights groups. Another reason the civil rights campaign became fragmented after 1966 was the disagreement of whether or not using the legal system was an effective method of advancing civil rights. The NAACP and SCLC fought for legal change and were committed to working with the American legal system. However, the lack of legal segregation in the north meant that black Americans in northern states didn’t...
Words: 583 - Pages: 3
...Peaceful resistance to laws does have a positive impact on a free society. Peaceful resistance such as; protests, marching for a cause, and strikes are healthy to a society because they give a way for the citizens to voice their opinions to make sure their society is truly free. One of the best examples of peaceful disobedience is in the civil rights movements with Martin Luther King Jr. and his peaceful disobedience, another peaceful disobedience is with Rosa Parks in her fight for racial equality, and the marches and strikes from the Mexican American plantation workers. These examples had a positive impact on the society and helped make America as free as it is today, along with examples of peaceful protesting today for greater freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. is well known for his participation in the Civil Rights movement and has gone down in history as an example of how peaceful protesting can promote positive change. One of the ways that he did this was by writing letters from inside Birmingham jail. The letters that Martin...
Words: 667 - Pages: 3
...“Letter from Birmingham Jail” In the 1950’s and well through the 1960’s, Martin Luther King Jr. was the main leader of the civil rights movements. There was violence in innocent protesting, cruel bombings, and soul poured speeches. The Civil Right movements, involving people of both skin colors, measured up to a very large sum of events, both implementing segregation and the fight against the segregation. King had experienced many events, both eye opening and cruel, both strong and solid with morals. Yet throughout the turmoil between the differences of both races King did not fail to speak his word. MLK did not fail to make know that what segregation stood for was wrong and treacherous. King did not underestimate his ability to be unwavering...
Words: 1201 - Pages: 5
...Peaceful Resistance Throughout the history of America, there have been many peaceful and violent resistances to laws that people did not agree with. Events like the Woman’s Suffrage, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Boston Tea Party are some of the most popular protests in American history. Though not all always work, peaceful resistance to laws have a positive impact on the society and the people in it. In a society, the government’s goal is to protect and serve to people in that society. With that comes making laws to try and accomplish the protection and service of the people. But as it is in any society, there will be people that are going to disagree with some of those laws. For example, the Civil Rights Movement in 1954 was a peaceful protest that ended up being very positive for the community. “The outcome was a landmark for black equality that initiated Civil Rights Movement.” (Bill of Rights Institute) The Civil Rights Movement gave the entire black community equal rights, which had a positive impact on them and the rest of the community because it brought people closer to each other and there was much less segregation between people. There has to be a balance between the government’s contribution to laws and the society’s contribution to laws. “If...
Words: 610 - Pages: 3
...the pain of the segregated lives. MLK with his heroic traits spread awareness about the torture and was able to gain significant civil advances and voting rights for African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. embodies the characteristics of an epic hero...
Words: 653 - Pages: 3
...How important was Martin Luther King to the passing of the civil rights and voting acts 1964-65 The role of Martin Luther King Jr. in the passing of the Civil Rights/Voting Acts has been greatly disputed within the historical community. Some historians such as Anthony Badger argue that there was 'no person more important' than King, whilst others, such as Clayborne Carson believe the opposite: that even without King the civil rights movement would have 'followed a course of development similar to the one it did'. Differing from both these beliefs, there were factors more important than King in the passing of these acts, however, King was far from an inefficacious factor as Carson suggests. Rather he was an important political giant who was (along with his Southern Christian Leadership Conference) an instrumental aid to a number of vital incidents that massively helped catalyse the passage of the acts. Incidents such as the Selma march and the subsequent "Bloody Sunday" a well as his role in the Birmingham and Washington marches. His role as a prominent activist and talented orator added to King's importance as it allowed him to proliferate ideas of peaceful protest and civil disobedience to the masses. However, despite King's distribution of ideas to the masses, it is the masses themselves, or rather the local leaders of them, with whom the greatest credit for the passing of these acts must be placed due to the pressure they placed on the presidency to enact legislation. What's...
Words: 1852 - Pages: 8
...Civil disobedience positively impacts a free society. It is one of the best ways to protest because not only is it usually nonviolent, but it raises awareness in a more effective way. Some of the biggest changes in our society stemmed from and grew because of civil disobedience. When the LA riots broke out, people around the country thought not of the reason behind all the rage and destruction, but of the danger and stupidity of the crimes people were committing. However, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, she went to jail and accepted the consequences in order to show Americans everywhere what unjust treatment people of color suffered on a daily basis. Over 60 years later and Rosa Parks is still regarded as a brave pioneer of the modern civil rights...
Words: 509 - Pages: 3
...and support of the civil rights movement during the 1960s due to the eruption of new leaders, sympathetic presidents, radical groups, and a rejuvenation of history and heritage. From the “separate but equal” laws of Plessy v. Ferguson and the Jim Crow Laws of the late 1800’s, the new goals of Martin Luther King Jr. would strive to change African American civil rights through non violence and revealing oppression, while other groups would emphasize the embracement of black culture, both still against the oppression in the United States. Strategies were born from MLK’s ideals, about demonstrating to the American people the horror of oppression, while the Black Power movement...
Words: 1489 - Pages: 6
