Civil Rights Movement 1954-1968
By Victoria Hermes
Equal and Just Society?
Today, African Americans are treated equally as a White man is. There are situations that try to prove differently, like the riots in Ferguson or the killings of African Americans by White men, but those have evidence that they are against the race, the are just trying to help other citizens. If the Civil Rights Movement hadn't happened, the African Americas would have worse treatment in those type of situations.
Tactics and Strategies
Boycotts was a way that the protesters would protest nonviolently. The Montgomery Bus Boycott is probably the most famous boycott. It started when Rosa Parks would not give her seat up to a White person and then was arrested for her actions. The bus system was already having a hard time and when news of Rosa Parks spread, many Africa Americans were starting to realize the unfairness that they had. They decided to not use the bus system, instead they would walk to where they needed to go or would hitch hike with people who were nice enough to give them rides.
Civil disobedience was another tactic that the protesters used. Civil disobedience is the refusal to disobey the orders of a government or commanding power. Instead of listening to the orders that were given to the protesters, they kept going and some would get arrested for disobeying. Many leaders encouraged people to keep going and keep disobeying. They believed that if they lasted long enough that something would change, and it would be for the better for them.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Rosa Parks
Protesters
Unsung Heroes
James Reeb: James Reeb was a reverend who devoted his life to improving slum condition living places. He went to Selma to march with Martin Luther King Jr. to fight against segregation. The march that was planned got stopped, so he had to stay a couple more days in Selma than what was planned. Some White men had found him and beat him. Reeb ended up with a fractured skull and a large blood clot. He died two days later. There were four white men who were arrested and indicted, but the jury decided they were not guilty. James Reeb was standing up for what he believed was right, just like William Moore, but sadly they both lost their lives because other people went to extreme measure just because they didn't believe the same thing.
Top 5 Events Leading to the Civil Rights Movement
2.) Rosa Parks: If she had given her seat up like every other African American then the bus boycotts wouldn't have started. She started a revolution, that created ripples in getting the Civil Rights Movement rolling.
3.) Little Rock Nine: The group of African American students helped the movement. They showed the White people who were against integration, that they were just as good as them. That they could accomplish the same thing as a White person, and nothing was going to stop them from doing what they wanted to do.
4.) Emmett Till: Although he isn't very well known person, Emmett Till did help with the Civil Rights Movement. When his murder was in the media, many people were getting an incite of what was still going on in the South, even though the Civil War was over. He help get some White people on the integration side.
5.) Freedom Riders: They were a croup of northern idealists who were active in the Civil Rights Movement. The group included both African Americans and Whites, who rode buses into the South in order to challenge racial segregation. They helped spread the word, as well, by making sure of telling people what was going on.