The Civil Rights Movement
By. Molly Torgerson
To what degree has the civil rights movement contributed to making the United States a more equal and just society?
Martin Luther King Jr.
Alice Paul
Leonard Alfred Schneider
Civil Rights Tactics and Strategies
An example of a boycott that truly impacted society and showed people that they were serious with this movement was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott took place for over a year. All African American women and men refused to ride public transformation until given equal rights as White men and women. The boycott was non-violent but had a huge impact because not only did it effect the bus business but it effected the business around town. After a year, the movement made progress for their equal rights.
Marches and speeches were also very impacting tactics. Those were also non-violent. These marches and speeches really united everyone that was working for Civil Rights movement. The other side of the fight at times retaliated with violence. For examples, the police would use excessive force on peaceful marchers and hate groups were still active. One thing is for sure though, the peaceful strategies and tactics of the Civil Rights activists really made the long term impact.
The Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement
Dorothy Height was born on March 24th 1912. She passed away on April 20th 2010. At the age of 25 she was already an active civil rights activist. She fought for rights for African Americans and women. She was good friends with Eleanor Roosevelt and helped with the movement of desegregation of public schools. Height organized something called "Wednesdays in Mississippi". These were meetings where both black and white woman came together and talked about the understanding of equal rights. She was some how involved in these groups: African-American Women for Reproductive Freedom, Leadership Conference of Civil Rights, National Black Family Reunion, National Council of Negro Women, and many more. She was not as popular as some of the other civil rights activist but she efficiently made a difference.
A Civil Rights Song: Sam Cooke, A Change is Gonna Come
Above is the link to the song and its lyrics.
This song is focused on talking about the change that the Civil Rights Movement is going to bring to society. It also talks about how the "brother" has knocked him back down; that is focusing on the White society pushing back against the progress. The hardships of the times are mentioned throughout the lyrics, such as dying, and the hard living conditions. The song is very hopeful and has deep underlining meanings.