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Sunday 19 November 2017

Identifying African American Civil Rights Movement Facts

By Anna Cooper


While there is great possibility that the fight for equal rights may continue for quite some time, there are some areas in which great progress has been made. For example, African American Civil Rights Movement Facts prove that while great progress has been made since the beginning, there is still much work to be done.

It was in the mid-1950s when the fight for civil rights gained a stronghold, one which maintained a focus until the late 1960s. It was during this time when the majority of African Americans began working to obtain and maintain equality in housing, education and employment. For, prior to this time, there had been a great deal of segregation and separation based solely on race and skin color.

Rights which only Whites were offered before the movement included the right to vote, live in various areas and enter public venues. In fact, African Americans were often seen as second class citizens in most areas of the country. After all, slavery had only been abolished in the mid-1800s and as many White families were previously considered to have owned slaves, most were drastically mistreated even after having found freedom.

The few changes which came about later were in large part thanks to activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr., President John F. Kennedy, Malcom X, and the Supreme Court. For, it was only after the movement that the judiciary system was reformed as one with a non-bias approach to various cases. Still, it would be years later before equality could be seen on a national or world wide basis.

While the Advancement of Colored People, a national organization was formed by a group of Whites and African Americans in 1909, it was not until after World War II when real progress began being made. For, in large part, veterans returning home from this war had a great deal to do with the early promotion for equality.

The war also had a great deal to do with the origins and growth of the movement. For, veterans of all colors refusing to be mistreated had a great deal to do with the origins of the movement. After which, the military and other organizations began treating veterans of all races with a great deal more respect.

A trial related to segregation in public schools had a great deal to do with much of the progress which has been seen to date. The trial Brown versus Board of Education which took place in 1954 was a long and arduous one. In the end, the Supreme Court abolished segregation for children in elementary schools around the country. While this is the case, those moving into predominantly White school districts still faced a great deal of opposition from fellow students and teachers.

Ultimately, the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., President John F. Kennedy, the Supreme Court and a woman by the name of Rosa Parks who gained the most momentum for the movement. For, in 1955, when Ms. Parks was told to go to the back of the bus, the young woman refused maintaining a seat in the front. While it was a move that set off a backlash of protests, it was also one that culminated in helping achieve the many rights that most African Americans and other non-Whites now experience on a daily basis.




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