1960s Civil Rights Movement Essay

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 580 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 0

Page 1 of 2

Changing Nature of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement

The Origin of the Civil Rights Movement

American society changed tremendously following World War II, and in many ways; among them, was the shift in population among African-Americans from the rural South to the industrialized North. In the 1950s and 1960s, 2.5 million migrated north and east from south and west (Goldfield, Abbot, Argersinger & Argersinger, 2005, 359). In particular, African-American population became more and more concentrated in the twelve largest American cities and comprised fully one-third of the nations black population by 1970 (Goldfield, Abbot, Argersinger & Argersinger, 2005, 359). Because of a combination of poverty, lack of equal opportunity in employment, education, and housing because of racism and discrimination, many migrated blacks ended up in what became known as "second ghettos" in their new cities (Goldfield, Abbot, Argersinger & Argersinger, 2005, 359).

Initially, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was the most influential leader within the African-American community in the United States, and his primary message was that the way to overcome inequality and injustice was through peaceful, nonviolent civil disobedience. At that time, Latino-Americans were being led in their struggle for equality and justice in America by Reies Lopez Tijerina Rodolfo Gonzales, and Cesar Chavez, also primarily through peaceful means emphasizing the unionization of farm workers and the securing of employment rights and benefits pursued by the United Farm Workers (UFW) originally organized by Chavez (Goldfield, Abbot, Argersinger & Argersinger, 2005, 362).

The Eventual Shift from Peaceful Means to Violent Rebellion and Struggle

Martin Luther King, Jr. was tragically assassinated in 1968, but even by 1966, it had begun to seem to many in the African-American communities in the U.

Stuck Writing Your "1960s Civil Rights Movement" Essay?

View All Our Example 1960s Civil Rights Movement Essay

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

S. that peaceful demonstrations were simply not going to be enough to overcome the resistance of mainstream American society to granting full and equal rights to minorities. Perhaps most symbolically in that regard, it was Stokely Carmichael, then leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), who said, in 1966, "We've been saying freedom for six years -- and we ain't got nothing. What we're going to start saying now is 'Black Power'!" (Goldfield, Abbot, Argersinger & Argersinger, 2005, 361).

In principle, Dr. King's approach had failed, at least in the minds of many in the black communities, precisely by virtue of the problems that King had articulated in his infamous Letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963. Specifically,….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


Related Essays

National Anthem Protest Essay

various forms and fashions in images captured during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, was intended to be a form of respectful protest.  However, immediately there was a backlash against Kaepernick. A free agent, he found himself without a job for the 2017-2018 season, even while many other athletes, in all level of sports, began to take up the same protest.  The issue became even more heated when President Trump went on television and called the protesters “sons of bitches” and called upon the NFL to fire any NFL player that refused to stand for the National Anthem.  The NFL… Continue Reading...

sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"1960s Civil Rights Movement" (2013, December 11) Retrieved May 5, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/1960s-civil-rights-movement-179531

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"1960s Civil Rights Movement" 11 December 2013. Web.5 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/1960s-civil-rights-movement-179531>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"1960s Civil Rights Movement", 11 December 2013, Accessed.5 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/1960s-civil-rights-movement-179531
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example