Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Understanding African American Civil Rights Movement Facts

By Anna Cooper


When it comes to history and media related to the fight for equality, information can often be inaccurate. As such, it is important when studying African American Civil Rights Movement Facts to assure the information is true and correct. Otherwise, individuals can often be led to believe stories and other information which have no historical merit.

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.

During the early days of the country and well into the 19th century, Whites had the right to do far more than others. In fact, up until the mid-1950s, Whites were the only ones allowed to vote and in many cases drink from the same water fountains or enter public venues. In most cases, these discriminatory practices ended towards the mid to late 1960s.

The efforts of political activists of the time made great progress. For, it was also during this time that the Supreme Court re-emerged with a focus on equality and justice for all. Although, it would be quite some time before this became a reality whether in the courts or life in general.

While the media and history books often focus on the movement having began in the mid-1950s, it was actually in 1909 when blacks and whites formed the Advancement of Colored People, a national organization now known as the NAACP. After which, people of all races came together to promote equality in education, employment, housing and other areas. Later, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, veterans returning home from World War II also had a major part to play during this integral period in the fight for equality.

Veterans returning home refusal of mistreatment by citizens of all races raised an uproar. Whether having come home without injury, or disabled, these individuals demanded rights equal to all others in society. As such, some of the earliest work toward equal rights began during this time. While not based on race, soldiers of all ethnic backgrounds banded together in a fight to obtain equality.

A few years later, the Supreme Court having heard the case of Brown Versus The Board of Education in 1954 granted children of elementary school age the right to attend any school of choice. As such, many African American children began attending school with White children. While given the right to attend predominantly White schools, these students still often faced a great deal of discrimination from White children and teachers up until the early to mid-1960s.

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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