Sixty Black And White People example essay topic

1 Introduction "I think God intended the niggers to be slaves. Now since man has deranged God's plan, I think the best we can do is keep 'em as near to a state of bondage as possible... My theory is, feed 'em well, clothe 'em well, and then, if they don't work... whip 'em well". -- A Yazoo Delta planter, 1866 Today, in America where the present generation had grown up to respect all people, despite race, age, sex, or gender; comments such as this seem very out of place for our society. The Civil Rights movement was the political, legal, and social struggle to gain full citizenship rights for black Americans and to achieve racial equality.

America was born out of a revolution, and the success of the Civil Rights movement proved that when people put their prejudices aside, and work together to strive for what they believe is just, anything is possible. The report begins by describing the type of segregation that was taking place, then, how the blacks began to resist, important events, and key figures in the movement. 2 Segregation Segregation was an attempt by white Southerners to separate their race and the blacks. The Southerners considered themselves to have ultimate supremacy over the blacks, and refused to acknowledge the humanity of black Americans.

Most of the blacks knew that they had to put on a brave face, to mask their true feelings and actual personalities whenever they were in the presence of white people. The majority grew accustomed to the pattern of "racial etiquette" in their everyday lives. The White race treated the blacks atrociously. Blacks had to avoid looking whites in the eyes, and black men knew that they were not even allowed to indirectly look, at or touch a white women accidentally. Blacks must stare at the ground when addressing whites of either sex; and black must not try on clothes in white businesses, as it was believed that if a black person tried on the clothes, no one would want to buy them. And blacks could not even greet a shop assistant; but instead, had to patiently wait for the shop assistant to greet them first before they could talk.

And when a white shop assistant addressed anyone of a coloured race, it was usually not done in a very polite manner, but rather, they were commonly referred to as "boy", "girl", "auntie", "uncle", or very frequently "nigger". Blacks had separate schools, transportation, restaurants, and parks, many of which were poorly funded and inferior to those of whites. Blacks were forbidden to vote, and even if they had been allowed to vote, they could only choose white representatives, as there were no black members of parliament. Because blacks did not have the right to vote, they could do little to stop the Southerners from dominating all aspects of Southern life. 2.1 Resistance to Segregation Blacks tried to fight for their rights whenever possible, and during the late 1800's, many court cases were undertaken where black people had decided to sue restaurants, schools and other establishments for discrimination. The most famous of all of these was the Ples sy vs. Ferguson case in 1896.

During the court case, held in the Supreme court; it was decided that. ".. separate but equal accommodations", were constitutional. This statement proved to be extremely debilitating for those trying to bring about change for the blacks, as it provided protection of segregation over the next 50 years. The blacks then began to form new groups, such as he National Afro-American League was formed in 1890; the Niagara Movement in 1905; and the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) in 1909.3 Events 3.1 World War I (1914-1918) Racism and degradation by the white towards the blacks continued when blacks began to enlist to fight for their country. The blacks were also denied the chance to be leaders. During the war, many blacks migrated to the North, and from 1916 to the 1950's, the movement of Southern blacks was still continuing to take advantage of jobs that might be available in the North. Many of the blacks then moved to urban areas, and the population of black in rural areas decreased from 85% to 42% in the period of 70 years.

Because so many blacks were moving to the cities, they began to increase the pressure put on politicians to change their current situation and to bring about equality. 3.2 1930's During the 1930's, boycotts and more protests were taking place that would start to grab the attention of the whites. It was during the Great Depression that Blacks were still not permitted to be hired by hire businesses as salesman or to perform any other type of job. A boycott was started against these businesses to, "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work". Franklin D. Roosevelt was not an outspoken supporter of Black rights, but seemed to be quite understanding and brought about change during his time as President.

His wide, Eleanor, and other members of the administration because passionate supporters in the fight for fairness to blacks. The Roosevelt Administration opened up many jobs for blacks. Roosevelt also began to choose judges in courts that favoured black rights, and this meant that many landmark court case decisions, in favour of the blacks were made in this time. 3.3 World War II During World War II, the blacks demanded better treatment than they had received in World War I. Black news editors helped to emphasise their beliefs through the newspapers, and said that if America wanted black support for this war, it would depend on how fairly the blacks would be treated. In World War II, approximately one-eighth of America's armed forces were black, and this was about equal to their current presence in the country. After the blacks returned home after World War II from fighting fascism in Europe, they had a new determination to fight racism back home.

President Harry Truman finally ordered the desegregation of the armed forces in 1948 Things were beginning to change quite quickly for the blacks now, and they were making tremendous progress. 3.4 Montgomery Bus Boycott On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a leading member of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), was ordered by a bus driver to give up her seat to a white passenger. When she refused, she was arrested and taken to jail. Local leaders of the NAACP, recognized that the arrest of the popular and highly respected Parks was the event that could rally local blacks to a bus protest, as they had been planning to for several months already.

The Montgomery bus boycott lasted for more than a year, demonstrating a new spirit of protest among Southern blacks. The federal court ruled in favour of the MIA, ordering the city's buses to be desegregated 4 Important People and Groups 4.1 NAACP The NAACP was the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People. It was formed when sixty black and white people attended Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12, 1909. The most important single victory won by the NAACP was the unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision of 1954 declaring that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.

4.2 Martin Luther King (1929-1968) Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the eldest son of Martin Luther King, Sr., a Baptist minister, and Alberta Williams King. His father served as pastor of a large Atlanta church, Ebenezer Baptist, which had been founded by Martin Luther King, Jr. 's, maternal grandfather. King, Jr., was ordained as a Baptist minister at age 18. He was extremely important key figure in the fight for civil rights. In 1957 King helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization of black churches and ministers that aimed to challenge racial segregation.

In the early 1960's, the SCLC gained national attention through protests that they staged. Throughout 1966 and 1967 King increasingly turned the focus of his civil rights activism throughout the country to economic issues. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.4. 3 Malcolm X (1925-1965) Malcolm X was an African American activist.

He believed that black people must join together to fight against injustices and create their own community. A famous quote from one of his speeches was, "You " re getting a new generation that has been growing right now, and they " re beginning to think with their own minds and see that you can't negotiate upon freedom nowadays. If something is yours by right, then fight for it or shut up. If you can't fight for it, then forget it". 5 Conclusion Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, guaranteeing basic civil rights for all Americans, regardless of race, after nearly a decade of non-violent protests and marches, ranging from the 1955-1956 Montgomery bus boycott to the student-led sit-ins of the 1960's to the huge March on Washington in 1963. The Civil Rights movement was the revolution that America needed to stay true to its foundations of being a free country.

Books: Bennett, Ler one, Jr. 1966. Confrontation: Black and White. Baltimore: Penguin Books. B lauer, Robert.

1972. Racial Oppression in America. New York: Harper & Row. G arrow, David J., ed. 1989. We Shall Overcome.

Brooklyn: Carlson Publishing. Marble, Manning. 1991. Race, Reform, and Rebellion: The Second Reconstruction in Black America, 1945-1990.2 ed. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. Williams, Juan.

1987. Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965. New York: Viking. Websites: web web web web.