The Civil Rights Movement: a Struggle for Equality

The Civil Rights Movement was a variety of activism that wanted to secure all political and social rights for African Americans in 1946-1968. It had many different approaches from lawsuits, lobbying the federal government, massdirect action, and black power. The high point of the Civil Rights Movement was a march at Washington to get “Freedom and Jobs” for all in 1963. The ending and main point of the helped African Americans better their living conditions, which also helped the U.S. economy, not including discrimination, racism, and segregation. There were many activists who are more respected than others; they brought change because of their boycotts and struggles. Many of the well known activists are Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, Booker T. Washington and many others.There are many similarities and differences between these activists, how the Civil Rights movement has evolved, and what new tactics has the Black Lives Matter movement adopted.

Booker T. Washington was a prominent black American who was born into slavery. He believed racism would end when blacks would acquire useful labor skills and be able to prove their economic value to society. In 1881 he became the head of the Tuskegee Institute. W.E.D. Dubois was the first black to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. He encouraged blacks to resist the systems of segregation and discrimination, and also helped create NAACP in 1910. Marcus Garvey was an African American leader during the 1920s who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association. He also advocated mass migration of African American back to Africa. He was later deported to Jamaica in 1927.

Martin Luther King Jr is a U.S. Baptist minister and civil rights leader. He was also a noted orator he opposed discrimination against blacks. He did this by organizing nonviolent resistance and holding peaceful mass demonstrations. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee but before that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 1964. Malcolm X renamed himself X to signify the loss of his African heritage, and converted to Islam in jail in the 50s. He was Black Muslims most dynamic street recruiter, and based his beliefs on the Black Power Movement. Jesse Jackson was an African American candidate for the Democratic ticket and campaigned for the “rainbow coalition” of minorities and the disadvantaged. Martin Luther and Malcolm X both significant in the civil rights movement, they spoke very well and shared a goal and had two ways of achieving said goal. Martin Luther decided to choose the non-violent way to make equality among the races to get to this goal. Malcolm X wanted to lower discrimination and end segregation using other tactics to achieve the goal.

The Civil Rights movement did not stop in 1968 but only shifted into a new type of system. It faced new challenges with new issues and made new alliances, but many obstacles remained mainly in the employment and housing areas. They endured stressful effects of the racism which was focused in the south. Around the 20th century the African Americans had more acts of violence and prejudice at them. The civil rights act of 1957, allowed for federal prosecution of any and everyone who would try to prevent anyone from voting. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, this one gave equal employment for all people. It also limited the use of literacy tests at voting booths and gave permission to the authorities to make the public facilities to be integrated.

Some of the early tactics of the Black Lives Matter group were riots and protesting with signs and speeches, and praying and crying outside the offices. They have taken a new tactic on the movement, focused on policy rather than protest. Black Lives Matter leaders were interviewed and they said that the presidential election helped prompt them to focus on supporting other minorities rather than just their own. The first thing they started with was building bridges and connecting with 50+ groups. They named themselves “The Minority” and were made up of many issues like, social justice issues, LGBT rights, Islamophobia, and more. They, Black Lives Matter, have been trying to stay under the media radar. Like making officers use body cameras as a national standard.

In conclusion, the Civil Rights Movement was a way for African Americans to express the oppression, racism, and discrimination against them in job offers and many other things. The civil rights and all of their well known activists helped get them to an equal opportunity for the accessibility of employment. It also helped them advance to better education, industries, and democracy for the African Americans and their white colleagues. The civil rights movement has evolved over many years. The most well known at this time is the Black Lives Matter movement, which adopted new tactics of trying to help everyone.