The Civil Rights Movement In The 1970's

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The 1960s Civil Rights Movement, also acknowledged as the African American Civil Rights Movement was a social movement the United States with the objective of ending the racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans who were denied legal and federal protection of citizenship rights enumerated in the United States Constitution. African American’s history is an epic of the social, civil, and economic progression, specifically between the 1960s to the 1970s. Explained by the modern society, many argue that the movement also improved academic opportunities, equal access to public facilities, equal wages, access to better jobs, and fair workplace advancement. Post the United States Civil War, the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments …show more content…
and refused to leave even though some were harassed and arrested. Many people demanded the right to be treated equally through boycotts and strikes as well. Various African Americans expressed themselves through “soul music,” to redefine the black community and move towards a cultural self-definition (Leonard) – “Is It Because I’m Black,” “I’m Black and I’m Proud,” etc. Also, many protesters attempted to oppose the racist and stereotypes by expressing a united voice and opposed gaining white acceptance in society. In August 1963, over 250, 000 people in Washington, DC urged Congress to pass a civil rights law. On the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. also delivered one of the most prominent speeches in history “I Have a Dream” and advocated the acts of nonviolent civil disobedience to pursue social, political, and economic equality. The March on Washington urged the federal government to support desegregation and protect African Americans’ rights.
Through this march, the United States’ president, John F. Kennedy, promoted the passage of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in public places, jobs, and government programs. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into a law on July 2, 1964 to outlaw discrimination based on race, color, religion,
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Some argue that the African American Civil Rights Movement altered fundamental relationships between the federal and the state government. The movement compelled the Supreme Court and the federal courts to protect constitutional civil and economic rights more effectively than ever before. Other proponents view that women, disabled, immigrants, and other victims of segregation to some extent benefitted from the social and economic changes and equality following 1968, even though the movement was centered around political issues such as voting rights, integration, educational opportunities, better housing, employment, etc. According to Leonard Moore, the 1960s Civil Rights Movement ensued a “renewed racial consciousness [that was] not witnessed [ever] since the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s. However, Leonard also believe that albeit the struggle for civil equality made “great legal and social strides for women and minorities [across] the United States, the same standards were not extended to all social groups” – disabled people, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual community and illegal