The civil rights movements and their impact on American society Essay Example

conducted with an intentional sense of urgency, it encountered significant opposition. While certain states embraced integration with ease, others faced difficulties, including white students who refused to attend integrated schools. In places where resistance to integration was particularly strong, groups like the "White Citizens' Councils' and the Ku Klux Klan formed to actively campaign against it. Notably, a well-known incident occurred in September of 1957 at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas.

In a previous all-white school, nine black students were set to begin their studies. Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas claimed to have received intel of potential trouble and surrounded the school with National Guard soldiers to prevent the black students from entering. However, after a court ruling, Faubus was ordered to remove the troops and on September 5th, the nine black students showed up to school. Despite facing a hostile crowd of 1000 people, the nine students were protected by police and eventually attended school. President Eisenhower sent federal troops to protect them until the end of September. The state National Guard took over and protected the black students for the remainder of the school year under the orders of President Eisenhower. In September 1958, Faubus closed all schools in Little Rock in an attempt to prevent integration. The Supreme Court deemed this unlawful and ruled for schools to be reopened to both black and white students.

The power of unity among black Americans was demonstrated through the Montgomery bus boycott as a response to an unjust rule. This rule mandated that blacks in Alabama and numerous Southern states sit only at the back of buses, relinquishing their seat if requested by a

white person. In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to comply with this rule by remaining seated in the middle of a bus when asked by a white person. While legal intervention proved effective in cases like Brown vs. Board of Education and Little Rock, other strategies were also utilized. Interestingly, in December 1958, Faubus ranked as one of the top ten most admired men in the USA based on a national opinion poll.

After being thrown off the bus and taken into custody, Rosa Parks' detainment served as a catalyst for African Americans, with several historians recognizing her defiance as a significant moment in the civil rights movement. The incident resulted in a widespread backlash from the Black community, leading to prompt gatherings amongst black leaders to organize a boycott against the bus company.

Under the guidance of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, a Baptist minister in the local area, took charge of the protest. He urged the African American population to abstain from violence and to exhibit their opposition towards racial discrimination by employing peaceful strategies of civil disobedience against laws they deemed unjust. King assumed that this method would demonstrate the nobility of black people and unveil the harshness of white authorities in implementing discriminatory laws. The black community was so resolute about the bus problem that they supported King in discontinuing their use of city buses. King understood that if the black community stopped using the buses, these vehicles would experience financial losses.

The bus boycott persisted for more than 12 months and resulted in a 65% income loss for the bus company. In December 1956, the Supreme Court declared the Montgomery bus segregation law

and comparable laws in other states and cities unconstitutional. Consequently, Montgomery integrated all its buses, and the boycott ceased a few days later. This marked a crucial triumph for black people in their struggle for civil rights. In the winter of 1959-60, civil rights groups intensified their campaigns.

Organizing marches, demonstrations, and boycotts was the method used to end segregation in public places, particularly the practice of not serving black individuals at lunch counters. The strategy involved large numbers of black people staging sit-ins, while maintaining a non-violent approach by tolerating abuse from white individuals.

The civil rights movement gained momentum in 1960, despite slow legal changes and violent opposition from segregation advocates. The unjust treatment of Black people in Southern states was becoming evident to many Americans. During the Kennedy era, Martin Luther King appealed to students and helped establish the Student Non-Violent Co-ordinating Committee (SNCC) in April 1960, which furthered support for the civil rights movement. Despite deep-seated opposition towards equal rights for Blacks in some communities, SNCC workers courageously dropped out of school to work full time in areas where integration faced resistance. Unfortunately, physical attacks or even murder were common occurrences for many civil rights workers.

Although President Kennedy voiced approval of sit-ins and a civil rights bill, he failed to address these topics in his inauguration speech. As a consequence, further measures were required. To enforce the Supreme Court's ruling concerning integration on buses and at stations, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) dispatched activists known as "Freedom Riders." Despite being arrested numerous times throughout the summer of 1961, this group garnered substantial media coverage and triumphantly achieved their objective.

In the summer

of 1961, the Interstate Commerce Commission regulated inter-state trade and commerce in the United States by announcing the end of segregation in bus stations and terminals. Civil rights organizations like SNCC, CORE, and NAACP collaborated with President Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy to improve black Americans' conditions. They created the Voter Education Project to enhance black individuals' involvement in voting and elections, resulting in a marked rise in black voters at a cost.

White individuals during the Civil Rights Movement committed acts of intimidation against black communities, including attacking their homes and churches and physically harming and evicting individual African Americans. In 1962, the government in Birmingham, Alabama closed public areas like parks, playing fields, and swimming pools to prevent integration. To gain media attention, Martin Luther King Jr. organized marches and demonstrations throughout 1963. However, local police Commissioner Eugene Bull Connor was determined to use forceful measures against the black campaigners - even using dogs on them - when they refused to leave. He also used fire hoses to push them away.