Assignment 4
The Civil Rights Movement rose to challenge the rebuttal in the political system of the United States. It was a struggle for consistency in democracy. Black people were fighting to gain equal civil and political rights as those guaranteed to the whites (Glisson 27).
There was massive discrimination against the blacks for example the blacks were not allowed to sit in the front sits of a bus. The whites expected blacks to give then front seats in the bus. In 1955 a black lady refused to give her seat to a white man and it sparked a major protest (Glisson 52). There were also acts of injustice in access to public facilities, voting and employment. This led to rise of the Civil Rights Movement to Fight for the rights of blacks.
The Second World War was a major contributor to the rise of the Civil Rights Movement. The Second World War awoke the African-Americans and showed them that they had potential for making great influence in the political scenario of the United States (Glisson 61). The war opened the eyes of the blacks and they felt the need to fight for equal rights and an end to discrimination from the whites.
Another factor that led to rise of the Civil Right Movement was the fact that slavery had been ended at the end of the Civil war. African-Americans were given their freedom and were made free citizens with the right to vote (Glisson 74). There were major prejudices against blacks and the laws were ignored. Many laws that segregated blacks were passed in different parts. African Americans were given the treatment of second class citizens. These oppressions necessitated the rise of the Civil Rights Movement.
Martin Luther emerged as an effective leader in the Civil Rights Movement. His emergence was a contribution of various factors. First, Martin Luther King, Jr possessed had unique oratory and conciliatory skills (Ward 78). He was able to rally people together and hold peaceful demonstrations to boycott discrimination against African-Americans.
Martin Luther adopted Mahatma Gandhi’s tactic of non-violence in fighting for the rights of blacks. This tactic was widely accepted and gained support from many who shared in the same view. He explained the strategy was very influential and was a strong weapon at the exposal of African-Americans in their struggle (Ward 89).
Martin Luther used a different strategy from the one used by the National association for the Advancement of Coloured People in fighting for African-American rights. Martin Luther mainly concentrated on mass action and peaceful demonstrations in his struggle. The NAACP on the other hand mainly adopted a legal strategy. NAACP also used lobbying and publications in the fight for civil rights (Glisson 138). They had a magazine called ‘Crisis’ where campaigns on racial equality were publicised.
NAACP emerged successful in a Supreme Court ruling in 1915 against what was known as the grandfather clause which was used to prevent African-Americans to vote. In 1927 it also won another decision against an all-white primary. In 1957 it also won another suit that declared unconstitutional segregation of blacks in public schools (Glisson 140).
Martin Luther King was more in the tradition of Booker T Washington in his view of the Civil Right Movement. He shared in Booker’s view of a non-violent and peaceful movement. W.E.B. Du Bois’ view was assertive and believed that sometimes fighting was necessary (Moore 79). Booker believed that both whites and blacks should have equal rights and at the same time should be segregated. Booker was of the argument that blacks should first concentrate on getting educated, investing in businesses of their own and learning trades that were useful. He believed that hard work would show the whites the value to the economy. He believed that this vision would at the end lead to equal civil and political rights (Moore 58).
Works cited
Glisson, Susan M. The Human Tradition in the Civil Rights Movement. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Print.
Moore, Jacqueline M. Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Dubois, and the Struggle for Racial Uplift. Wilmington, Del: Scholarly Resources, 2003. Print.
Ward, Brian. The Making of Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement. New York: New York Univ. Press, 1996. Print.
