One of the most pressing domestic problems of the United States that occurred in the distant past was racial inequality and discrimination. Particularly acute it was facing the country in the 1950-1960 years, despite the constitutionally proclaimed equality of American citizens. For example, the US Supreme Court in 1954 overturned segregation of children - aisles and white. However, when a group of black students in the city Little Rock (Arkansas) tried to attend school, where white children were studying, racists resorted to terror.
The victims of the racists were not only black but also white fighters against American racism. In June 1964 at Philadelphia (Mississippi), for example, three young civil rights were brutally murdered. In March 1965 two white supremacists shot racial equality supporters of African-Americans: Viola Liuzzo - the mother of five children and a priest James Riba.
In the South still political discrimination against blacks was legalized. Five southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia) were stored in their legislation appropriate provision that a prerequisite for participation in the elections put an annual payment of poll taxes, and new voters had to pay this tax at 2-3 years ahead. All southern states (except Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and Texas) law required that voters passed a special exam (called literacy tests). But even the typesetters recognized that these tests were scheduled so that blacks could not give them answers. Racist laws of the South were determined to preserve and consolidate the racial and ethnic strife between American workers. (Hirschfeld, 1973)
As a step towards the recognition of the formal equality of the black population, the law of 1964 was piecemeal, and it was reflected in a large number of reservations and restrictions. For example, the low educational level of the black population in the South, especially among older blacks, the law gave legal grounds to dismiss thousands of blacks from participating in the elections. Moreover, the law applied only to the election of the President and members of the US Congress. The elections in the states and local ones were still held on the basis of existing laws, many of them were clearly discriminatory.
In 1967 "Long hot summer" by the scale and power of black speeches surpassed all previous 120 cities covered uprisings. Most of them took place in July 1967 in Detroit, the automotive capital of the empire Ford.
Recognized leader of the black movement was Martin Luther King, priest and Nobel Peace Prize winner, who spent most public work. His joining the anti-war protest increased the antiwar sentiments among the black population. 10 days later after April's anti-war demonstrations speaking in church of New York, the "Declaration of Independence from the Vietnam War" was proclaimed by King. Therefore civil rights movement was started again. (Bell, 1987)
In 1966 a series of conferences dedicated to the fight against conscription into the army was held. The most significant was the conference "Students, university and recruitment" held in October in New York. The largest youth organization expressed "opposition to any form of compulsory conscription used by the United States for the oppression of people in the US and around the world". As responding to this, in 1967 during the mass anti-war demonstrations many young people publicly burned their enlistment cards or gave it back to the power. They subjected themselves to serious danger, because in August 1965 passed a law which defined guilty of such acts or inciting them imposed sentence to imprisonment up to 5 years. (Sowell, 1981)
The struggle for equal rights for blacks and whites are gone: mass demonstrations against segregation ended more than half a century ago. But 50 years later, the United States is far from the elimination of racial problems. And despite the fact that in 2008 became president of the country for the first time an African-American, in 2012 police shot and killed a black Trayvon Martin. Despite numerous acts of civil disagreement, the policeman was later acquitted.
In the summer of 2014 in Texas white police officer shot 18-year-old Michael Brown. A wave of protests has swept this time, all the United States. And the racial question was undoubtedly the election agenda of the candidates for the presidency. So the problem is still opened and the government needs to take numerous measurements to resolve this issue.
Works cited
Bell, Derrick. And We Are Not Saved: The Elusive Quest for Racial Justice. New York, NY: Basic Books. 1987.
Hirschfeld, Magnus. Racism. Translated by Eden and Cedar Paul. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press, 1973.
Sowell, Thomas. Ethnic America: A History. New York: Basic Books, 1981.
