Throughout the course of history, people of colour have been advocating for their rights through protests and famous events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Civil Rights Act and the Freedom Rides. The Slave Trade was also a significant event in the mistreatment of
African Americans. The Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to Americans. The global slave trade transported between 10-12 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic ocean. Probably no more than a few hundred thousand Africans were taken to America before 1600, however this rose in the 17th century as demand for enslaved labour rose significantly due to growth of sugar plantations in the Caribbean and tobacco plantations in the Chesapeake region in North America.
The Black Panther party, originally the Black Panther party for self defence was a black power political organisation founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P Newton in October 1996 in Oakland, California. It's initial purpose was to patrol black neighbourhoods to protect residents from police brutality, however it later evolved to into a Marxist group that called for among other things, the arming of all African Americans, the release of all black prisoners and the payment of compensation to African Americans for centuries of exploitation. The Black Panthers campaign had a lasting impact on Black empowerment , and its influence continues to be felt in current social movements such as Black Lives Matter. The FBI viewed the Black Panther party as an enemy of the US government and sought to dismantle the party.
The civil rights movement was a struggle for social justice that took place mainly during the 1950s and 1960s for Black Americans to gain equal rights under the law in the United States. One of the most prominent events during this time was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On December 1st, 1955, a 42 year old woman named Rosa Parks found a seat on a Montgomery Alabama bus after work. At the time, segregation laws stated that Black passengers must sit in designated seats at the back of the bus, to which Rosa Parks complied. When a white man got on the bus and
found there were no seats left for him, the bus driver instructed Parks and three others Black passengers to give up their seats. Parks then refused, and was arrested. Word of her arrest ignited outrage and support. Her actions led to the MIA (Montgomery Improvement Association) being set up, which was led by Martin Luther King. Rosa Parks actions led to a boycott of the Montgomery Bus system; this lasted 381 days. On November 14th, 1956 the supreme court ruled segregated seating was unconstitutional.
Martin Luther King was a Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid 1950s until his death by assassination in 1969. MLK had the advantage of being a young, well trained man who was too new in town to have made enemies; he was generally respected and it was thought that his family connections and professional standing would enable him to find another pastorate should the boycott fail.
King's historic march on Washington was where he made his infamous 'I have a dream speech'. On August 28th 1963 and interracial assembly of more than 200,000 gathered to demand equal justice for all citizens under the law. The crowds were uplifted by his emotional strength and quality of his 'I have a dream' speech.
Another significant event of black history was the Little Rock Nine. The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine students who challenged racial segregation in the public schools of Little Rock. The group became the center of the struggle to desegregate public schools in the US, specifically in the South. During the summer of 1957, the Little Rock Nine enrolled at the Little Rock high school, which had previously been all white. The students effort to enroll was supported by the Supreme Courts decision in Brown vs Board Of Education (54) which had declared segregated schooling to be unconstitutional. When the African American students arrived on the second day of term, they were met by a mob of white students throwing rocks, shouting at them and threatening to kill them.
Additionally, around 270 soldiers of the Arkansas National Guard were sent to block the schools entrance.
The confrontation drew international attention to racism and civil rights in the United States as well as the battle between Federal and state power. 8 of the 9 students attended the rest of the academic year, and at the end of 1958 senior Ernest Green became the first African American to graduate from Little Rock Central High School.
Additionally, the Greensboro sit in was an important event in history. The Greensboro sit in was and act of non violent protest against a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, that began on February 1st in 1960. The success of the protest led to a wider sit in movement, organised completely by the SNCC (student non violent coordinating committee) that spread throughout the South. The media response to the sit in was immediate. A photo of the sit in appeared in the local newspapers and the protest quickly expanded. The Greensboro sit in provided a template for non violent resistance and marked and early success for the Civil Rights movement.
European countries raced to occupy Africa in the 1880s- this became known as 'the scramble for Africa'-Britain established control over many parts of
Africa, including Sudan and much of the South, whilst France began to rule a large territory in the west and north. The Portuguese became the first Europeans to establish a physical presence in Africa, in the 1480s, but through the 1870s European outposts were restricted to ports along the African coasts focusing on trade and diplomacy. The reasons for African colonization were mainly economic, political and religious. During this time of colonization, an economic depression was occurring in Europe, and powerful countries such as Germany, France and Great Britain.
The Civil Rights Act (1964) intended to end discrimination based on race, colour, religion or national origin. It is seen as the hallmark of American civil rights movement. The act guaranteed equal voting rights by removing registration requirements and procedures biased against minorities and the underprivileged. The act secondly prohibits segregation and discrimination in places of public accommodation. The act was highly controversial in the US as it was proposed by by JFK in 63. Although Kennedy was originally unable to secure passage of the bill in Congress, a stronger version was eventually passed with the determination of Kennedy's successor, Johnson, who signed the bill on July 2, 1964.
The Voting Rights Act was signed on August 6th, 1965. The aim of the act was to overcome legal barriers at the state of local levels that presented African Americans from exercising their right to vote. The Voting Rights Act was considered one of the most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation in US history. It continued to provide far reaching protection of minority Voting Rights until the early 21st century. Following the American Civil War, the fifteenth amendment was ratified, which guaranteed that the right to vote would not be denied on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude.
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