The Civil Rights Movement 1954-68
During Reconstruction, black people were taking leadership over roles like never before, held public office and made changes for equality and the right to vote. In 1868, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution gave black people equal protection under the law, and in 1870, the 15th Amendment gave black men the right the vote. However, many white Americans were unhappy about these equality changes and laws in the late 19th century were established in the south that reversed any progress made during the Reconstruction. These laws meant that black people couldn't use the same public facilities, live in towns or go to any of the same schools as white people, keeping black people completely separate from white people. Even though many northern states didn't have these laws, black people were still facing discrimination in the workplace and education.
During the mid 50's up until the late 1960's, there was a huge political movement and campaign, called the Civil Rights Movement. Thousands of African American people mass protested all over the United States, mainly in the south, where they protested against racial segregation and discrimination, which was to gain equal rights for Black Americans under the law in the United States. The movement was led by Martin Luther King, an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister, who delivered the famous 'I Have A Dream' speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, where he called for civil and economic rights. More than 200,000 people of all races gathered at Washington for a peaceful march with the main purpose of forcing civil rights legislation and establishing job equality for everyone. Martin Luther King's famous speech became the slogan for equality and freedom and is considered one of the most iconic speeches in American history.
One of the most famous acts of protest was by Rosa Parks. In December 1955, a 42-year-old woman named Rosa Parks got on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. However, segregation laws at the time said that black people should sit at the back of the bus, separate from white people. Rosa Parks was a black woman and didn't follow the law that kept black people separate from white people on buses, as she took a seat outside the 'designated' seats for Black passengers. The bus driver instructed Parks to move out of the seat in order for a white passenger to sit down and she refused, which resulted in her being arrested. Her arrest caused outrage and support in the community, and black community leaders formed the Montgomery Improvement Association, which was led by Martin Luther King, and it was his role within this association that made him the face of many civil rights movements. Because of Parks' courage to fight back against the discrimination, the Montgomery Improvement Association staged a boycott of the Montgomery bus system and in 1956, the Supreme Court removed the law which separate black and white people on buses.
Because of the civil rights movement (1954-1968), President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act 1964, which prohibited employment discrimination based on race, religion and sex. It also banned any discrimination in public services like accommodations, parks, restaurants, theatres, arenas etc. This also led to the Voting Rights Act 1965, which banned all voter literacy tests and any racial discrimination in voting.
The Black Panther Party 1960's
