Civil Rights Movement Research Paper

The Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century was a transformative period in history of America. Through methods of nonviolent protest, leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. worked to challenge the segregation and discrimination facing African Americans. Through the success of the Civil Rights Movement, victories and advances in political, social, and economic equality have been made for not only African Americans, but also women, Asian Americans, and other minority groups in American society.
The struggle of African Americans to make the promise of “all men are created equal” a reality began long before the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Early leaders like Frederick Douglass and John Mercer Langston not only worked to bring
Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as a pivotal leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King was an advocate for civil disobedience and peaceful protest. In 1963, following his arrest during a protest in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” where various sources of oppression were described along with how to combat such oppression. In the letter, Martin Luther King, Jr. explained promises made to the African Community for equality that were never met. As a result of the broken promises, Dr. King called for pressure to be put on the authority figures who instigated such oppression. Dr. King described the pressure as a “direct action” and that the pressure would force negotiation to occur. Negative emotions were in the African American Community. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote that these emotions could manifest themselves a violence, if not expressed. However, Dr. King warned against acts of violence to achieve the desired end of equality. In the letter, Martin Luther King, Jr. revealed to white leaders the racism faced by African Americans and the difficulties faced by the children of this
Southern states used poll taxes, white primaries, grandfather clause, and literacy tests to stop African Americans from exercising the right to vote (Edmunds, 163). As peaceful demonstrators refused leave and began to pray at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, state officers struck the protestors and used tear gas. Violent reactions to peaceful protest like seen in Selma and other events like Little Rock and Birmingham were seen on television all over the country and gained support for the cause. These events and images reached the White House where President Eisenhower, President Kennedy, and President L. B. Johnson began to work with leaders of the Civil Rights Movement to enact change. Eventually, laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 brought an end to de jure segregation and advanced equality for African Americans in the areas of politics, society, education, and the