Some Of The African American Civil Rights Movement Facts

By Catherine Graham


In the past, people segregated African Americans. They were seen as an important lee race, and they were treated poorly in all aspects of life. However, the fight for equality started taking place in the 1950s and 1960s. They took about a decade, but they finally paid off. In the middle of the twentieth century, there was still a lot of violence against black people. Below are some of the few African American civil rights movement facts.

In the 1940s black people were not included in highly paying jobs and most of the farmers and domestic workers. This was before world war two. They were not allowed to join the military, and it was then thousands of black people threatened to march to Washington DC and demand equal employment rights. In 1941, the then president opened military jobs among others regardless of race.

There was the Montgomery bus system which meant that there were seats reserved for black people in the back and the white people would sit in the front. In 1955, Rosa parks broke this law. She sat in the front. A white man then entered the bus and did not have somewhere to sit. The driver ordered Rosa and other black people to move to the back, but she stayed put and got arrested.

In 1954, the movement was really heard, and the supreme court declared segregation illegal in public schools. Black students began to be invited to schools such as brown. In 1957 nine black students known as little rock, nine arrived at the central high school where they were met by a guard and a screaming mob. They went and came back two weeks later, and they were allowed inside.

There was also the law that stated that black people could not share food joints with white people. In 1960, four students went to wool worths lunch counter but were refused service. They, in turn, remained adamant. The next day, other black people did the same and refused to leave without service. They eventually wore out the white people and the four students were the first to be served in wool worths lunch counter.

In 1963, the biggest demonstrations of all took place led by Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King, and Bayard Rustin. There was a turnout of about 200,000 people both black and white, and they matched through Washington DC to show solidarity on each other. The highlight was when Martin gave his speech that was an inspiration and whose famous line, I have a dream has been used till now.

At some point, 600 hundred people walked in protest after a white police officer killed a black human activist. The people matched towards the state of Alabama but were barred at Edmund Pettus bridge by the state police. They insisted on trying to get through, but they were beaten up and tear gas thrown at them. They were later rushed to the hospital.

By 1957, all Americans had the right to vote. This was however made difficult for the people in the southern states. They were required literacy that was confusing and at times and at others impossible, so they always failed.




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