The Civil Rights Movement
Question 1
The US has matured in many economic, political, and social aspects, thanks to the Civil Rights Movement. Without a doubt, the nation changed tremendously due to the activities of the movement in the 1960s. Nonviolent demonstrations, coupled with Martin Luther Jr.’s efforts through the church, not only unearthed the many ills and blatant injustices that the churches led by white men perpetrated. Additionally, the activities of the movement during the period reinforced the need that desegregation had to be implemented in public transport systems, businesses, and even schools. Through his speech titled “I Have a Dream,” which he issued at Lincoln Memorial in 1963, Martin Luther called for civil disobedience as a way of ending segregation and discrimination of the whites against African Americans (Stanford University, n.d.).
The 1960s Movement can, therefore, be said to have been the foundation of subsequent efforts by human rights movements in their fight against discriminations and injustices. The institutions that African Americans used to fight for fairness and justice were also instrumental to the movement’s successes in the 1960s. Using the Christian constituency, Luther articulated the issues affecting African Americans through the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) (Ling, 2015). His 1963 protests and Birmingham also triggered demonstrations in one hundred and eighty-six southern cities, which were known to be notorious in frustrating the efforts of African Americans in their quests for democratic and educational rights. A nonviolent student coordination committee was also formed through the coordination of Ella Baker with the aim of pushing for participatory democracy.
Question 2
Efforts to have civil rights act institutionalized bore fruits opened windows of opportunity to minority communities in America, especially the black American communities. New opportunities and benefits began to be enjoyed by minority groups, especially in Political, economic, and social domains. First, the activities of human rights activists pushed President Eisenhower to abolish the segregation of black students admitted into white schools; the decision by the president was motivated by the riots that ensued when black Americans got admission at Little Rock Central High School, a white school (Bloom, 2019). Additionally, minorities who were sixty-five years and above began to be considered for the Medicare Program, a program that was established under the 1965 Social Security Act. While the move was challenged by the AMA (American Medical Association), the move was equally praised because it meant that all Americans would benefit from the Medicare program. Subsequent amendments to the Act also so the expansion of benefits for disabled citizens.
During President JF Kennedy’s era, the 1960 Civil Rights Act opened another door for black minorities by allowing them to exercise their democratic rights to vote. Through the Act, poll taxes were abolished in the south; the taxes had, for a long time, been used to marginalize African American voters. The Act also ensured the use of referees to guarantee the eligibility of black to vote, an idea that started in Harry Truman’s era but faded during Eisenhower’s tenure. President Kennedy managed to revive the idea after he convinces a Florida conservative senator – Spessard Holland – to introduce it for discussion in congress (Hersch & Shinall, 2015). In addition to voting rights, activism also led to the enrollment of black minorities in higher learning institutions increase. For instance, James Meredith succeeded in getting admission to Mississippi University, an institution that was known to segregate blacks. Even though riots were witnessed, JF Kennedy used the military to calm down things. These are just a few examples showing that the movement would still be relevant in voicing the rights of minority groups today.
Question 3
Yes, the tactics employed by the civil rights activists in 1960 can perfectly be applied today to address ethnic and racial conflicts. Our founding fathers did their best to alleviate political and social injustices, but our current society is still haunted by the same evils they fought so hard to eliminate. While it can also be argued that ethnic and racial conflicts have significantly reduced, some issues still exist. Civil rights activists in the 1960s used riots, boycotts, demonstrations, and publications and public rallies to air their opinions. For instance, the Montgomery bus was avoided by African Americans following Rosa Parks’ arrest after she refused to give a white man her seat. African Americans boycotted early beginning December of 1985 and they went on boycotting for a period of 381 days. Their boycott saw the federal court at Alabama declare segregation unlawful, following the Supreme Court upholding the decision (Bloom, 2019).
Today’s justice system treats minority needs with a lot of sensitivity. But where there are grievances that are of an ethnic or racial nature, demonstrations, boycotts, publications, riots, and even public rallies have always captured the attention of the general public. Even today, citizens use these activities to protests against poor working conditions, electoral injustices, bad government policies, etc. publications are also widely used to challenge the marginalization and the discrimination of minority groups. With advancements in technology and the wide use of the internet, publications nowadays reach wider audiences, unlike in the 1960s. Other outlets used to raise awareness of ethnic and racial injustices include broadcast, print, and social media. Most of the strategies employed in the 1960s would, therefore, still be applicable today.
Question 4
Yes, the 1960s ideas are still relevant today because injustices in society have not been completely wiped out. Injustices such as racial discrimination, extrajudicial killings, electoral injustices, and unfair allocation of public resources continue to be major problems in modern society. Most of these injustices can only be dealt with through civil rights activities. For instance, Black Lives Matter is a movement that formed following the blatant taking of African American lives. When president trump won the presidency in the last election, riots were witnessed in various parts of the country. In other words, the activities of civil rights activists are needed even today to fight off the injustices meted upon minority groups in society. These are just some examples of how the 1960s ideas of civil rights activists would be relevant today.
Question 5
The activities of the movement would have a lot of impact on many issues in society today, especially in matters to do with diversity. For instance, it would advocate for inter-racial and cross-cultural platforms in addressing social injustices. This would characterize by the coming together of different racial and ethnic groups to seek common solutions to common problems, leading to the realization or the arrival at binding solutions. And because the goal of civil rights activists is to foster togetherness through justice, the civil rights movement would initiate the creation of diverse solutions to conflicts among people across the country. This also means the millions of Americans would be able to have the feeling that they are significant contributors to the American dream and the development agenda. Additionally, it would also mean that greater cohesion and unity would be achieved across diverse groups: Mexican Americans, Red Indians, Latino Americans, African or Black Americans, etc.
In modern America, most of the issues mentioned above have largely been addressed. Unlike in the 1960s, when civil rights activists had to correct societal injustices to a greater extent, they would only have to improve on the laid down foundations in economic, political, and educational fields. Many have argued that even though diversity is not a big issue as it was in the 1960s, Obama’s succession to the presidency was a continuance of the struggle that was fought by President Kennedy, Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey and Martin Luther Jr. Despite the fact that America is a country of diverse people, it enjoys relative tranquility and peace. Civil rights activists would, therefore, reinforce the tranquility and peace by considering the needs of each diverse group. In other words, the movement would only serve to reinforce or improve the already existing systems for enhancing social justice.
References
Bloom, J. M. (2019). Class, race, and the civil rights movement. Indiana University Press.
Hersch, J., & Shinall, J. B. (2015). Fifty years later: The legacy of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 34(2), 424-456.
Ling, P. J. (2015). Martin Luther King, Jr. Routledge.
Stanford University (n.d.). “I Have a Dream,” Address Delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Retrieved from https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom