1960s Dbq Essay

Before the 60s, Brown v. Board of Education was passed which led to a couple of reforms in de jure segregation, but not heavily mandated by the government. President John F. Kennedy could not do much for the movement due to his desire to keep his image in front of Southern Democrats and his lack of popular mandate in Congress. There was a groundwork set for the movement, but it had not entered its most energized form. However, when the 1960s hit, there were changes that occurred in the entire setting of the movement. The shift in goals, strategies, and support of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s can be attributed to multiple factors, including the influence of younger, more motivated activists, the increasing influence of media on public

Board of Education had begun to grow up and be influenced by prominent leaders. A man by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. was chosen to be the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1963, following his arrest in Birmingham, Alabama after leading peaceful protests against segregation, King wrote a letter to 8 Southern clergymen who criticized his strategies (CAPP). In his response he mentioned how the prophets of Christianity carried the Gospel “to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world” and how he must do the same to promote freedom (Martin Luther King Jr., Doc B). King changed the Civil Rights Movement by using religion as his motivation. Influenced by King’s faith and tactics, many civil rights student-led activist groups were formed such as the SNCC. A core goal of the SNCC was to promote nonviolent protesting methods using religion as its base (SNCC, Doc A). The SNCC led various voting campaigns in the South, all led by students who shared a common belief. CORE was another group formed by students back in 1942. In the late 50s and 60s, they arranged or participated in some of the most pivotal peaceful protests such as the Freedom Rides and other bus boycotts (O). King’s influence on the younger generation allowed for a motivation to rise. Combined, the work of student organizations and Martin Luther King Jr. had contributed to major advances in the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s that had not yet been seen in the