African American Civil Rights 1954-1968

One of the most important events for the history of African Americans and other social groups was the Civil Rights Movements between 1954-1968 which was a peaceful campaign to disregard segregation and better equal rights for all which included voting rights, labor rights, and better social treatment. After World War 2, African Americans wanted more equal opportunities to vote and be respected like the white man and thought they deserved change in the America that some black soldiers fought for during the war. After the war, African Americans experienced segregation of separate facilities from white people such as theaters, bathrooms, water fountains, schools, housing and more institutions. They also experienced hate and violence from white

During the 19th century Reconstruction Era, the African American slaves were freed but little changed in the Southern states. Jim Crow Laws were enacted because the white people in the south still depended on slaves because of the labor force they needed to help the booming agricultural economy. The African Americans were met with much discrimination from whites and hate groups such as the KKK which separated and violently disrespected African Americans. African Americans wanted more voting rights and equal rights, and many moved to the north during the Great Migration to seek urban life and better job opportunities during the early 1900s. This same pattern is expressed after World War 2 and African Americans used tactics such as rallying and protesting locally to eventually nationally making equal rights a big attention. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed to allow federal rights to protect citizens for their right to vote and was one of the first legislations passed after the Reconstruction Era. Protests to further educate the public and help pass more legislation for equal

Boycotting places such as busses and bus routes started to gain support because of an African American woman named Rosa Parks. She was riding on a bus when she was asked to give up her seat for a white person. Rosa Parks continued to stay seated and resisted to give up her seat to the white person and she was unfairly arrested, and this gained a wide national support for boycotting and resisting segregationally practices. Another group known as the Freedom Riders consisted of black and white college students riding buses and boycotting bus transit routes to support equality and desegregation. The bus was targeted by police forces as well as hateful white mobs that bombed the bus and this spread national awareness to the government which finally allowed desegregated bus routes. Not only was desegregated transportation available but also public-school systems weren't separated and started to include black and white students. After a court case against the Arkansas school board, the government of Arkansas declared segregation would be prohibited in public schools. Therefore, there were volunteers known as the Little Rock 9 that consisted of brave nine black students who wanted to attend an all-white public school. They had a conflicting time going to their classes and were receiving hate and attacks from white students. They were escorted by federal officers as white mobs continued to shout at the black students