Civil Rights Dbq

706 Words3 Pages

The nineteen hundreds marked a period of improvement in all aspects of society: economy, politics, standard of living, technology, and entertainment. However, one thing that did not improve till the late nineteen hundreds was integration of African Americans into society. While it took several years for legislation to pass the Civil Rights Act, it was achieved through new organizations, protests, and court cases which passed laws in favor of desegregation. Considering African Americans were still facing segregation-despite the passage of amendments and laws in their favor- they knew the only way they could make a change was to take matters into their own hands. Martin Luther King Jr., mostly known for his “I Have a Dream” speech, was a “symbol …show more content…

Contrary to popular belief, civil rights movement began due to the legal victory of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Ultimately, “the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision” was to pass a law to integrate blacks into public schools; which, as a result, overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson: the idea of being “separate but equal” (“Civil Rights Movement, U.S.”). The effectiveness of this ruling was put to test by “the Little Rock Nine”, which was the first “group of black students” who went to “Central High School in Little Rock”, a white public school (“Civil Rights Movement, U.S.”). This created great fear among many white Americans since it broke social norms. However, it inspired many African Americans, as it symbolized hope for greater reform. Ultimately this hope gave many African Americans the motivation to start and participate in the civil rights movement. As a result of the Montgomery bus boycotts, “the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s order to end segregation on city buses” (Cravens). Therefore, blacks were now protected by the law to be allowed to sit wherever they please on public transportation. However, the most important law passed which finally brought the civil rights efforts to fruition was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act “prohibited racial discrimination in public accommodations, public facilities, and the use of federal funds” (Civil Rights Movement,