The aftermath of the World War II left a lot of damage not only economically but to the society itself. Segregation was still a major issue to the African Americans in the United States, they still faced being excluded from things the whites could do but they weren’t allowed to. African Americans had some rights and freedom but they were still rejected by society. Grassroots activism consisted of a group of people protesting about a cause that they believed was the right thing. “Organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) fought hard against segregation and its handmaiden , disfrachisement of blacks” (Documents in US History III, 240). They wanted to …show more content…
This was one of the results from the fighting of the people and grassroots activists who believed in equality for the blacks. By 1961 “the first tactic of the movement, sit-ins, had achieved impressive results” so they moved on the next tactics (Secondary Source on Civil Rights 1960s, p. 27). For example, Birmingham had its own racial segregation ordinances which stated that “negroes and white persons not to play together” in any place (Birmingham Segregation Ordinances, 1). The Civil Right Act of 1964 also ended any employment discrimination and created more equal opportunities for the African Americans. “In this trying period, as we all seek to right this wrong, we appeal to our people not to be provoked by the agitators and troublemakers invading our States and to scrupulously refrain from disorders and lawless acts” (Primary Source Suppliment II, 29-2). Even though the blacks gained some rights, they were still restricted from voting which lead to the enforcement of the Voting Rights …show more content…
This act restricted racial discrimation in voting and outlawed many actions taken by the states that banned the rights of the black citizens. “In 1962, only 2.1% of the black people in Selma were registered to vote” (Interview of Participant in march, 2). This was a march for the voting rights that took place from Selma, Alabama to the state capitol in Montgomery. There were many whites who were against this decision and this resulted in an outburst of violence in the Southern states. Although the Voting Rights Act was not successful in every state, it increased the voting percentage of blacks in some states such as Mississippi. “We cannot, we must not, refuse to protect the right of every American to vote in every election that he may desire to participate in… Their cause must be out cause too. Because it’s not just negroes, but really it’s all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice” (LBJ address to Congress 1965,