Civil Rights Movement In The 1950s And 1960s

The 1950s and 1960s marked a tremendous period of change in U.S. race relations, particularly in the Contemporary South. Throughout this period, racial differences remained the dominant cleavage in the region and the transitions undergone in American culture during this time were often violent and controversial. These transitions marked the rise of the civil rights movement which sought to respond to the gradually shifting cultural views on race during the 50s and 60s. The civil rights movement came about as a response to the ideas of racial segregation in the Southern United States, particularly in the post-Civil war period through the enforcement of the Jim Crow laws. This came about in a post-Civil War period as it institutionalized economic,

This occurred due to the Watts Riots of 1965 which symbolized a violent response to discrimination and the use of excessive force in policing. This was the first instance in the civil rights movement that armed self-defence had been completely embraced. During this time, organizers of the movement began to disagree about the strategies and tactics that were required as the non-violent approach had become less appealing. At the head of this divide was the SNCC which aimed to take a more aggressive stance through the black power movement. The use of nonviolent disobedience was not universally accepted as some organizers and black activists had advocated for bearing arms for self-defence early in the movement. The civil rights organizers did agree on the goals of the movement, which included desegregation and voting reform for African Americans. These goals were critical to the success of the movement as they highlighted how the organizers were united in achieving specific goals that formed the basis for the