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How Did African Americans Influence The Civil Rights Movement

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The Civil Rights Movement, which took place from 1945-1966, was African Americans’ attempts to secure equality and rights similar to whites in the United States. World War II had set a foundation for the ensuing struggle of African Americans, springing a mass migration to the North, while the South kept segregation and unequal rights as their normal policy. Laws and customs kept blacks as second-class citizens with no real political rights. Previously, African Americans sat back and survived, but soon they would begin to stand up for themselves and their situation. One of the most efficient ways to aid their Civil Rights Movement would be to gain help and support from the President. Presidents or presidential candidates during this time - Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, and Johnson - all had opinions on Civil Rights and racism. Each expressed their views in different ways, some putting forth more effort to change the social status of blacks than others. …show more content…

He did end segregation in the armed forces before the 1948 election, gaining him the black vote. This only mattered in the North since blacks in the South were basically denied voting rights, but it was still enough to give him the upper hand to win the presidential election. He created a committee on Civil Rights that strived to end racial inequality. It created an enduring civil rights division in the Justice Department, attempted to protect voting rights, tried to stop lynching, and pushed for the end of housing segregation. Truman publicly approved all of these things, but never turned them into

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