Political Participation In The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement was an effort to establish equal protection under the law which included equal opportunity for all people and also sought to abolish segregation in both its policies and practices. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair.” This movement was an effort to restore justice for all people and rid the despair from the lives of many people. The Civil Rights Movement was a pivotal time of American history in which many people looked to the government for the fulfillment of the idea that, “all men are created equal.” For many people it was the desire

One such method of political participation was Civil Disobedience. This is the intentional breaking of “unjust” laws. In the case of the Civil Rights Movement, many forms of civil disobedience came in the form of African Americans not complying to the demands of the Whites. Many African Americans sat at the “Whites Only” counter, thus creating tension between themselves and the others around them. Rosa Parks used this tactic of civil disobedience to its complete potential when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on the public bus. She was arrested and detained for her Civil Disobedience. Other events were also organized to influence public policy. The march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama was one very influential march that showed the perseverance of all those in support of the Civil Rights movement. The march was stopped twice through force before, with the support of President Lyndon B. Johnson, the protesters were able to march peacefully from Selma to Montgomery with the protection from the forces that had already stopped them from marching

Another parameter set up by this act was that employment discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, gender or color were all forbidden under the new law. This policy also gave the US Department of Justice the power and authority to create lawsuits to help desegregate public facilities such as schools. The passage of the Twenty-fourth Amendment also helped ensure rights to many people specifically the right to vote. This amendment stated that the poll tax that was collected at elections was illegal. Along with the Twenty-fourth Amendment, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped expand voting rights by making literacy tests that were commonly used as well as any other voting procedures that denied a person the right to vote based on color or race. Another concept that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped ensure was that the votes of African Americans would not be diluted by racial gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is defined as, “drawing district boundaries to advantage a specific group.” In response, some cities elected city council members from the entire city rather than from districts. This made it less likely that the minority of the city’s population would receive political representation. This called for governments of all levels to establish district boundaries that avoided, “discriminatory results and not just