Racial Segregation In The 1960s

Prior to the 1960’s, racial segregation was deemed socially acceptable, with the “separate but equal” statement hanging loosely over America. The social and economic damage of Jim Crow era racism were all-encompassing and deep-rooted. The white power had been prevalent and even innovative, those fighting to break free of it had to be equally unrelenting in the variety of strategies and methods. The Civil Rights movement was more than just a movement, but a grand struggle for freedom extending far beyond the aims of legal rights and protection. From direct-action protests and boycotts to armed self-defense, as well as court cases to popular culture, freedom was in the air in ways that challenged white authority. Changes occurred in the 1960s

One of the groups that had been established was the SNCC, or the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. This group was founded and lead by the African-American youth in the early 1960s, basing their morals similar to that of Martin Luther King Jr. (though not directly linked to him). They used non-violent methods, such as sit-ins and “freedom riding” as protests. They also wanted equality and a balanced social order with all races. In contrast, the Black Panther party was founded by the mid-1960s and held a very different standard. The Black Panther party was a political party that was far-left and supported Black Nationalism or “Black Power”, a form of separatism. They also thought that in order to accomplish their goals, violence had to be used against the blatant injustices they faces. While there were groups, there were also individuals who preached to any and all open ears, such as Stokely Carmichael. Carmichael shared his ideologies in the famous “What We Want”, which promoted humanist love, and desired a community where people could protest and act on achieving their desires without potential harm coming towards them. All these ideas were divided amongst the African-American community, all wanting the basis of no longer being oppressed and achieve a better quality of

The violence and acts of hatred were often, but not restricted to, state and local officials. Photos from Alabama depict a white officer with a police dog attacking an African-American man. This particular photo was on a file investigating the human rights in Alabama, and a statement from the victim, Walter Gadsden, claiming that he had been leaving church and near a demonstration when the police officer suddenly attacked and arrested him. This is just a single example of how violence affected one man. Again, in issues of Alabama the National Guard had to be called in to allow African-American students to enroll in college. John F. Kennedy announced in his "Radio and Television Report to the American People on Civil Rights" that the conscience of American needed to be examined. He attempted to gain support of the movement to prevent these issues from further occurring though what would become the Civil Rights Act. The quality of African-American lives needed to improve, and the phrase “all men are created equal” used as reference in his speech needed to be given