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Ariella Cross April 6, 2008 The Civil Rights Movement was a long hard period of time where blacks were treated poorly compared to whites. Water fountains, restrooms, movie theaters, and transportation are all public services. During the Civil Rights Movement, these places were all segregated and had labels that said ‘‘colored’’ or ‘‘white’’. Because of this, and more, many people created boycotts to protest against the unjust actions towards blacks. At first these protest didn’t have much affect, but the power within black leaders was growing.

One of the strong leaders was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., born on January 15, 1929, and is one of the most remembered man in history. He created and was president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Their goal was to stop discrimination and segregation without using any type of violence. He is famous for the ‘‘I Have A Dream’’ speech which was spoken aloud at The March On Washington. He ‘‘became not only the symbolic leader of American black but also a world figure’’ (Biography). MLK was shot in Tennessee on April 4, 1968. A woman named Rosa Parks was good friends with Dr. King and became well known for the woman who wouldn’t give up her seat on a bus for a white man. She was arrested which soon began the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

J.F. Kennedy attempted to stop segregation and discrimination as well but it had some drawbacks. Considering Congress consisted of all white men, they all disagreed with Kennedy’s thoughts and opinions. He was assassinated in November 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson was to follow in his footsteps. He pushed Kennedy’s bill to Congress, which created a law in 1964. The law stated Kennedy’s full explanation of fair treatment to employees and what it should include. Another man with a strong ambition was Malcolm X. He started an organization called the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). Many of the African-American politics of that time were based on his works. He was also assassinated, on February 21, 1968.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott started on December 1, 1955. The goal was to find other means of transportation instead of the bus until they could sit wherever they like. The people thought it was wrong to separate the bus with blacks in the back and whites in the front. Many people believed it was wrong to arrest Rosa Parks because of the seat incident. This protest lasted 381 days and Court finally created a law stating segregation on buses was illegal.

The Plessy vs. Ferguson doctrine stated ‘‘segregation was legal as long as blacks had access to facilities equal to those for whites.’’ Thirty year old Homer Plessy was one-eighths black and seven-eighths white was said guilty for sitting in the ‘whites’ section on a train. The judge, John Howard Ferguson, founded him guilty.

Another really important event was the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling. This mainly included Olive Brown, the father of Linda Brown, many other parents, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Brown tried to enroll his daughter into a white school, but was denied that opportunity. There were many problems at first; but the Supreme Court finally realized that the students’ rights were not equal. The Supreme Court knocked out the Plessy vs. Ferguson separate but equal doctrine, and required desegregation in schools all over America. This case started in 1951 but the official decision about desegregation wasn’t made until May 17, 1954.

The Klu Klux Klan (KKK) was the worst ‘group’ of that time. It consisted of all white men who wore white robes and a pointed hood. These men would go around and terrorized black people. They burned crosses, hung people, and even bombed buildings. The Birmingham Church Bombing killed four of five little girls who happened to be in the basement. If they didn’t like they way someone acted or did something, they would act upon it.

Almost all of the shops and stores were owned by white men. At the time, black people weren’t allowed to own shops and run things. They were used as slaves and people would be condescending towards them. The Supreme Courts were all white men. All of the authority and freedom of speech was engulfed by white people and culture. Many whites also had the capability to sit back in a nice air conditioned home while the black people were working hard to pick and produce cotton. There were some white men and women that fully supported Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others. They believed that segregation should end, and everyone’s rights should be equal.

For blacks, they were paid poorly and treated worse. One thing that kept them together was good home cooking, faith, and music. Many people stuck together in hard times, and tried to make it through. They went on protests, and fought for their freedom of life. One thing they had to look out for was how they acted in public. One boy whistled at an older white women at a store. Some older white men overheard him and ended up killing him, then throwing his body into the river. Even if they didn’t mean any harm, blacks had to be cautious of their every move to keep as safe as possible.

The March on Washington was the event in which Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous speech ‘I Have A Dream’ was spoken. It was teeming with people of different races, over 250,000 blacks, whites, Indians, Hispanics, and more. They all came to support the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. MLK’s dream. This moment influenced and changed many peoples thoughts. It was inspiring and showed what the world should really be like.

The Civil Rights Movement was successful in some ways, and then it was not. Today, you can be any race, color, or have any religion and obtain a job. During the Civil Rights Movement, only white men could work the factories and stores while black men and women had to work in the fields picking cotton. There isn’t as much discrimination as there used to be, but people are still racist and have many issues with others. The KKK also happens to exist they just aren’t as public and ‘loud’ about the situation. Today’s culture and way of life has changed drastically compared to how it used to be.