The Civil War heralded a new beginning in as far as equality was concerned in America. While it is largely credited for helping rid the country of slavery, it is a fact that blacks continued to suffer discrimination at many levels. The discrimination suffered by this community in the decades to follow gave rise to a struggle for equality and social justice. Read on to learn some cool African American Civil Rights Movement facts.
Following the Civil War, it was apparent that the systemic discrimination of blacks would not end soon, more so in many of the southern states. Towards the lead up to the mid twentieth century, the majority of them had had it. Many African Americans, with the support of a considerable amount of the white population, took to the streets in protests that lasted two decades.
It is a fact that the nation made some genuine efforts to rid itself of the grip of racial discrimination after the end of slavery. The enactment of the 14th amendment heralded this moment. This amendment was enacted in 1868 and gave all citizens equal protection in all facets of the law. In 1870, this law was redrafted into the 15th amendment, tentatively giving blacks a right to cast their votes. The amendment sent many whites in the southern states into a rage, reason being many of them still viewed black people through the prism of slavery.
The infamous Jim Crow laws associated with the south at the end of the 1900s came as a result of the mounting hatred. The general aim of these laws was to bring about racial segregation. A typical black was forbidden from using the same public facilities as whites, including educational institutions. It was also illegal for a black to marry a white. Unfair voter literacy tests also ensured blacks stayed out of voting.
Luckily, northern states did not take up these laws. However, discrimination continued unabated. An ordinary black would have to go through hell to get educated or purchase a house. A handful of northern states even passed legislation limiting the black population from voting.
Certain events eventually caused the far reaching activism witnessed during the 1950s and 60s. On 1st December 1955, an incident of monumental proportions took place in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks, a woman aged 42, got off work and boarded a local bus to head home. At the time, segregation laws partitioned seating areas in buses based on race, with blacks like Parks expected to seat at the back.
Soon after, a white man failed to secure seating space at his designated area. The driver subsequently instructed Parks and three other black passengers to surrender their seats. She resisted and was immediately arrested.
This incident caused a furor among the black community. A justice and equality movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr, was then formed. The peaceful protest staged by its participants eventually resulted in segregated seating arrangements being declared illegal. In the years that followed, including after the assassination of Dr. King, equality was finally achieved in education, employment, housing and the general American social system.
Following the Civil War, it was apparent that the systemic discrimination of blacks would not end soon, more so in many of the southern states. Towards the lead up to the mid twentieth century, the majority of them had had it. Many African Americans, with the support of a considerable amount of the white population, took to the streets in protests that lasted two decades.
It is a fact that the nation made some genuine efforts to rid itself of the grip of racial discrimination after the end of slavery. The enactment of the 14th amendment heralded this moment. This amendment was enacted in 1868 and gave all citizens equal protection in all facets of the law. In 1870, this law was redrafted into the 15th amendment, tentatively giving blacks a right to cast their votes. The amendment sent many whites in the southern states into a rage, reason being many of them still viewed black people through the prism of slavery.
The infamous Jim Crow laws associated with the south at the end of the 1900s came as a result of the mounting hatred. The general aim of these laws was to bring about racial segregation. A typical black was forbidden from using the same public facilities as whites, including educational institutions. It was also illegal for a black to marry a white. Unfair voter literacy tests also ensured blacks stayed out of voting.
Luckily, northern states did not take up these laws. However, discrimination continued unabated. An ordinary black would have to go through hell to get educated or purchase a house. A handful of northern states even passed legislation limiting the black population from voting.
Certain events eventually caused the far reaching activism witnessed during the 1950s and 60s. On 1st December 1955, an incident of monumental proportions took place in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks, a woman aged 42, got off work and boarded a local bus to head home. At the time, segregation laws partitioned seating areas in buses based on race, with blacks like Parks expected to seat at the back.
Soon after, a white man failed to secure seating space at his designated area. The driver subsequently instructed Parks and three other black passengers to surrender their seats. She resisted and was immediately arrested.
This incident caused a furor among the black community. A justice and equality movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr, was then formed. The peaceful protest staged by its participants eventually resulted in segregated seating arrangements being declared illegal. In the years that followed, including after the assassination of Dr. King, equality was finally achieved in education, employment, housing and the general American social system.
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