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.
In the years that followed the Civil War, there was a clear lack of commitment to end the habitual discrimination of black people, a habit that was more prevalent in the southern states of the nation. Towards the middle of the twentieth century, a vast majority of blacks felt they could not take it anymore. With support from a considerable number of whites, they partook in protests that spanned the course of two decades.
It is no secret that there was a genuine attempt to bring equality after the historic abolishment of slavery. If one moment best chronicles this attempt, it is the passing of the fourteenth amendment. It was passed in 1868, granting every black person equal protection as provided by law. In 1870, a redraft resulted in the 15th amendment, allowing the black population to participate in elections through voting. This particular law maddened a great number of southern based whites, with lots of them viewing blacks as less significant beings due to their history as slaves.
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.
Fortunately, these laws did not see the light of day up north. Discrimination was still prevalent nonetheless. A typical black person would find it difficult to buy a house or get an education. In fact, a few northern states enacted laws to prevent blacks from voting.
A number of events led up to the start of the historic activism of the 1950s and 1960s. It all started on the 1st of December, 1955. Rosa Parks, a 42 year old lady, took up her seat on a bus after work in Montgomery, Alabama. Back then, segregation laws required blacks to seat at specific seats at the back of buses, which is exactly what Parks had done.
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.
The incident resulted in a great uproar among the blacks. Subsequently, an equality movement was formed, with its leader being Martin Luther King Jr. Its members staged many peaceful protests that pushed the Supreme Court to declare segregated seating illegal. In the subsequent years, the blacks attained equality in employment, housing, education and the social system at large.
In the years that followed the Civil War, there was a clear lack of commitment to end the habitual discrimination of black people, a habit that was more prevalent in the southern states of the nation. Towards the middle of the twentieth century, a vast majority of blacks felt they could not take it anymore. With support from a considerable number of whites, they partook in protests that spanned the course of two decades.
It is no secret that there was a genuine attempt to bring equality after the historic abolishment of slavery. If one moment best chronicles this attempt, it is the passing of the fourteenth amendment. It was passed in 1868, granting every black person equal protection as provided by law. In 1870, a redraft resulted in the 15th amendment, allowing the black population to participate in elections through voting. This particular law maddened a great number of southern based whites, with lots of them viewing blacks as less significant beings due to their history as slaves.
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.
Fortunately, these laws did not see the light of day up north. Discrimination was still prevalent nonetheless. A typical black person would find it difficult to buy a house or get an education. In fact, a few northern states enacted laws to prevent blacks from voting.
A number of events led up to the start of the historic activism of the 1950s and 1960s. It all started on the 1st of December, 1955. Rosa Parks, a 42 year old lady, took up her seat on a bus after work in Montgomery, Alabama. Back then, segregation laws required blacks to seat at specific seats at the back of buses, which is exactly what Parks had done.
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.
The incident resulted in a great uproar among the blacks. Subsequently, an equality movement was formed, with its leader being Martin Luther King Jr. Its members staged many peaceful protests that pushed the Supreme Court to declare segregated seating illegal. In the subsequent years, the blacks attained equality in employment, housing, education and the social system at large.
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