One key turning point in the history of America was the Civil War. While it significantly helped rid the nation of the yoke of slavery, blacks still endured untold discrimination for long thereafter. The discriminative nature of policies in the country made many blacks rally for change, more so in the areas of equality and social justice. This article chronicles a couple of historically significant 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 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 resulting hatred brought about the Jim Crow laws in the south, passed towards the end of the 19th century. The laws were primarily aimed at segregating the population based on race. Blacks were disallowed from utilizing the same public utilities, including schools, as whites. Interracial marriages also became illegal. Moreover, skewed voter literacy tests made it difficult for blacks to attain the right to vote.
Luckily, Jim Crow laws were not enacted in the north. Nevertheless, discrimination continued to be prevalent. Getting an education or buying a house was a near impossibility for the ordinary black man. Sadly, some northern states still passed laws to limit the rights of the black population to vote.
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.
After taking her seat, a white man hopped on but could not get a place to seat. The driver then instructed four blacks, including Parks, to give up their seats. Upon resisting, she was 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 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 resulting hatred brought about the Jim Crow laws in the south, passed towards the end of the 19th century. The laws were primarily aimed at segregating the population based on race. Blacks were disallowed from utilizing the same public utilities, including schools, as whites. Interracial marriages also became illegal. Moreover, skewed voter literacy tests made it difficult for blacks to attain the right to vote.
Luckily, Jim Crow laws were not enacted in the north. Nevertheless, discrimination continued to be prevalent. Getting an education or buying a house was a near impossibility for the ordinary black man. Sadly, some northern states still passed laws to limit the rights of the black population to vote.
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.
After taking her seat, a white man hopped on but could not get a place to seat. The driver then instructed four blacks, including Parks, to give up their seats. Upon resisting, she was 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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