The Civil Rights Movement – What Caused the Change?

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The Civil Rights Movement – What Caused the Change? The Civil Rights Movement – What Caused the Change? Slavery ended in 1865, yet over 100 years later African Americans were still fighting for their basic civil rights. The Civil Right Movement of the 1960s started out as a much focused movement with one goal in mind, equality for African Americans. African Americans wanted their voting rights, desegregation of schools and employment, and adequate housing. In the beginning, the movement was well organized as most African Americans rallied together in their struggle for those rights that were denied to them simply because of the color of their skin. Consequently, the movement began to falter due to differences of opinions and styles on how to best obtain those rights. In the late 1950’s and early1960’s racial tensions where at an all-time high. African American men were fighting in Vietnam alongside of white Americans, yet returning to a nation that was still treating them as second class citizens. When black men returned home, they were unable to find employment and when they did, those jobs came at a much lower salary than their white counterparts. On average, non-whites earned between thirty two and thirty-eight percent less than whites regardless of education or accomplishments. This enraged black men, as they felt that their services would give them more respect once they returned from serving their country. Even when it came to more accomplished African diplomats, they too were mistreated simply due to the color of their skin. Maltreatment occurred across the United States, as people of African descent were rejected from restaurants, social clubs and decent housing was denied (Romano, 2000, P.551-552). This mix of injustice begin to create a melting pot of frustrations and civil unrest. At the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement were two
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