Why was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed? The civil rights act was passed after a long battle. The idea of the 1964 act was already in place during Kennedy’s presidency. Johnson wanted to run for the presidency in 1964, he didn’t want to do anything that would offend the black or the liberal vote. As far as Johnsons voting record while in congress on civil rights, he shared similar attitudes with the south towards civil rights for black people.
There were many other civil right groups such as SNCC, who helped organise The Sit-ins of 1960; NAACP, who also aided The Montgomery Bus Boycott; and The Black Panthers, a more Militant group whose main cause was to empower Black people. It is my opinion that whilst Martin Luther King played a significant part in the black civil rights campaign, the other Civil Rights groups should not be ignored for the part they played. Martin Luther King was a key figurehead in the advancement of black Americans. He was known around the World for taking part in several Civil Rights campaigns. He was a highly intelligent man, coming from a higher-class background.
Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American man who protested for the rights of freedom and equality for all the African American's present in the United States of America. He lead the Civil Rights Movement for all the black American's who were being treated unfairly during the period of 1950 to 1970. Formerly named Michael King, his father changed his name to MKL in honor of the German reformer Martin Luther. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his fight against racial in-equality using non-violence. He gave the speech "I Have a Dream" in 1963 on the "March to Washington" after which he established himself as one of the greatest orators in the history of America.
Martin Luther king Jr was one of the most influential people in the civil rights movement. King fought for civil rights in the south, he followed the same ways of Gandhi with a non-violence movement. King believed in peaceful protest and use of civil disobedience. King believed violence wouldn’t help the African Americans gain the civil rights they wanted.
Between 1954 and 1968 in the country of America change was being heavily sought after in the area of black civil rights. Discrimination towards blacks was cemented into the law system, with the general public view from whites, especially in the south, agreeing with these. However the advancement of black Americans was the accomplishment of a progressive struggle which achieved much change for this suffering community. One man who was seen as an important figure for the ways in which change was created and the vastness of the support for campaigns which followed this main goal was Martin Luther King. I believe that the contribution of Martin Luther King was huge for the Civil Rights Campaign, however many important campaigners were overshadowed by King who possibly got too much credit when it was due elsewhere.
American History II/HIS 132N Instructor: Rex Etheridge April 4, 2012 The Civil Right Movement The laws passed to protect the people of the United States after the events of World War I, such as the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, brought African Americans and other minorities a sense of belonging. Given the opportunity to proudly serve and fight for their country. However a stream of racial discrimination by white solidarity, took place right after these Amendments were passed and the Jim Crows laws violated these laws. Yet it wasn’t until the case of Brown v. Board of Education that speeded the process towards a Civil Right Movement. The Civil Right Acts of 1964 and the Voting Right Acts are but two pieces of legislation which made sure that these Amendments were not being violated.
The fourteenth Amendment (1868) gave citizenship rights to all people bon in the USA and was an attempt to assure the rights of previous slaves. Furthermore the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) gave all citizens voting rights regardless of their race. However these rights were never fully enforced, although progress was made toward racial inequality, even in the south. Between 1890 and 1910, southern states introduced legal segregation which was achieved by passing local laws which denied black Americans from using the same facilities e.g. educational, health care, cinemas, etc.
Washington delivered one of the most famous civil right speeches, the Atlanta Compromise Address, which is about urging African-Americans to get economic security before social or political equality. This speech caused arguments between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois but, many people agreed with him and fought for economic security first. Another subject he spoke about was the National Negro Business League, which was formed 1915. The organization was formed to promote financial and commercial welfare of blacks.
The Constitution, until recently, did not apply to blacks; blacks feel they deserve payments from 310 years of slavery, destruction to their minds and culture. Dr. Martin Luther King's dilemma in the United States was of a different kind. He was torn between his identity as a Black man of African descent and his identity as an American. He urged Americans to judge based on the content of the character not by skin color and also believed in non-violent protests. Martin Luther King Jr’s main perspective during the fight on racism was equality.
Zoe McClure “I Have a Dream” speech critique Public Speaking 108-66 Instructor Gil Stern I have a dream, by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, became an inspiration and incentive of hope for all African Americans. Much of the greatness of this speech is tied to its historical context. In his speech, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, Dr. King expresses his frustration that after a hundred years since the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans are still treated as inferior citizens. However, he also expresses his hope that this will change and African Americans will be "free at last." He makes use of rhetorical devices to convey his message that "all men are created equal" and that racism should not, cannot, continue if the nation is to prosper.