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. King had a giant effect on the progress of the advancement of black civil rights. The first major part he played in improving the social standing of black civilians was in his role governing the Montgomery Bus Boycott between 1955 and 1956. This boycott aimed to achieve, which it eventually did, the desegregation of public buses, which was partly initiated by Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat for a white man when asked to do so, who was then arrested. King was invited to lead the body which was coordinating the boycott, the Montgomery Improvement Association, so he was not responsible for creating and starting off this successful campaign, however his alluring personality and leadership skills helped motivate the campaign brilliantly.
After the civil rights era’s and all of the bills and supreme court rulings like the transportation equality act, prohibited discrimination In public accommodations, educations and employment, Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and the American Indian Movement just to name a few. These acts were implemented to remove oppression but actually today in 2014 Oppression is still happening especially on blacks and Hispanics. The oppression happens as a bi product from white privilege. People are oppressed because African Americans and Hispanics cannot do certain things that white Americans can do. This can be linked to negative stereotypes about these races.
From the early days of Richard’s childhood, Richard was always alienated from his environment. Even though he tried to distance himself from the prejudice all around him, the white people still tried to turn him into the stereotypical southern black person. However, throughout the story Richard is also alienated by his own people and perhaps even more then from the white people. Richard was always a rebel, from his boyhood to his older teenage years. Richard’s grandmother was always excessively beating him.
I believe the Montgomery bus boycott was the most important event in the 1950s -1960s in changing the civil rights for African-Americans, because this event gained internationally attention. On the 1st of December 1955 a white man requested for Rosa Parks’ seat however she refused as it seemed unreasonable. Leading her to be arrested, this act was very important because it went against the Jim Crow which was created to force segregation in public school systems, kept many African-Americans from moving out of segregated neighbourhoods and often made it difficult for African-Americans to vote. Overall it was very unfair to the black community, as a result the black community in Alabama started a non-violent boycott of the buses, leaving buses only half full this had a major financial impact on bus companies as it was the black community who used buses the most and the event was lead by Martin Luther King. This event was important because it gained international attention which put pressure on the different structures of the American government to make changes, and finally in 1965 the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was illegal.
Black Americans were publically beaten, frightened, and even killed (Magar, 2010). These practices did not stop until 1964 when the Civil Rights Act banned discrimination against race among many other things. Today stereotypes continue to create discrimination but not to the levels of the early 1900s. Everyone needs to remember that Black Americans have more than 400 years of stereotypes to overcome. African Americans have many conflicts and struggles to deal with.
Also, ‘The Black Panthers’ were a very violent group and saw King’s campaign as time consuming and feared it being forgotten in the process. The group called for a revolutionary war against authority, but it never happened and there are many conspiracy theories as to why the group ended. King was later assassinated at his hotel, showing that his race was still not equal, and some people still looked down on African Americans and didn’t like the change. Although all of these activists had the same idea and values, they had very different ideas of how to achieve their ideal society. Doctor King, Malcolm X, and the Black Panthers all contributed to the major changes of society’s attitudes towards the African American people by targeting very different audiences in society.
KKK was hugely supported by whites and became the voice for poor uneducated whites who felt threatened in competing for housing and jobs. Blacks had limited educational and job opportunities as many whites did not want to integrate. Limited education and job opportunities were out there for blacks as many worked domestically or in the fields such as farming. These poor standards motivated blacks to boycott Montgomery buses and change the future for blacks. Last cause of Montgomery Bus Boycott was the Supreme Court
Why was progress towards racial equality so slow in the period of 1945 – 1955 ? Following the Second World War , the African American movement towards racial equality radicalised as more African Americans , especially ex-soldiers realized that they deserved racial equality just as they had in Europe whilst fighting . This led to a giant leap in the fight for racial equality however , many argue that the speed at which it happened was equivalent to a snail’s pace as this was a new experience for most fighting for civil rights and so their actions were sometimes proven ineffective . This coupled with the lack of political support , the opposition by the public and South and the poor media attention led to the slow progress of racial equality between this time . Before this period of time , there had not been much opposition to racial inequality in the USA .
MLK Rhetorical Analysis Essay After having to endure the terrible ordeal of segregation for countless years, African-Americans began to stand up for civil justice and started a movement in order to establish egalitarianism among all people, regardless of racial or social background. Among these courageous leaders was Baptist minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr., whose memorable and remarkable speech “I Have a Dream” heartened and inspired many Americans to peacefully rise against prejudice and instead increase compassion and equality for all. King successfully implemented his message in this speech through the literary and figurative devices of allusions, metaphors, and anaphora, therefore leaving a profound effect and impression on his audience. Through references of past events with allusions, King keeps the attention of his audience and allows them to establish a connection with the current topic discussed in his speech. Since he knew he was speaking to his followers in addition to radical opposition, King introduced a classic American statement used for the past hundreds of years when referencing the Declaration of Independence’s words of affirming that “all men are created equal”, regardless of origin or background of any sort.
Otherwise a good example of discrimination is that some years ago it was tougher for African-Americans, they were totally discriminated and left out of the groups and their own environment just for having a different colored skin. Baldwin is reminiscing the life he had before which was great compared to the one he is having now that nobody used to discriminated him back in his nature land, or point at him just for being of another race. He shows that life is