African American Civil Rights Movements Essay Paper
sentence structure and noticeably changing the word choices. I understand that you will not be able to take lecture notes word for word. If you are attempting to include a quote I gave in lecture, write it down as close to the original as you can remember as a quote or (the better option) paraphrase, providing a citation. African American Civil Rights Movements Essay Paper
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Work that is failing—including little to no understanding of the material, failure to meet the basic requirements, and significant mechanical problems African American Civil Rights Movements Essay Paper
Reform/Protest Movement Essay
Reform/protest movements have played significant in achieving desired changes throughout America’s history despite challenges faced by the leaders. The role of protest in these social movements cannot be underrated. The protestors aimed to make ordinary citizens’ grievances and requests be heard by administrators to reduce disparities and improve their quality of life. Although many reform movements have been experienced in the United States, this paper explores the African American Civil Rights Movement and the 13th and 15th Reconstruction Amendments, including the goals, methods, and successes or failures of each and the most successful social reform movement.
African American Civil Rights Movements
The Civil Rights Movement involves various activism incidents. These activities were reported in the United States in the 20th century from 1946 to 1968 (“Zoot Suit Riots.”) This nonviolent social campaign was triggered by legalized racial segregation, which mainly affected African Americans living in the South following the emergence of Jim Crow (“World War II.”) Black people living in the South could not share public facilities with white people. For instance, African American children were prohibited from attending the same schools as whites. Additionally, interracial marriage was considered illegal. Furthermore, most black couldn’t vote since they failed voter literacy tests (“World War II.”) Therefore, black Americans collaborated with Americans and started an unprecedented fight for equality that lasted for approximately two decades. African American Civil Rights Movements Essay Paper
African American Civil Rights Movement aimed at securing African Americans’ political, economic, and social rights. Slavery was abolished successfully in the U.S during the Civil War. However, discrimination against Black was still a significant challenge since African Americans, especially those living in the South, were living under the devastating effects of racism. Therefore, the Civil Rights Movement was introduced to end racial discrimination, allowing Black Americans to acquire equal rights to whites under the United States law (“Zoot Suit Riots.”) The Civil Rights Movement was also introduced to respond to emancipation’s unfulfilled promises, including black soldiers’ experience during the Second World War. During this period, African American veterans fought in a segregated military and were involved in the United States propaganda advocating for liberty, equality, and justice (“Zoot Suit Riots.”) These veterans were fighting to promote democracy in other countries worldwide and a considerably high number of them lost their lives during the war (“Zoot Suit Riots.”) Therefore, African American veterans decided to fight for their full citizenship rights upon returning to the United States. African American Civil Rights Movements Essay Paper
The Civil Rights activists employed various strategies, including legal action, black militancy, and nonviolent civil disobedience. Presenting grievances and challenges facing African Americans to the courts was the earliest approach applied by Civil Rights activists in their fight for equality. For instance, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) initiated lawsuits to oppose Jim Crow segregation in the South. The court declared public education segregation unconstitutional, claiming that separate facilities promoted inequality in education. Furthermore, civil disobedience and nonviolent protest approach was applied during the Civil Rights movement. Civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr. led their followers in civil disobedience and nonviolent protest since Southern administrators were constantly rejecting court orders demanding them to desegregate (“World War II.”). In 1955, Martin Luther King, Jr. launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott following Rosa Parks’ refusal to vacate her bus seat for a white person (“World War II.”). Lastly, the activists employed the black power approach to responding to the continued whites’ power within and outside the movement. Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little’s initiative was considered the most influential aspect since it advocated for black self-reliance, self-defense regarding racial discrimination, and cultural pride (“Zoot Suit Riots.”) African American Civil Rights Movements Essay Paper
The Civil Right Movement failed to fully achieve desired economic, social, and political equality despite activists’ efforts. Racial discrimination against African Americans in the United States remains disproportionately high. For instance, a significantly high number of Black men are victims of police brutality. Furthermore, unemployment and poverty rates remain dramatically higher in black households than in whites. Consequently, African Americans have a higher disease burden than whites due to limited access to quality medical care and discrimination by healthcare providers. In addition to medical facilities, black Americans have limited access to social services and public institutions, including schools “African American History.” Therefore, the fight for equality and the end of African American racial discrimination remains unfinished.
Reconstruction Amendments
The selected Reconstruction Amendments, include the 13th and 15th Amendments. These amendments are additions to the United States Constitution. They were critical in providing African Americans with rights and protecting their citizenship. Congress ratified the Reconstruction Amendments after the U. S. Civil War and Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The Amendments supported the President’s Emancipation Proclamation and strengthened the abolitionist union’s values. The amendments were adopted by the Senate and the House of Representatives during Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew Johnson’s presidential administrations. African American Civil Rights Movements Essay Paper
The thirteenth (13th) Amendment was ratified in 1865 following the end of the Civil War. It aimed to abolish slavery throughout the United States. Additionally, this Amendment would give Congress the right to enforce the abolition of slavery with appropriate legislation in case the state government opposed the ordinance. On the other hand, the 15th Amendment aimed to expand the voting right to black men. Most states did not allow black men to vote before Congress ratified the 15th Amendment (“World War II.”) However, Black men were granted voting right following the ratification of the 15th Amendment. Failure to vote based on previous servitude conditions or race was made illegal (“World War II.”)
Various strategies were applied during the 13th and 15th Amendments. First, the president implemented new changes following the ratification of the U.S constitution. For instance, President Lincoln freed enslaved people in Union territories. As a result African-Americans women were trained on automotive repair and farming (“African American History.”) Women also joined the manufacturing sector and started operating milling machines (“Woman Power”.) Additionally, Congress enforced the abolition of slavery with appropriate legislation in the states that would not abolish slavery voluntarily. For example, the South was forced to abolish slavery since it would not end the practice voluntarily after losing the civil war. The reconstruction amendments were successful since black people were given the right to vote, take leadership roles, hold public office, and seek legislative changes to promote equality. African American Civil Rights Movements Essay Paper
Reconstruction Amendments, including the 13th and 15th Amendments, were successful compared to the Civil Rights Movements. The 13th Amendment led to the abolition of slavery or involuntary servitude, except for crime-related punishment. Additionally, the 15th Amendment accorded all citizens voting right irrespective of their color, race, or previous servitude condition. On the contrary, black people are struggling with racial discrimination and high poverty rates despite the introduction of the Civil Rights Movement. African American Civil Rights Movements Essay Paper