mardi 26 décembre 2017

This Is Some Of The Unknown African American Civil Rights Movement Facts

By Catherine Graham


The fight for civil rights lasted about two decades in the 1950s and 1960s. The movement led to the abolition of the slave trade, but it was not able to completely get rid of racism. Black people were still picked on because of their color. By the middle of the 20th century, there was still a lot of violence and prejudice among them. The article discusses African American civil rights movement facts that were not widely known.

In the 1940s black people were not included in highly paying jobs and most of the farmers and domestic workers. This was before world war two. They were not allowed to join the military, and it was then thousands of black people threatened to march to Washington DC and demand equal employment rights. In 1941, the then president opened military jobs among others regardless of race.

There was the Montgomery bus system which meant that there were seats reserved for black people in the back and the white people would sit in the front. In 1955, Rosa parks broke this law. She sat in the front. A white man then entered the bus and did not have somewhere to sit. The driver ordered Rosa and other black people to move to the back, but she stayed put and got arrested.

Segregation had spread even into learning institutions. The black people were not allowed into the white people schools. The supreme court, however, did away with this law and most of the schools started inviting black schools. Nine students were to attend central high school but were met by a guard and an angry mob upon arrival. They came back two weeks later and were allowed inside.

There was also the law that stated that black people could not share food joints with white people. In 1960, four students went to wool worths lunch counter but were refused service. They, in turn, remained adamant. The next day, other black people did the same and refused to leave without service. They eventually wore out the white people and the four students were the first to be served in wool worths lunch counter.

In 1963, undoubtedly one of the most memorable events was the march in Washington. Over two hundred thousand black and white people congregated. They were led by Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin and of course Martin Luther king. The climax was the speech given by Martin which he continually quoted I have a dream which went on to be a popular slogan.

600 people went on to march in protest of the killing of a black civil rights activist by a white police officer.As they neared Pettus bridge, they were blocked by the Alabama state police. They insisted on going on, and they were violently and tore gassed. They were then rushed to the hospital for treatment. This was all caught on live television hence the name bloody Sunday.

By 1957, all Americans had the right to vote. This was however made difficult for the people in the southern states. They were required literacy that was confusing and at times and at others impossible, so they always failed.




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