Black Civil Rights
Why did the Black Civil Rights Movement become more militant in the 1960's? Describe the role of one important person who was militant or one important organization, which was militant in the late 1960's.In the decade of 1954 to 1964, groups that sought non-violent solutions to the discrimination against blacks led the civil rights movement. By the second half of the 1960's, a growing militancy emerged amongst new groups, who believed there had been too little change, or the change had not been fast enough. Included in this group were the Black Panthers, the renamed Student Co-ordinating Committee and the Black Muslims.The non-violent tactics used in the early 1960's brought slow and often incomplete change for the blacks. Blacks were still efficiently disenfranchised throughout the South until the Voting Act was passed in 1965. Even this only increased the Black Voter Registration from 58% in 1964 to 74% in 1972. Registration did not translate into election success. Less than 1% of all elected officials in 1970 were black. Black representation at federal level was also limited. Although the number of blacks in the House of Representatives increased from 5 to 9 between 1964 and 1970, no Black represented the South
Whilst these are national figures, the improvements in the South would have been less. The tactics of the Ku Klux Klan, NACIREMA and White Citizens Council showed little restraint when opposing the protestors. In facing up to these challenges, the Civil Rights Movement expanded to include blacks that were affected by this de facto discrimination. In 1960, 33% of Blacks completed 4 years at high school, compared to 61% of whites. The campaign in the South had attracted moderate Whites and Blacks and the target had been specific examples of discrimination, now the campaign spread to the de facto discrimination that existed throughout the United States of America, and in doing so it attracted much wider support amongst blacks. The party was founded by Bobby Searle and Huey Newton as a result of the Watts Riots in LA and the living conditions of blacks in urban ghettoes. This compared to 52% and 74% respectively in 1970. The median income for blacks was also lower, and by 1970, it was $US 8270 compared to $US 13000 for whites. Nationwide, the Civil Rights Movement faced challenges in housing, employment and education. The growth of violence, coupled with the frustrations of de facto discrimination and the slow rate of progress, created the opportunity for the emergence of militant activist groups. Many were more willing to accommodate violence as a means of bringing about change. One such group was the Black Panthers. Violence was also becoming a recurrent theme in American society. Membership of the more militant groups was never as great as their non-violent counter parts; however, their tactics grabbed the media's attention and brought even greater focus on discrimination in the.
Common topics in this essay:
Rights Movement,
Black Power,
United America,
Citizens Council,
Rock Arkansas,
Voter Registration,
Black Muslims,
Whites Blacks,
Kennedy King,
Riots LA,
rights movement,
civil rights,
civil rights movement,
facto discrimination,
de facto discrimination,
de facto,
means bringing change,
bringing change,
adopted policy,
violence means,
violence means bringing,
throughout 1960's,
nationwide civil rights,
nationwide civil,
black panthers,
|
Acceptance Essays
