Book Report

         The Civil Rights Movement is about a time period during United States history in which African Americans fought for their release from slavery, and to gain equal rights and opportunities. This book illustrates the struggles of African-Americans in multiple settings, the mistreatment of individuals, and the courage they had to take a stand. This book was highly informative, and did a great job presenting the differences between our world today and our world just a mere 45 years ago. To see the immense changes surroundng society's view of race alone is incredible. Tha author brought to light multiple points that should never be forgotten by our nation.

        The Civil Rights Movement started off by addressing what led to the movement itself back in the late 1700's. The United States was nearly the last of all the world's countries to still practice slavery; a point highly frowned upon by other countries. The U.S. was importing blacks from the upper coast of AFrica by sendgn large ships to carry them. Only the strongest survived due to plague and starvation on the ships. Once back n the U.S. they were acutioned off or traded to plantation owners and large corporations for work. The men were usually sent to the business' and out in the cotton fields, since they could perform heavier tasks. The women took care of the white families, acting as maids, nannies, and cooks. Depending on their owner, these slaves were treated poorly on a variety of levels. Now fast forward about a hundred years. The Civil War had begun, technically in an attempt for the Yankees (northerners) to free the slaves. Abraham Lincoln was president at the time and was as strong believer in equal treatment of all races. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation, making freedom a federal order. A war was unavoidable however, and the Yankees attacked the Southern states with strong force. A huge number of slaves were freed. Fast forward again, another 80 years or so. African-Americans were "free," but that depends on your view of freedom. They were no longer forced to work against their own will, and they were in charge of themselves. Yet the majority of the population was white, and those people considered the blacks to be inferior. They treated the blacks worse than dirt. Local laws were implemented that stated which jobs blacks could not have, where they could shop, which parts of town they could live in, which buses they could ride, where they could eat, ect. Anybody could have predicted what would come next. The African-Americans revolted. Great political leaders emerged and took control. Suddenly, the idea of Black Power was everywhere. African-Americans were no longer complacent being pushed around. The idea of peaceful refusal was first to come. African-Americans particpated in peace marches, bus boycotts, and public speaking events. But the white majority was not pleased to say the least. They retaliated as well, but in a much more violent way. Police brutality wasn't uncommon, and it soon became unsfafe for blacks to protest. However, the government was behind them. Multiple acts and amendments were added to give rights to the blacks. The probliem lie with enforcing them. The president at the time, Linden B. Johnsn, soon began sending large numbers of federal troops to ensure that his orders were being followed. Schools were integrated, jobs were opned up to blacks, and rights were eventually given. But that wasn't enough. The final point was to achieve equal treatment. What these people were asking for wasn't so wrong, but it was tough to attain. All they could do at that point was to stay strong and persever. And they did that. It may have taken another 20 years, but finally freeedom was theirs. Society began to accept these Africans. Some became political figures within the U.S. system. Others became teachers, doctors, and technicians. Some remained maids. The point was, it was their choice and they could do what they wanted like the rest of the Americans. It was a long, hard-fought battle of baby steps, but it was also one of the most important in our country's history.

        Never has there been a movement quite like the Civil Rights Movement. It was an era full of every emotion and action one could think of, and then some. This point in time is so important due to the fact that it dealt with equality. Every person in the world should have that opportunity. In my opinion, and the apparent opinion of the author, there should be no discrimination for anybody dependent on gender, religion, nationality, sexuality, OR race. I have to say that this was one of the best non-fiction books I've ever had to read, just because of the fact that it was on an interesting time period. The credit goes to a great author who made each chaptern new and interesting to explore. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an in-depth knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement, or interesting U.S. history.

Interesting Facts

• Martin Luther King Jr. was shot on April 4, 1968 by James Earl Ray. The Memphis hotel he was shot in is now the location of the National Civil Rights Museum.
• Civil rights workers used different direct, nonviolent methods to confront discrimination and racism in teh late 1950s and early 1960s. Boycotts, sit-ins and freedom rides were all common and  promoted because they diffused teh voilence.
• Some people even conducted workshops on non-violent methods of refusal such as James Lawson. Many of these people based their ideas off of Ghandi's own.
• It wasn't until 1961 that black students were allowed to enroll in college. The University of Georgia was the first to allow black students within their school, and both Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes graduated in 1963, despite much protest.
• One of the most important documents was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It banned discrimination in employment and in public places. 
• Despite all the efforts there was still segragation of custom and practice, rather than by law, throughout most of America.

I Chose This Topic Because:

I chose this topic to study because I think it was pretty important to the development of the United States. This era was a huge turning point in people's thoughts and ideas about race. I see the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement as some of the most admirable people of all time. They fought through a time that was not only tough, but very dangerous. And those people never thought twice about what they were putting on the line to get what they deserved for a large number of people. I think this topic is one that everyone should be aware of, because it is important that this time is not lost. The equality of ALL people is so important because we are all just that, people. Race shouldn't be a factor in treatment. For that matter neither should sex, class, religion, occupation, appearance, whatever it may be. Equal right opportunities are still being fought for all over the world, and hopefully the good that came out of our own country's can be an example set for other countries.

Sources

Civil War Statistics : http://www.historyguy.com/civilwar/statistics_slave_population.html

On the Impact of the Movement : http://www.usm.edu/crdp/html/cd/impact.htm

The Civil Rights Era (1865-1970) : http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/civilrights/terms.html


Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement :http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmheroes1.html


Corriganm, Jim. The 1950's Decade in Photos. Trenton, New Jersey: Enslow Publisher, Inc., 2010. Pg.38

Woog, Adam. A Cultural History of the United States Through the Decades. Los Angeles, California: Lucent Books, Inc, 1999. Pg.44

Blaisdell, Bob. The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: A Book of Quotations. New York, NY: Dover Publications, 2005.

Important People

The Civil Rights Movement was a success because of many different people, and many of which get very little recognition in history. However some of the most important and famous are as follows: Martin Luther King Jr., W.E.B Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and The Little Rock Nine. Each of these people are considered to have made huge influences on the Civil Rights  Movement.


Martin Luther King Jr., a name we all recognize, was one of the major civil rights leaders. He first came to the nation's attention after speaking out against the arrest of Rosa Parks. He became on of the most influential public speakers of all time. He was famous for his peaceful protests and played a major role in creating the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Martin Luther King Jr. recieved the Nobel Prize in 1967 for his civil rights work. He was assasinated in 1968.
W.E.B Du Bois was a black historian and sociologist who pushed for both economical and social equal rights. He promoted black history, religious heritage, art, music and culture. Du Bois was also a founder of the NAACP in 1909.
Booker T. Washington was the president of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama who pushed blacks to achieve economical equality with the whites. Unlike other movement leaders, he believe that by economical equality would bring social equality.
Lyndon B. Johnson was the thirty-sixth U.S president. He became president in 1963 and one of the movement's greatest supporters. It was thanks to his pressure on Congress to stem the racial violence in the south that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed.
John F. Kennedy was the thirty-fifth president and a strong supporter of civil rights. Before too much could be done during his third and fourth year as president, he was assassinated.
Thurgood Marshall made his impact politically, more than almost leader. He was the cheif counselor on the NAACP and was most famous for overturning the Plessy v. Ferguson in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. He also won key victories in the Morgan v. Virgian case, and Sweatt v. Painter. Marshall went on to become the first African-American justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Rosa Parks was a symbol for black equality. She is famous for her scene on the segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama in which she was asked to give up her seat for a white person and refused. She was arrested for her actions, but what she had done set the scene for more powerful people to act, and gave courage and hope to the black community. This moment alone led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott act later that year, an important peaceful protest.
Malcolm X was a prominant civil rights leader who expoused self-reliance, militancy, and independance for blacks. He was a leader in the group SNCC and led many protests. His career was cut short when he to was assassinated in 1965.
The Little Rock Nine were the first black teenagers to be attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. These admirable young adults were forced to challenge the segragation in the deep south, and they won. Although the Brown v. Board of Education techniqually outlawed segragation, it still caused a fight. The governor sent armed troops to block the entrance the nine African-American students, and President Eisenhower was forced to send federal troops to protect the new students. Seven of the nine went on to graduate.

The Impact:

The impact of the Civil Rights Movement is insurmountable. Prior to the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War, there were around 4 million U.S slaves. As in people who were treated as property to be bought and sold, and forced to work. Refusal to perform tasks often resulted in beatings, lack of food, and sometimes even death. The Civil War was really the beginning of a long fight for African-American freedom. Although the government stated that all slaves were to be freed, that wasn't enough. African-Americans didn't just want to get away from their owners. They wanted a life in which they were able to be apart of society. They wanted equal rights and opportunities. This is what led to the Civil Rights Movement itself. As a great many people fought for African-American rights, society began to change. It was more diverse in it's thoughts, ideas, culture and actions. The Civil Rights Movement also gave our country alot of perspective. It was the first step in eliminating racism in the United States. Also, it undermined incorrect ideas about people who were different. Having an open-minded country with a diverse population is one of the aspects of America that is great, and it couldn't have happened without this era.

Just What IS the Civil Rights Movement?:

The Civil Rights Movement is actually an era dedicated to an active period in U.S history in which people fought for both equal rights and treatment of the African American people. Throughout this period of time, people came together to fight for social, legal, political, and cultural changes in order to prohibit discrimination and ultimately, end segregation. It was a violent, dark point in our history, but also one that helped to make our country what it is today. There is no exact timeline of this era, but action against slavery began in the early 1860's  and ended in the late 1960's. Even in today's society we still see acts of racism, but nothing in comparison to that time period. This era took place mostly in the Southern United States. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and parts of Texas and Arkansas were the worst for discrimination. 

Civil Rights: The nonpolitical rights of citizen; especially those guaranteed to the U.S citizens by the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution and by acts of Congress (Miriam-Webster Online).

Movement: A series of organized activities working towards an objective; also, an organized effort to promote or attain an end (Miriam-Webster Online). 


The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendment & the Emancipation Proclamation: The Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864. The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, and it was ultimately a declaration that all the slaves were to be free. 50,000 slaves were free immediately, and the rest (around 3.1 million) were freed as the union army advanced into the south.