Martin Luther King Jr. and The Civil Rights Movement Rachel Soclof February 2003
Introduction
The Civil Rights Movement occurred in the United States between 1955 and 1968. The Civil Rights Movement was a time when everyday people were fighting for their rights to be treated equally. Primarily the blacks were fighting for equality; but Jews and other minorities as well, were not treated very fairly. There were some people that played big roles in this movement. They included Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and the Little Rock Nine. These people were brave enough to take chances and stand up for themselves and the rights of the blacks. Before the Civil Rights Movement, there was segregation where whites and blacks were separated and treated differently. If you look back, you would never believe that blacks weren’t even allowed to go to the same schools as whites. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his speech I Have a Dream,“ I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘ We hold these truths to be selfevident: that all men are created equal.’”[King, 1963] The Civil Rights Movement improved a lot of people’s lives. It gave everyone regardless of race, color, religion, and gender equal rights and opportunities.
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Life Before the Civil Rights Movement
Before the Civil Rights Movement the inequality of the blacks was shown by segregation and was also apparent in politics and business. Not only were blacks treated unequally, but Jews and other minorities were as well. Segregation There were many kinds of segregation, where blacks and whites were separated and treated differently. There was segregation on buses. The blacks were not allowed to sit in the front of the buses. If it was the only seat they could sit down until a white person came and needed a seat. Then the black had to move to the back of the bus and stand. [Duncan, pp. 14-15] In addition, there was segregation at schools. For example, blacks were not allowed to go to the same schools as whites. My grandfather, Sidney Katz, was living in Memphis, Tennessee (the south) during this era and told me that the black schools weren’t as educational as white schools. My grandpa also told me that he went to an all white school. [Interview, Katz, Sidney] There was also segregation in neighborhoods. Blacks and whites were not allowed to live in the same neighborhoods. Black neighborhoods were more run down than white neighborhoods. The blacks had to live in apartments even if they had enough money to buy a house. [Interview, Katz, Sidney] Segregation in public facilities was a very common occurrence in the south. There were different bathrooms and drinking fountains marked Colored and Whites. There were also separate hotels and restaurants. [Interview, Katz, Sidney]
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Politics and Business Part of the inequality in the treatment blacks was in politics and business. There are two examples in politics and business. When the blacks went to work they got paid less than the whites did.[Duncan, p. 43] Blacks also were not allowed to vote, so they couldn’t say what president they wanted. They got stuck with whomever the whites voted for. [Duncan, p. 43] Life for the Jews Back then, Jews also weren’t allowed to do many things. For example, they were not allowed to go to whatever colleges they wanted to and they were not allowed to join every single country club. [ Interview, Katz, Sidney] In medical schools, there was only a certain amount of Jews allowed to go, even if they were really smart. Those were called quotas. If you wanted to be a doctor and you were a Jew, you needed to be both lucky and smart to get into a medical school. My grandfather tried to get into medical school but the quotas were full. [Interview, Katz, Sidney] Also, some country clubs did not allow Jews in. There are still some today that are like that. [Interview, Katz, Sidney]
Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Civil Rights Movement wasn’t fought with violence, but with many different tactics. They included speeches, boycotts, peaceful demonstrations, and sit- ins. Martin Luther King became the recognized leader of the movement by organizing and leading many of these famous protests.
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Martin Luther King had a lot of goals that he hoped to achieve. They included: getting better jobs for blacks, desegregating public places, allowing black citizens to vote, creating decent housing for blacks, providing top quality schools, and gaining equality not only for the blacks but for every human being regardless of color or race. There were four major events that happened during the Civil Rights Movement:. The Rosa Parks bus boycott, Little Rock Nine, the March on Washington, and the garbage men strike. As a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King became involved in several of these eve nts to draw attention to the needs of his people. Rosa Parks: The Rosa Parks boycott took place in Montgomery, Alabama in the Fall of 1955. Rosa had a long day at work and decided to sit in the front of the bus which was only for white people. The bus driver told Rosa to move back and she ignored him. She was arrested. Because of that, Martin Luther King led a bus boycott in that same city. This action showed how hard the blacks were trying to gain equality through peaceful acts rather than force. The boycott lasted for one year. Then the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was not constitutional. [Duncan, p. 17] Today everyone is allowed to sit anywhere they want on public transportation. The Little Rock Nine : In 1957, nine black children were the first to attend the all white school Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their names were Minniejean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrance Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Corlotta Walls.[Duncan, p. 20] The federal troops escorted them to their classes because if they didn’t, then they would probably be harassed or hurt. This
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happened even after the Supreme Court ruled that black and white children should attend the same schools. Ernest Green was the only one of the nine who graduated from Central High School. Ernest Green said, “After I got that diploma, that was it. I had accomplished what I had come there for.” [Duncan, p. 21] March on Washington: There were many different marches during the Civil Rights Movement, the most famous, The March on Washington, took place in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. More than 200,000 people attended the march and Martin Luther King delivered his famous speech, “ I Have a Dream”, at the Lincoln Memorial.[black voices.com] Garbage Men Strike in Memphis: The garbage men strike occurred in April of 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Martin Luther King thought that it was a good idea for him to go and support the black garbage men that were on strike. The garbage men were on strike because they were being paid less than whites for doing the same job.[Duncan, p. 46] While in Memphis, Martin Luther King stayed at the Lorraine Motel. He was assassinated by James Earl Ray on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of room number 306 at the Lorraine Motel. [Duncan, p. 50]
Changes Made by the Movement
Because of the efforts of Martin Luther King and the other Civil Rights leaders, two important laws were created. First, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 didn’t allow discrimination in public places, in schools and on basis of gender. But there still were problems.[Duncan, p. 43] The second law was when President Johnson signed the Voting
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Rights Act of 1965. This act granted blacks and non- English speaking citizens the right to vote in national elections.[Duncan, p. 45]
Conclusion
Martin Luther King’s great contributions to the Civil Rights Movement were recognized by the world when Martin Luther King won the Noble Peace Prize in the year 1964. He was also only the second person to have a national holiday named after him.
George Washington was the first.[blackvoices.com] Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement made a big impact on many people’s lives. As a result of his work, everyone now is allowed to sit in front of the buses, go to the same schools, to live in the same neighborhoods, drink from the same drinking fountains, and to vote. Martin Luther King provided the opportunity for all Americans to “… live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”[King, 1963]
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Bibliography
Duncan, Alice Faye. The National Civil Rights Museum Celebrates Everyday People. 2002. http:// www.blackvoices.com/feature/blk_history_98/mlk_98/kking7.htm. Interview with Sidney Katz. January 24,2003,Memphis,TN. King Jr., Martin Luther, “I Have a Dream” speech 1963[http://web66.coled.umn.edu/new/MLK/MLK.html]
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