The SCLC carried out many protests across many cities in the US. The Birmingham, Alabama, and the Washington D.C. protests in 1963 were the most notable. On the 3rd April, King and the SCLC came to Birmingham, protesting about segregation and racism. However, King was imprisoned; therefore the needed development was halted. When King was released, he arranged another protest, which led to the police overreacting by using police dogs and water cannons on the protestors. The event was captured by the media and projected across the whole of America, via televisions. This showed the whole of the world the violence being inflicted upon the black community and helped gain the attention the SCLC wanted. The protest was significant as it led to desegregation in many stores across Birmingham, to stop the disorder and the profit losses from boycotts. Also, President Kennedy believed that if civil rights were denied to blacks, then the chaos from the protest would return and keep on returning until the SCLC protesters got what they wanted. The decision of the President was significant in gaining civil rights for black Americans.
Carrying on, the media publicity of the violence demonstrated towards African Americans led to public support, especially from the North. Ordinary Americans saw the hardships blacks faced live in front of their faces and this led to them wanting to help the cause they fought for. By 1960, 45 million American families owned a television set. King and the SCLC used this to their advantage. This was significant for gaining civil rights, as it led to further public support.
In addition, the more positive actions from the federal authorities, the President and the Supreme Court, helped African Americans in their pursuit of civil rights. For example, in 1961, President Roosevelt issued an Executive Order which outlawed racial discrimination in employment and set up the Fair Employment Practices Commission to make sure the Order was being followed. Also, President Truman helped desegregate the American army in 1948. However, President Lyndon Johnson’s commitment to the black cause helped gain civil rights more than the other Presidents. He produced an alliance of Republicans and Democrats in favour of black civil rights to help pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which had looked to collapse after the assassination of President Kennedy. The act led to bans on black exclusion from public places, no racial, sexual or religious discrimination etc. It was significant in gaining civil rights in the Deep South. President Johnson also passed the Voting Rights Act, 1965. This ensured black Americans were able to vote on equivalent terms to whites. It was a significant step for black civil rights.
Moreover, the Supreme Court gave out decisions in favour of African Americans, for cases brought forward by the NAACP. One of the most significant cases was the Linda Brown Supreme Court case in 1954 – Brown v Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas. The Court had decided that Linda Brown (a black girl) should be allowed to attend a white school and to stop her would be against the American Constitution. The case set a legal precedent and led to integration in schools across America. The change in the Supreme Court also highlighted the significance of the NAACP, in their legal strategy of bringing cases to the Supreme Court.
A further significant case brought forward by the NAACP was Smith v Allright (1944). The Supreme Court banned white primary in Texas. Therefore, black voters rose from just 2% in 1940, to 12% in 1947.
In conclusion, African Americans did gain more civil rights between 1941 and 1965. This was mainly due to the surfacing of powerful black leaders, such as Martin Luther King, who exploited the racist white Southerners to the rest of the world through the media, gaining the much need public support. This included the support of various Presidents, who were also committed to the cause and were vital in helping African Americans gain civil rights. The Supreme Court was too significant in helping blacks by avoiding miscarriages of justice, when the NAACP brought forward cases which illustrated the denial of rights to blacks. The civil rights groups worked together, using peaceful protests and demonstrations to gain the support of the federal authorities and the general public and achieve the aims of their cause, in gaining African American civil rights.
