The Media played a huge part in the civil rights movement. It showed people all over the world how African Americans were being treated by white extremists such as the Klu Klux Klan (KKK). The March on Washington was one of the rare civil rights events that affected the people who watched it. The extensive media that covered it were possible because before March, King had an interview with the television centre, ABC and during that he argued that the events during the summer and spring the issues will be brought out in the open. Then over five hundred cameramen, technicians, and correspondence from television networks covered the events. The violence of Bull Connor in his dealings with the protestors created much sympathy for the movement not just within American but internationally also. The contrast of the actions of White Americans such as Bull Connor, and the dignity of the Black Protestors created a sense of empathy towards the movement but perhaps more importantly, the pressure that other countries put on America and President Kennedy gave Kennedy the incentive to give constitutional support to the movement, which resulted in the Civil Rights Act. This links in with the factor of White support for the movement, as the pressure put on America from the other countries led to the federal act.
The White support that the movement gathered throughout the years within their non-violent and muti-racial campaigns proved to be of great significance when looking at why this bill was passed. In the late 1950s the NAACP went to Mississippi in an effort to register more African-Americans to vote. Amzie Moore, a local NAACP leader in Mississippi, met with SNCC worker Robert Parris Moses when Moses travelled through the state in July 1960, recruiting people for a SNCC conference. Moore encouraged Moses to bring more SNCC workers to the state, and the following summer he did, beginning a month-long voter registration campaign in the town of McComb, in conjunction with C.C. Bryant of the NAACP. SNCC organized a voter registration education program, teaching a weekly class that showed people how to register. Eight hundred students gathered for a week-long orientation session at Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio, that June. They were mostly white and young, with an average age of 21. They were also from well-to-do families, as the volunteers had to bring $500 for bail as well as money for living expenses, medical bills, and transportation home. The strength of this support allowed for it to be easier for Kennedy to pass this bill. Kennedy came into power from a small mandate, which meant that he had no lay-way to pass acts that may cause voters to feel alienated by seeing the support of the White Americans; Kennedy was able to pass this act without losing much voter support. The strength of White support was once again seen in the Greensboro sit-ins, where many White students joined the Black protestors in the sit-in in Woolworths in 1960. The Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) grew out of this campaign, which links in with the next factor of the unity of the Civil Rights groups.
The unity of the Civil Rights movement is one other factor that was significant in the introduction on the Civil Rights Act. The main groups were the Southern Christian Leadership conference (SCLC), SNCC and the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP). All of which had common aims and methods, specifically non-violent protests. They were all fighting for integration and they wanted to do it by legal means and federal bills. Their unity was seen especially in the March on Washington. The March was a combined effort of many organizations and community leaders including Whitney Young (the Urban League), Roy Wilkins (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People-NAACP), A. Phillip Randolph (Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters), James Farmer (Congress of Racial Equality-CORE), John Lewis (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee-SNCC), Bayard Rustin (member of SCLC and CORE) and Walter Reuther (United Auto Workers -UAW),by seeing all these groups coming together and the support of all the protestors made the government take notice of their work and what they wanted to achieve. This unity was significant as the strength of support made it hard for the politicians to ignore the movement any longer and so the bill was passed. This links in with the role of the President within the Civil Rights Act 1964.
The Support of President Kennedy and Johnson as well as the role of individuals such as Martin Luther King had a significant effect on the passing of the Civil Rights Act. President Kennedy put forward the Act in 1963, after seeing the support there was for the movement, although he was assassinated in 1963 before the Act can be passed. Johnson took over from Kennedy upon his death and on the backlash of the sympathy on the death of Kennedy Johnson was able to push the Act through and it was declared in 1964. This federal intervention gave a significance difference to the movement as it was one of the fist times the law was taking them and their fight for integration seriously. It was also a major stepping stone as they now had real rights within the court and federal system. The Role of Martin Luther King, who led the Montgomery Bus Boycott campaign, as well as the March on Washington and many others, showed the passion of the protestors. Martin Luther King’s speeches and overall work within the movement led him to become the face of the campaign, not just in America but internationally and historically. His work led to many other acts too, and led to the growing support, as although he was heavily criticised at the time for his lack of intervening in the brutal beatings of some protestors and for what many called ‘hypocritical’ actions, he was the main face and leader of this movement and allowed for much to be changed and for much to be continued to change even after his death.
In conclusion the most important factor was the Montgomery bus boycott 1963, as it was a force behind the unity of the civil rights groups and was also a campaign which showed the white support. Although the role of federal intervention, Martin Luther King, the media and white supporters cannot be overlooked either when discussing what brought about the Civil Rights act 1964.
