G.C.S.E History Coursework: Civil Rights 2

G.C.S.E History Coursework: Civil Rights 2 Nikki Robinson

The situation for the blacks in the 1960’s was just as tough as ever before and economic problems were rising. Many blacks lived in Ghettoes such as “Watts” in LA, which had many drug problems. Riots were also becoming more frequent due to police brutality. Blacks increasingly believed that the white officers were using riots as an excuse to terrorise and intimidate the local population. They also believed that judges were very racist. One of the main problems though was the fact that blacks couldn’t vote unless they took an IQ test, which the whites made impossible to complete. Without the vote, blacks couldn’t change the racist sheriffs, politicians, police officers etc.

In 1960’s, blacks began to disagree among themselves about the best ways to gain more civil rights. Dr. Martin Luther King started to find himself in a position where he no longer had the control that he used to over the black’s civil rights movement and also found that his idea of bringing the changes peacefully falling away beneath his feet. This was due to new black activist groups called “Black Nationalists”. These groups developed in the North from the ghettos and other working class black groups. It was led by Malcolm X and also Elijah Mohammad which, unlike Martin Luther King, believed that the Blacks had waited too long to gain acceptance from the white “oppressors”. The main aims for this group were to gain rights from white without “pleading and begging” and if this meant fighting back against white violence then they would fight back and “be proud to be black”. The S.C.L.C (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) was completely opposed to this group and believed that violence was not the way to gain support from the whites. Some of the aims involved gaining equal rights under the law for black Americans and to have full integration as American citizens Skin colour was inconsequential to them. Although the supporters of this group were mainly from the south many of them began to change their views after Martin Luther King’s assassination in 1968 and enthused with the “Black Nationalism”.

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“Black nationalism” organised by Malcolm X believed in “Black Power” and wanted to be completely separated from the whites by having separate states for whites and blacks. He thought this was the only way to gain “real revolution”. One of the main reasons why the “Black Nationalism” group got so much support was because blacks had begun to think that there was no way that whites and blacks could live together and that Martin Luther Kings theory was not moving them forward fast enough. They despised whites and would use any kind of violence to get their point across. “Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud” was one of the phrases used a lot by this group; they also raised their fists as though punching into the air as a slogan for “Black Power”, this had an attractive ring to it. This slogan was even used at the Olympic games in 1968. This outraged many whites.

The “S.C.L.C” run by Martin Luther King believed in non – violent methods of protest such as sittings and freedom rides. There were “stand-ins” at theatres and “pray-ins” at “white churches” only. One of the most famous sittings was took seats at a segregated lunch counter in Woolworth’s. If whites could understand that they were clever enough and non – violent they would gradually begin to accept the blacks. One of the main methods used by The “S.C.LC” was using media as a way to humiliate America and to show the rest of the world how they were being treated. They believed that white people were not to blame for the actions and that it was something that they had all grown up to accept. The “Black Nationalism” group were destroying their methods of gaining acceptance peacefully. This lead to the blacks turning against each other.

Although there were many disagreements between the two groups each of them made achievements during the 1960’s. The “S.C.L.C” made all forms of segregation illegal through inspiring the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. They also improved education and living conditions for blacks in long term but not in the short term. The “Black Nationalism” group also made many achievements such as, giving a focal point to urban, working class blacks. They raised black pride, showed whites that they didn’t need their help to run any aspect of their lives, put pressure on city politicians and challenged American people in a tough, aggressive way.

In August 1965, after the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama the blacks gained the voting acts right which stopped blacks from voting. This was a big step forward as it meant that they could make changes in the law. They already had a lot of support from President Johnston, “We must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome”. Johnston was trying to improve life for blacks since the insistent in Mississippi, 1964 when two white and one black body was found in a dam after trying to register black voters. They had been arrested by Police, later realised to the Ku Klux Clan and then brutally murdered. There was a six-week federal investigation and Johnston supported this all the way.

On April the 4th 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King was shot dead on the balcony outside his hotel room. King later became the symbol of protest in the struggle for racial justice. Many blacks continued supporting the non-violent ascertainment of freedom and equality, while some started to support the “Black Nationalist” group after Kings death. Either way, these men were working toward the same goal: freedom and choice for African people all over America.