Source B shows a black schoolgirl being taunted and shouted at as she tried to enter Little Rock high school in Arkansas. This suggests that even though black children can attend desegregated schools the white people do not like it. This is not an achievement for the civil rights movement because not everyone agrees with it. As in source B black children were being verbally and physically bullied just because they were trying to go to school. Source B is a photograph taken in 1957, the black girl in the photograph never did get into the school as she was stopped by the national guards at the gate. This was until the president sent in paratroopers so that the black children could go to school. This shows again that not every one is happy about the schools being desegregated. In my opinion I believe that the civil rights act did achieve more as to getting the black girl into the desegregated school but the problem was white people do not want desegregated schools. The governor of Arkansas, Fabus, was re-elected four times therefore this shows that there are racist white voters. This shows that the civil rights act has still not achieved a great deal for black people in the 1950’s and 60’s.
Source C is a quote from Martin Luther King. In the Source Martin says, “I must point out the remarkable record of achievements” he is talking about how much non-violent action has achieved for black people. He goes on to describe the sit-ins and freedom rides on the buses in 1960 and 1961. But, even at the start of the quote Martin Luther king says, “the distance we still have to go.” This shows that even Martin Luther King knows there is still a long way to go for the civil rights act for black people. He understands that his non-violent action has achieved a lot for black people but it is still not enough for a fair, equal life for the black people. I think that Source shows that the civil rights movement has achieved lots of little things but they have still yet to achieve a great deal for black people.
Source D is a conversation between young black men, which was published in an American Magazine in 1967. The young black men are describing what they have just done in the Detroit riots where black people smashed and burned white people properties. This completely goes against Martin Luther King’s ideas of a peaceful non- violent approach to gaining civil rights. In source D the young black men describe the riot the worst in history and they are proud of what they have done. This shows that the civil rights movement has not achieved a great deal as black people are sick of waiting for fair treatment, but they want it now. This shows that the black people are not satisfied with what they have gained so far they want to be completely equal with the white people. So in my opinion this shows that the civil rights movement has still not achieved enough as the black people want more rights and they do not want to wait for years to achieve it.
Source E show how many black people registered to vote in1965 before the voting rights act and in 1971 after the voting rights act. All of the southern states have more than 40% of black people registering to vote for the 1971 elections. This is a great deal for the civil rights act as it has gained the blacks the right to vote for elections. But even though they have registered to vote, we don’t know how many black people actually did vote. Although we do know that black voters could change elections as president Kennedy was elected president thanks to a large number of black people voting for him. Also we need to know how many white people voted in comparison the black people so we can compare the percentages. Even so this still shows a great achievement for the civil rights movement.
Source F is a Film called Mississippi Burning. This film is set on a true story of two white and one black civil rights protesters being killed. The film set in Mississippi, a southern state of America, shows what really happens to black people when the white people hate them. In the film the white people kill the civil rights workers and the FBI come to investigate. In the film we see several black people beaten up and one black person was nearly hung. The Ku Klux Klan, a white racist group, burnt down the black peoples churches. Even the police were involved in some of the beating of the black people so when the civil rights workers are killed they do not help the FBI. This shows that the white people just don’t care about the civil right laws. But in the end the FBI find out who killed the civil rights workers and they are sent to prison. But this shows that the civil rights movements have not done enough to stop black people getting hurt or killed.
In my opinion I believe that the civil rights movement did achieve quite a lot in the 1950’s and 60’s but still black people are treated badly. So this means that the civil rights movement has not done enough for the black people. We need to consider sources and statistics from the 1970’s and 80’s to see whether black people were treated better or to see if they were treated better. So I think that sources A to F do not back up the statement that the civil rights movement have achieved a great deal in the 1950’s and 60’s although I believe sources from the 1970’s and 80’s would back these sources up.
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