In what way were the demands of the Irish civil rights movement similar to those of the American Black civil rights movement?

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In what way were the demands of the Irish civil rights movement similar to those of the American Black civil rights movement?

In many ways the demands of the Irish and American Civil Rights movements were both very similar. Formed in February 1967, one of the main aims of the Irish Civil Rights movement was to emulate its American counterpart, who had forced the US congress to pass Civil Rights Acts both in 1964 and 1965. Both movements gas educated middle class supporters who knew of their and were determined to improve opportunities and the way of life. Segregation and discrimination in society were the two things that they both wanted to end. They both also wanted to have equal and improved opportunities in areas like government, the law, education and employment.

In February 1967, the NICRA was founded. This was not just formed by Catholics but by a wide range of organisations and individuals. It consisted of students, socialists and conservatives. The main aim of the NICRA was to create equal Civil Rights for everyone and to expose all situations of discrimination.

Discrimination occurred in employment where the Protestants always got jobs over the Catholics. It also occurred in housing allocation as the majority of houses went to Protestants rather than Catholics. Education for Catholics suffered too, as a university was built in Coleraine, instead of Derry. The university was not built in Derry as unionists thought it would attract more Catholics to live in the city.

Catholics and Republicans supported the NICRA as they were under the worst causes of discrimination. Most Protestants and Unionists also supported it because they wanted an end to discrimination. Socialists supported the NICRA also because they wanted a just and fair society for all.

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By the late 1960’s there was a new generation of well-educated and ambitious middle class Catholics. They were aware of their rights and set out to defend the basic rights of all citizens. They did not want an end to partition or to overthrow the NI state. Instead, they wanted to make sure they played a full role in it.

Another aim was to inform the public of their lawful rights. This inspiration to defend themselves came from the black civil rights movement in the southern states. They saw how successful it was to stage peaceful demonstrations and protests ...

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