Why did the civil rights movement gain so much support in the 1950s and early 1960s?

Another reason that led to an increase in support was the "Sit-in" campaign. In 1957 the U.S government introduced the 1957 Civil Rights Act. It was not a significant Civil Rights Act, but it was the first national Civil Rights Act for nearly one hundred years. Therefore, the pressure for Civil Rights continued to grow during the early 1960's. Segregation was still a big problem in the South and many young blacks were determined for change. It was this reality which led to four young black students ordering food at a North Carolina Whites-only lunch counter. Their order was refused, but the students continued and sat down at the Whites-only counter, where they were told to leave but refused. The next day they returned with 80 other Black and White protesters. They remained at the counter all day despite insults and attacks. This idea quickly spread across the South and within two months, there had been sit- in campaigns in over fifty four cities across nine states. The students were all following Martin Luther King's idea of non-violent protest. At all times, they behaved in a peaceful and law-abiding manner. However, this did not stop all the verbal and physical abuse they received from racist Whites. Large numbers of protesters were arrested, with many beaten by police. Night after night, Americans watched the news coverage of the sit-ins, and were shocked as they saw peaceful students being insulted, beaten and dragged off to jail - just because they wanted Civil Rights. The courage, commitment and sacrifice shown by the demonstrators won them much admiration across the country. Eventually, many restaurants and café's desegregated as they could no longer afford the bad publicity. The result was that by the summer of 1960 there was almost no segregated lunch counters in the South left. Some Civil Rights workers believed that the sit-in campaigns showed students that they could take action for themselves. Young black people realised that they could make a difference to the Civil Rights struggle. This again led to an increase in support from African Americans, as they realised that by peaceful campaigning, they could gradually change the Civil Rights situation for the better. Due to the widespread publicity, many whites were forced to take notice of the "race issue" and support from them also increased.

The Freedom Rides are also an important reason to be considered to explain the growth in support for the Civil Rights movement. In May 1961, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) sent a group of "freedom riders" to challenge the South's Jim Crow laws. The group consisted of both white and black students. In 1960 a Supreme Court decision banned segregation in public areas such as rest rooms, waiting rooms and restaurants for travellers using buses that went from one state to another. The group wanted to see if such segregation had really ended and so planned to ride from Washington to New Orleans and that Black students would try to use 'Whites Only' wash rooms at stopping points along the route. They became known as the "Freedom Riders" and their campaign was in every way peaceful. However, they met a frightening level of violence from mobs of Southern racists. Their buses were attacked and burned and the students were beaten. Even when faced by such vicious attacks the students stuck to their non-violent protest beliefs. The Freedom Rides drew national attention, especially from middle-class Northerners who were shocked by what they saw on television. Once more, Americans from outside the South were appalled at this and pressure increased for the federal government to intervene. Many people believe that it was the Freedom Rides that gained the most support for the Civil Rights movement. The Freedom Riders, like the sit-ins before them, were successful in making northern White Americans increasingly sympathetic towards the Civil Rights cause. The Civil Rights movement had gained much more support due to the Freedom Rides.

Finally, an event which increased sympathy and support for the Civil Rights movement were the protests in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1963, Martin Luther King drew up plans for a protest in Birmingham, as he believed it to be the most segregated city in America. King was arrested for planning the protest, but was later released and a second plan was created, which intended to use school children to lead the march. King knew the importance of publicity, and knew that TV footage of school children being arrested would embarrass the city and gain sympathy for the Civil Rights movement. The march began on 2nd March 1963, and as soon as it had begun, orders were given to arrest all of the students. Over nine hundred children from the age of 6 to 18 were jailed. The following day, the police used water canons and dogs to attack the peaceful protesters. America watched in horror as school-age children were savagely beaten and bitten. TV coverage of the protest had been shown all over the world and people were shocked by pictures of young children being attacked by police dogs and washed down streets by fire hoses in Birmingham. It is believed that King organised the protest to be held in Birmingham as he knew the authorities there would use violence and this would gain sympathy for the cause. He was right, as TV pictures of non-violent protesters being attacked by Alabama police increased public sympathy and support for the Civil Rights movement across the USA. The increase in support due to this event was so high, that President Kennedy had to intervene and ordered an end in segregation in Birmingham. Once again, TV coverage of the incident had caused public opinion to swing forcefully behind the Civil Rights campaign.

In conclusion, there are many reasons as to why the Civil Rights movement gained so much support during the 1950's and early 1960's. The biggest reason by far was through TV coverage, which in all of the events mentioned increased sympathy for the movement and stirred up more support. The Birmingham Protest and Freedom rides in particular created support amongst the White population. Whites also admired the peaceful tactics, such as the Montgomery bus boycott. National publicity of the events mentioned created mass support for the Civil Rights movement among all sections of the Black American population. Events such as sit-in campaigns and Freedom Rides, increased support from African Americans, as it showed them that they could take part in protests in their local area and make a difference. All of these events had some degree of success, such as ending segregation in many areas and making a difference to the lives of African Americans. But most of all, all of these events gained the Civil Rights movement support.