During the early 1960’s black civil rights was still an issue. Segregation, despite being illegal, was still practiced in most schools in the South. Schools, libraries and buses were still segregated and many black people were kept from voting because of fear. Police, polititians and the legal system all discriminated against black people. Also in the North blacks were discriminated against. Here they lived in ghettos, with poor housing, unemployment, poor schools and poor health care. For example, mortality rates for black babies was twice as high as for white babies.
The problems of the 50’s caused great turmoil during the sixties. As John F Kennedy said in 1961 of the next decade:-
“We live on the edge of danger”.
During the early 60’s black Americans wanted their civil rights and were growing impatient with the continuing discrimination. Police still abused their power and government was moving very slowly on Civil Rights Laws, afraid to upset the South. Due to the worsening race relations at this time the Civil Rights Movement grew as did other organisations fighting injustice. The Black Panthers, fighting for black rights, supported using guns against oppressors. There were several shoot outs between them and the police. Malcolm X, whose father was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, advocated militancy to stop white racism. Many white people also felt that better race relations were needed and to achieve this they joined the marches against racism.
Civil unrest occurred in the 60’s in the form of riots after the assassination of civil rights leaders, or as protests against police brutality, or because of economic depression and social unjustices suffered by the ghetto blacks. Martin Luther King urged thousands of black and white people to use peaceful ways to protest against racial discrimination. However while leading a demonstration in Birmingham
Alabama, he was arrested and police used tear gas, fire hoses, dogs and cattle prods against the demonstrators.
As tension rose between racist whites and blacks, students staged sit ins, boycotts, marches and freedom rides. These were bus rides where black and white people sat next to each other as they travelled though the South. Police did not want to protect them and they were often met with violence. During the early 60’s students sponsored the Mississippi project in which 800 volunteers helped thousands of black Americans to register to vote. During 1963 200,000 people marched on Washington. This was the largest march in American history. The high point was a speech made by Martin Luther King where he told of his dream in which all Americans are treated equally.
As a result of civil rights campaigns, peaceful and violent protests and civil unrest, major court battles were won, segregation in many public places ended and various acts made discrimination illegal. However laws can not change peoples minds and better race relations are still needed in America today as they were in the early 60’s. The idea from the Delaration of Independence that “All men are created equal” does not apply to many black Americans today and until it does there will be conflict and poor race relations.
