Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement advocated the rights of every person, despite his or her race, sex, religion, or ethnicity, to be equal and act like a valuable part of the community. The activists of the movement were against all kind of discrimination that undermined the humanity as well as our society. All the achievements, which citizens of the United States can enjoy now in this sphere, were harshly fought for by thousands of people whose resistance to racial segregation and discrimination finally bore fruit.

From the very beginning, the way to changes was not awash with flowers. Getting only the basic rights after the Civil War but still being treated by the whites like former slaves, gave rise to the uprising of African Americans. However, no drastic changes had been done before the 1950s and 1960s, the time, when under the skillful leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists, the struggles resulted in successful improvements. The fighters for their rights opted for acts of nonviolent protests like boycotts, sit-ins, or marches and finally the supremacy of the whites was challenged. Montgomery Bus Boycott, Greensboro sit-ins was only one step on the way of evoking the American society from the long-lasting sleep of ignorance and allowing them to see that they are all the same citizens of the same country.

The inspirational speech “I have a dream” delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 on March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom greatly contributed to the common goal. Not only gave him the speech the reputation of one of the best orators in the American history but also proved that different skin color doesn’t make less of a person. Thanks to remarkable work performed during the Civil Rights Movement for fighting injustice and building equalities among people, Martin Luther King Jr. even won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

Nonetheless, it was not the peaceful time for the States yet, and the greatest battle for African Americans was still ahead. The Selma to Montgomery Marches in 1965 for the voting rights had the great impact on the American society. There should have been bloodshed and violence outburst for the authorities to realize all the drama of the situation and to give their consent on the further integration of African American communities into the society. As a result, the Voting Rights Act was signed that caused a surge of approval among the black people.

In conclusion, the tremendous efforts of the civil rights fighters, their devotion to the common cause, the insurmountable will to be acknowledged and treated equally transformed the public consciousness. Nowadays we do not even question the rights of people different from us to vote or to be elected. The Civil Rights Movement, although packed with obstacles, was obviously not in vain if the African American had the opportunity to get elected as the President of the United States.