Generally, civil rights are those rights that are meant to be enjoyed by every individual citizen. The civil rights movement was a popular lobby group created to advocate for equality in the United States for both blacks and whites. In American history, the civil rights movement assumes a very special place.
An important agenda for the movement was to ensure that the rights of every individual, including minorities and women, were secured by the law. To a large extent, the civil rights movement completely transformed the lives of blacks in the United States.
How the Civil Rights Movement Began
Historically, the need to enforce people’s civil rights started as soon as slavery became a threat. This followed the arrival of the first slaves from the African continent. In 1808, the importation of slaves from Africa was abolished. Under President Lincoln’s directive, those who were already enslaved had to be set free in 1863. In the year 1954, discrimination at different levels in a society based on race was considered to be against the law.
The formation of the civil rights movement received a major boost in 1955 when Rose Parks was arrested for refusing to surrender a seat for a white passenger. Blacks reacted to this incident by staging a boycott against the Montgomery buses. The revolution continued, and in 1957, a rights group was created under the leadership of Martin Luther King. Unfortunately, this led to the arrest of Martin Luther King. He was later sent to jail.
In 1963, things took a different turn as a demonstration involving thousands of individuals took place in Washington. The Civil Rights Act came into action in 1964 and strongly condemned discrimination based on race, origin, or color. For many people, the Act became one of the most valued legislations of the United States. The Civil Movements Act finally became law after it received support from a number of legislators. It brought about a huge change in a society where discrimination based on race, was the order of the day.
Without a doubt, the achievements of the present-day society are all as a result of the activities of the civil rights movement. Beyond the 1960s, the civil rights movement started addressing new issues and building new coalitions. Today, for example, President Barrack Obama and Eric Holder are two African – American citizens who are in their respective offices, all thanks to the civil rights movement. Among other achievements, the Civil Rights Act brought racial discrimination in public places to an end.
Other Affects the Movement had on American Politics and Culture
The civil rights law is largely responsible for the work one to ensure equality in employment, education, politics, and other areas such as in the armed forces. The impact of the civil rights movement on the politics and culture of the American people was not fully felt until after the 1960s.
A notable example is the presidential election of 2008 that saw Barrack Obama elected the president of the United States. Undoubtedly, the activities of the civil rights movement in the early days greatly changed American politics, institutions, and culture. Efforts made by the civil rights movement to change workplaces, communities, and politics one step at a time created an avenue for Barrack Obama to become the president of the United States.
The civil rights movement also affected immigration in the United States. Afraid of the increased pressure from the civil rights movement, lawmakers in the United States to come up with legislation aimed at reducing the number of immigrants.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that much was realized by the civil rights movement, the war against discrimination in the United States and other places across the world is far from being over. Even with an African – American president in office, the attitude of most American citizens regarding minorities has not changed much.