Tag Archives: segregation

Jiw Crow Law in the 1950’s

Souza

One of the most prominent pieces of American history is the racism that has divided their country and created many hard battles and controversy. In the 1900s, many segregation laws were created to separate black people from white people in every way possible and to ban rights for anyone to defend them; which went against their rights as Americans. During the Reconstruction after the Civil war, the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments were created to protect the rights of blacks and the civil rights act of 1875 freed many black people from slavery. However these laws eventually were disregarded and racial tensions mounted. The government then overturned the civil rights act by allowing laws of racial segregation. The laws of segregation which were created after the Reconstruction were known as ‘Jim Crow Laws’. Black people fought back in large protests, such as walking instead of taking the bus and sitting in at lunch counters, and challenged officials to remove these laws. Many black people were murdered throughout their protests for their rights.

In the Rosa Parks’ 1955 act of civil disobedience, in which she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, was a catalyst in later years of the Civil Rights movement. Her action, and the demonstrations which it stimulated, led to a series of legislative and court decisions that contributed to undermining the Jim Crow system.

This fact led to the Bus Boycott led by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., which followed Rosa Parks’ action, was, however, not the first of its kind. Numerous boycotts and demonstrations against segregation had occurred throughout the 1930s and 1940s. These early demonstrations achieved positive results and helped spark political activism

Finally, The Civil Rights act of 1964 made it illegal for any states to have laws requiring segregation. However even though these laws had been banished, there would still be racism between blacks and whites for many years up until now even thought we have a black president.

 

People walking to support the bus boycott.

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Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on public bus in Montgomery, Alabama

On December 1, 1955 African American Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. She was arrested by police and charged violating the part of the Montgomery City code that dealt with segregation law, even though she had not technically violated the law. Rosa was later bailed out of jail by Edgar Nixon, president of NAACP. 

After her arrest, Montgomery blacks announced boycott of the buses. The boycott was led by the president of Montgomery Improvement Association, young Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Under his leadership, the Montgomery bus boycott had lasted 381 days. The Supreme Court ruled in November 1956 that segregation on transportation was unconstitutional.

The Rosa Parks incident sparks African American’s quest for freedom and equality. It is not only a single history event. Through her arrest, the Montgomery blacks under the leading of NAACP and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. united other southern states’ blacks to protest segregation policy. The success from the Supreme court’s ruling gives MLK a new way to fight for desegregation, that is non-violence movement. MLK distinguishes himself in this boycott. More blacks follow him and it begins MLK’s rise to battle for the civil rights.

This image is from http://www.grandtimes.com/rosa.html

Posted in 1953-1960, June 15 assignment, Social History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Rosa Parks story.

 On December 1, 1995, Rosa Parks had been arrested because she was a black woman and she refused to yield her seat on a city bus to a white passenger in Montgomery. Her arrest led to Montgomery bus boycott. Thus, African Americans’ inequality and racial justice had been issued internationally, and the civil right movement arose throughout the U.S as a whole.

   Inequality and the gap of the wealth between whites and non-whites had been growing significantly even though America had turned to the golden age of its economy since the end of WWII. Ethnic discrimination of employment and housing was severe, and segregation and exclusion against blacks in pubic institutions enhanced their demand of equal rights movement. Parks’ event is a strong stimulation to enlighten people to desire their equal rights more seriously than before. This civil movement continued to 1960s. The congress finally passed the Civil Right Act in 1964 to prohibit racial discrimination by the law.

   Parks’ event and the Montgomery bus boycott is definitely a huge turning point of America history so as to have people equal rights. Therefore, we can have real freedom now in America.

This image is from http://virlib.brinkster.net/aca/ACAIMAGES_DVD/DVD_Rosa_parks_story.jpg

Posted in 1953-1960, June 14 assignment, Political history, Social History, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Segregation

Souza

 “The Montgomery bus boycott came about a year after a landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling outlawed deliberate racial segregation in public schools.
But divisions remained.

Three students at Clinton High School picketed their school as it became the first state-supported school in Tennessee to integrate, in August 1956.”

It is sad that the segragation problem still is present in the  America society. In June of 2003, the  Bush administration asked the Supreme Court to ignore the Affirmative action . Furthermore, the candidete for senator Rand Paul do not intend to enforce  the civil rights act against segregation.Does it seem that some people intend to increase discrimination?

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