Protests and Social Movements of the 60s

Civil Rights Movement:

The Civil Rights Movement was aimed at trying to end the discrimination that many African Americans faced in the United States. It advocated equality and trying to eliminate some of the discriminatory laws that the United States upheld. The main face that is placed upon the movement is that of Martin Luther King and his legacy of nonviolence. Martin Luther King emerged in the South and advocated trying to end the laws of segregation. He attempted to do this by advocating that African Americans fight the establishments through peaceful means and did not desire them to use violence in any manner. There were many tactics used during the civil rights movement such as bus boycotts, sit-ins and freedom rides. Martin Luther King gave many influential speeches about his message of nonviolence such as the “I Have a Dream Speech” that was given on the steps of the Lincoln memorial.

Martin Luther King was a very important figure in the civil rights movement and he was able to accomplish a great deal in his lifetime. He was instrumental in the passing of many new pieces of legislation and helped the African American community fight for their fair share in civil liberties. During his life Dr. King was able to get the Supreme Court to declare Alabama’s segregation laws unconstitutional which were a result from his bus boycott campaign. Furthermore he was crucial in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that swept away the Jim Crow laws and prohibited discrimination in public facilities, government, and employment. Also he was able to get the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that outlawed no longer requiring would-be voters to take literacy tests and provided for federal registration of African American voters in areas that had less than 50 percent eligible voters registered.

Black Power:

Black Power was a political movement that arose in the mid-60s, that strove to express a new racial consciousness among blacks in the United States. The Black Power movement was aimed at empowering and creating a strong racial identify for African Americans. It gave an alternative to the nonviolent message that Martin Luther King was spreading and discussed not trying to assimilate into white American society. The movement was started by Stokley Carmichael and other member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). It encouraged a separation from white society and believed that Africa Americans were strong enough to thrive without the support of white institutions.

The movement was greatly influenced by Malcolm X because his image, rhetoric and attitude resembled what most of the Black Power organizations were trying to accomplish. His message advocated empowering the African American communities and he did not encourage integrating into American society. Even though he never advocated violence he still presented a message that told African Americans not to turn the other cheek and stand up for their rights.

The Black Panther party began in 1966 and was the largest organization in the Black Power movement. They were strongly influenced by Malcolm X and followed many of his teachings. The Panthers practiced militant self-defense of minority communities against the U.S. government and fought to establish community based programs. They were a militant group but they did not advocate violence and wanted to establish real economic, social, and political equality across gender and color lines. Their goals were outlined in the Ten Point Program that defined what they sought to accomplish through their movement. The movement was concentrated in the west coast mainly in Oakland and focused on both protecting black communities from police brutality and rebuilding it through various programs.

The Black Power movement was seen as a negative movement because people believed that it advocated anti-white sentiments and rejected any assistance from white leaders. However the Black Power movement did acknowledge many accomplishments of white leaders but they believed that it was time for the black community to begin to fight for themselves. The Black power can be seen as a negative part of the civil rights movement but in fact it aided African Americans in developing many community organizations and helped them gain an identity.

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