Civil Rights Movement (Essay Sample)

Civil Rights Movement Student's Name Institution Introduction Prejudice and blatant discrimination faced by the African American especially in the south made them worse off in almost every sphere of life. Denying the fundamental human rights was palpable and led to a movement, mostly non-violent in nature, which was known as civil rights movement. The struggle for African American to have the same recognition and treatment enjoyed by the white Americans in the 1950s and 1960s included identical opportunities in employment, housing and education, the right to vote, has had deep and profound impact on the social and political spheres of the United States (Hall, 2005). The Federal (Central) government, which was tied to the 14th and the 15th amendments were required to protect the rights of the African American. Essentially, the federal government derived their powers from the constitutional amendments and new civil rights law implemented during the Reconstruction era. It lead to several confrontation with the state government because of deliberately trying to segregate the black community under the Jim Crow laws. The law empowered the federal to protect the African Americans, especially from Ku Klux Klan. Having said that, it was the result of the support by the President John Kennedy that played a crucial role in advocating the integration of the African American into the American society. The contribution and the indispensable role played by the federal government was immense and made possible by the fact that the power of federal government exceeded the state government. As a result, it is imperative to concentrate on the role played and the relationship shared by the civil right activists and the federal authority (Eagles, 1986). Relationship between the Civil Rights Movement and the State Government Discrimination during the middle of Second World War in the defence industry motivated Philips Randolph, an African leader, to take up the issue seriously with the authorities. With the escalation of the matter, the President Roosevelt himself had to intervene through his executive order which curbed any form on discrimination. Further, the President was instrumental in setting up a "Fair Employment Practices Commission" that was designed to promote and protect the rights of the African Americans. Such steps by the President was decisive in forming relationship based on trust and helped in restoring the confidence of African American. Proving that the federal government were committed to the cause of a just and fair society restored the self-confidence of the African American community and of its leaders in the federal authority and its powers. As influential as the role of federal government was to the lives of its citizens, the struggle of African American for their cause also gave new meaning to prevailing conceptions of role of government in preserving the fundamental human rights of all minorities and ethnic group. The non-violent approach of the African American in some part of the country got more intense. The leaders began to be more vocal about their issue that fuelled responses. They thought that such fierce measures would help them get noticed and be able to get them their rights. Having realized this, the federal government also adjusted with the changing attitude of the protesters. For instance, the federal government played the role of a negotiator during non-violent protest between the white and the African American in the south. With protest becoming more intense the federal government was forced to take a more active stance and approach to deal with extreme situations that included sending troops and military to gain control and providing funding for riot training to the local police and law enforcement agencies (Hall, 2005). By increasing its social spending in many of the cities, the federal government was able to demonstrate that it could play the role of a catalyst by bringing peace and happiness to the neglected sections of society, which mainly included African American. President Johnson, fully aware of the pathetic condition of the African American condemned the violence and made an assertion that the use of violence will not be able to secure them their constitutional rights. Having said that, violence means did have some degree of positive impact on the African American and they were able to secure resources for themselves. Supreme Court's decision involving an educational institute that practiced segregation of black children with a law that was called "separate but equal”, gave a conclusive push to the aspirations of African Americans. This law which had made it imperative for all the schools to treat the African American in manner than unfair and not equal was terminated by the Supreme Court. The Second World War played a decisive role for the African American to take up the issue of discrimination with the army personnel. The reason given to African American for fighting the enemy included preserve the human rights, democracy and freedom. Therefore, they logically thought that such measures and parameters of living should necessarily apply to them as well since they were American citizens. The cold war era was essentially tied to struggle of two countries trying to compete and demonstrate the superiority of its way of life. Therefore, the intervention of the federal government to protect the dignity and honour of the neglected African American was in line with what they wanted to demonstrate to the wider world...