The Civil Rights Movement (Essay Sample)

Response To Questions on The Civil Rights MovementStudent's NameInstitutional Affiliation Response To Questions on The Civil Rights Movement Factors That Contributed to The Growing Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s The Civil Rights Movement grew in the 1950s because of factors such as discrimination, racism, lack of universal suffrage, and police brutality against peaceful protestors. Discrimination was seen in public spaces such as public schools and transportation. For example, whites and blacks could not attend the same school or ride the same bus (Hampton, 1987). An example is when Emmet Till was murdered by white men after he failed to give up his bus seat to a white man. Additionally, blacks and whites could not visit the same restaurant, nor could they vote in the same election. In effect, the blacks were denied any opportunity for them to participate equally in society (Hampton, 1987). Also, the resistance and brutality that the law enforcement officers used against peaceful demonstrators accelerated the civil rights movement in the 1950s. Furthermore, the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education [1954] further contributed to the growth of the Civil Right Movement because there was more belief among the blacks that racial segregation was unconstitutional. Ideally, in this case, the U.S. Supreme Court held that racial segregation in public schools was against the Constitution. Why The Lynching of Emmet Till Was the Catalyst for Civil Rights Movement The lynching of Emmet Till became a catalyst in the national movement for civil rights because it galvanized African Americans and other people of color to join the Civil Right Movement from the fear that the same could happen to them, their friends, or family members. With the kidnapping and gruesome murder of Till, young African Americans were awakened to the reality of racial discrimination. Further, the death sparked outrage and led to an upsurge in activism and resistance from blacks (Hampton, 1987). Those who had stayed on the sidelines of the Civil Rights Movement without being directly involved in the resistance were awakened by the sight of the brutalized body of the young 14-year-old old. Notably, Till was murdered by a white man and his friends basically because he was accused of having whistled to a white woman (Brown, 2018). Also, the two white men believed to have killed Till were acquitted by the court. Therefore, the blacks became aware that they could not get justice even from the courts. As a result, they had to come out in their numbers; thus, Till's lynching became the catalyst for the National Civil Rights Movement. Mini-Bio of Malcolm X A notable civil rights leader from the 1950s is Malcolm X. This individual was a prominent figure and leader in the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 1925 (PBS, n.d.). His father, Rev. Earl Little, was a Baptist minister. However, Little died after being hit by a streetcar (possibly being driven by a white person). Malcolm's mother was committed to an asylum in 1939, leavin...