The rise of the modern Civil Rights movement - Essay Example

Rise of the modern civil rights movements Major players in the modern civil rights movements Faced with racial discrimination, social prejudice and poor service provisions, the minority groups realized that they had to fight for their legitimate rights. Studies by McWhorter2 showed that religious leaders, influential businesspersons, and early African American scholars pioneered the modern civil rights movements. Some of the most notable individuals who spearheaded the movements included the following, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and James Meredith.

Thurgood Marshall was the first black Supreme Court justice, who prior to his appointment was the attorney of the civil rights groups NAACP. Martin Luther Jr. being the most influential figure in the civil rights movement was among the founders of summer Christian leadership conference, which organized civil disobedience movements across the nation. Along with Luther in the struggle for civil rights was also Malcolm X popularly known as the Black Nationalist and the founder of organization of the Afro American Unity.

The main events that shape the modern civil rights movement The efforts of the modern civil rights movements culminated to the legislature of new laws and amendment of racial discriminating laws that had been passed by the past administrations. In 1948, President Truman signed the executive order 9981, which provided for equality of treatment and opportunity for all in the armed forces. Six years later, the ruling by supreme in 1954 abolished segregation in public schools and termed it unconstitutional.

Because of the 1954 ruling, James Meredith became the first black person to enrol at the University of Mississippi. In 1963 Martin Luther lead the famous march on Washington which congregated at the Lincoln memorial, where Martin delivered the “I have a Dream “speech. In his book, Dierenfiled3, wrote that in keeping his promise of the great society, President Johnson signed the civil Rights Act of 1964, which led to prohibition of any form of discrimination, based on race, color, or religion.

According to Pitney,4 the President also signed the most documented act of 1965, the Voting Rights Act, which had been passed by the congress. The act abolished the requirements for literacy test and poll taxes making the voting much easier for the African Americans. In addition, Immigration and National Services Act was also passed in the same year, allowing for citizens from other nations apart from the European nation into the U.S. With the recognition of universal equality for all persons without regards to race or gender, the Supreme Court in 1967 passed a ruling that declared the prohibition of interracial marriage unconstitutional.

Another notable event in the timeline of civil rights movement was the Los Angeles riots of 1992, which occurred after a court jury, acquitted four white police officers who were videotaped beating Rodney King. Other groups that fought for equality in the 1950s Apart from the civil rights movements that championed for the rights of the African Americans, there were also other civil groups fighting for people with disabilities and workers welfare. In his book Caro5, observed that those living with disabilities also faced the similar challenges to some extent that the African Ameri