The African American Agitation for Same Rights in the US - Research Paper Example

The African American Agitation for Same Rights in the US Jason T. Blanco American History since 1865, HIS204 Stacy Manning 10 March African Americans have been involved in a long struggle, fighting for their rights in the US. They involved themselves in groups that helped fight for their rights using nonviolent ways. Although it took a long time of struggle and fight for the rights, it is good news that today all Americans have equal rights. Americans have even elected a black President and a black Attorney General. This paper traces the journey African American have taken towards ensuring that they enjoy their rights enshrined in the constitution. Lily-White Movement Lily-white started at the 1888 Republican state convention when some whites tried to kick out some black and tan delegates. Norris Wright Cuney, a black leader from Texas, managed the party from 1883 until his demise in 1896. He had labeled the dissatisfied group "lily-whites." During the early days of Reconstruction, a fight ensued in Texas and the South between the whites and blacks for the management of the Republican Party (Mowry, 1940). White GOP leaders were seeking respect among Southern voters, and there was a conviction that the blacks’ involvement in the party disturbed the expansion of the party. The lily-white Republicans started a plan to kick out blacks from positions of power. Although Texas blacks pleased with the Northern party leadership to stop the movement, the movement has been successful since Republican presidents after 1865 needed endorsement of the Southern white population (Mowry, 1940). The 1892 election was a turning point for the two factions of the Party as Cuney rallied the black and tans behind George Clark, who was a conservative Democrat. The lily-whites recommended Andrew Jackson Houston for the governorship post. Clark lost the elections, and Democratic Grover Cleveland emerged the winner of the presidency (Mowry, 1940). The black people appeared to lose the elections as their preferred candidates lost the elections. Although African Americans lost the election and control of the party, they had sent a message that they were involved in the political affairs of the US. The journey towards equal rights had just begun, and their rights could not be ignored in any way. Future political activists were motivated by the actions of a group of African Americans who helped in the formation of the party. Black Power Movement The Black Power movement emerged after the Civil Rights Movement that was fighting for the rights of the African American (Joseph, 2006). Even though it was not an official movement, the Black Power movement defined the relationship between the blacks and whites and also helped the blacks to see themselves positively. The movement was an event that occurred at a time when the American society was undergoing some transformation in the 1950s and 1960s (Joseph, 2006). Some associations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference joined hands with everyone to help make a reunited society by eliminating racial discrimination. Their endeavors caused a positive reception from many people across the United States. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was the leader of the SCLC, made noteworthy headway by adhering to non-violent devices. President Lyndon B. Johnson had to sign the Civil Rights Act in 1964. One year later, the President assented to the Voting Rights Act that was critical to the Blacks (Joseph, 2006). Civil Rights legislation became a serious step towards eradicating inequality between the two predominant races in the US. Although there was some advancement, it was difficult to overcome prejudice that was rooted in the American society. The African American still encountered racial discrimination when looking for jobs. Young African Americans perceived the civil rights movement incapable of generating real social change. They needed a movement that could accelerate the process of liberation and allow the blacks to have the same opportunities as the whites (Joseph, 2006). The term "black power" was common since 1950s. Stokely Carmichael, a student leader, who headed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee coined it in 1966. Carmichael helped to transform SNCC from involving all races to an organization that only involved the blacks. Groups such as SNCC and BPP became well known, and the Black Power movement became a powerhouse in the US society (Joseph, 2006). The Black Power movement helped to instill self-esteem and racial pride in the African Americans. They were told that it was upon them to progress in their lives. The movement encouraged the blacks to form black people political parties that could fight for real social-economic progress. The Black Power Movement helped to generate many developments. The black people were encouraged to appreciate their African tradition (Joseph, 2006). Blacks who grew up knowing that they were descendants of backward people discovered that the African culture was very rich. The movement was not a formal movement since it lacked central leadership. By the 1970s, a majority of the formal organizations that associated with the movement had all disintegrated. The movement did not manage to get blacks secede from whites and form a separate society and also did not help end the unfairness (Joseph, 2006). The Black Power Movement helped present some of the components that were eventually essential for all races to gain a deeper understanding of one another. The movement expressed a new racial consciousness among African Americans in the US. It is that consciousness that helped African Americans to focus on their cultural autonomy and self-esteem and fight for their rights. The movement acted as a motivating factor for African American to fight for their civil and constitutional rights. Harlem Renaissance (1917-1935) The Harlem Renaissance refers to the social, cultural, and artistic explosion that happened in Harlem. The Renaissance occurred after the World War I had just ended and the 1930s (Hutchinson, 1995). All through this time, Harlem acted as a cultural center where black writers, artists, musicians, poets, and other talented people came together. A majority of these people originated from the South where they had run away from the caste system so as to locate a place where they could show their talents (Hutchinson, 1995). Among the artists who were recognized involved Arna Bontemps, Walter White, and James Weldon Johnson. THE CRISIS, a popular magazine of that time, published poems, stories, and works of different types from artists (Hutchinson, 1995). The Renaissance proved to be more than a literary movement since it entailed racial pride that was catalyzed by people who were agitating for their rights as the American people. The Renaissance included jazz and the blues that helped to attract whites to Harlem, where couples from different backgrounds danced. However, the Renaissance did not have an enormous impact to allow it breaks down the barriers of Jim Crow (Hutchinson, 1995). Although the Renaissance helped to relax some racial attitudes, its greatest impact was to underline pride among blacks. The American Civil Rights Movement The 1960s Civil Rights Movement involved social movements with an intention of ending racial segregation against blacks. It also aimed to secure legal recognition of the rights of citizens as enshrined in the constitution (Klarman, 1994). The movement witnessed campaigns of civil resistance by black people. Acts of nonviolent protest caused crises between activists and the government. Forms of protest such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott played a critical role to send home a message that African Americans needed their rights (Klarman, 1994). The government had to deal with the issues that depicted the inequities faced by black Americans. Today, African Americans enjoy the same rights as white Americans. Sit-Ins The Civil Rights Movement got a boost when students in various parts of the US started to "sit-in" at the meal counters of some of their local stores to protest a lack of desegregation. The protesters were persuaded to dress in a professional way, sit silently, and to take up all seats in order for white sympathizers to join them in the demonstration (Balkin & Siegel, 2003). Some of the sit-ins compelled local authorities to use force in chasing the demonstrators from lunch stores (Klarman, 1994). The "sit-in" way of demonstration was not new in the in fighting for the rights of the blacks. The Congress of Racial Equality has used it to complain about segregation in the 1940s. The achievement of the Greensboro sit-in caused many student campaigns in the South. Towards the end of 1960, the sit-in demonstrations had reached all the Southern states and even other areas of the North (Klarman, 1994). The participants focused on lunch counters, parks, beaches, theaters, and other places of public. When the demonstrators were arrested, they made "jail-no-bail" pledges in order to reverse the cost of protests (Klarman, 1994). The “sit-ins” helped to send a message to the authorities that African Americans were serious about their rights. These demonstrations led to the enactment of the law that allowed blacks to participate in elections. Freedom Rides In the fourth month of 1960, the sit-in activists witnessed a formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee that took tactics of nonviolent confrontation a north higher. Their campaigns involved conducting freedom rides. The demonstrators traveled by bus through the South to integrate bus terminals as necessitated by federal law (Andrews & Biggs, 2006). The freedom rides were extremely dangerous missions. In Anniston, a bus was firebombed where some people were injured. The freedom riders got a harsh treatment in jail, where they were clamped together in filthy cells. In Mississippi, some prisoners were compelled to do hard labor in an intense heat. Some prisoners were moved to Mississippi State Penitentiary where the authorities over salted food and their mattresses were taken away. The student movements also involved personalities such as John Lewis. Lewis kept on fighting for the rights of the blacks despite beatings and harassment (Klarman, 1994). African Americans encountered a lot of resistance from authorities in their agitation for change, but their efforts were not in vain. The “sit-ins” and freedom rides contributed to the change of law that allowed blacks to participate in elections. Conclusion It is obvious from the discussions that African Americans mostly used nonviolent ways to fight for their rights. The blacks organized themselves in political and religious groups that helped send the message home that they needed equal rights. Significant steps have been made towards equal rights as African Americans can access all the rights that white Americans enjoy. References Anderson, C. E. (2003). Eyes off the prize: The United Nations and the African American struggle for human rights, 1944-1955. Cambridge University Press. Andrews, T., & Biggs, M. (2006). The dynamics of protest diffusion: Movement organizations, social networks, and news media in the 1960 sit-ins. American Sociological Review, 71(5), 752-777. Retrieved on March 5, 2015 from http://www.unc.edu/~kta1/Andrews&Biggs_ASR2006.pdf Balkin, M., & Siegel, B. (2003). The American civil rights tradition: Anticlassification or antisubordination. Issues in Legal Scholarship, 2(1). Hutchinson, G. (1995). The Harlem renaissance in black and white. Harvard University Press. Joseph, E. (Ed.). (2006). The Black power movement: rethinking the civil rights-Black Power era. Taylor & Francis. Mowry, E. (1940). The South and the Progressive Lily White Party of 1912. The Journal of Southern History, 6(2), 237-247. Retrieved on March 5, 2015 from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2191208?sid=21105558141881&uid=4&uid=2129&uid=70&uid=2 Klarman, M. J. (1994). Brown, racial change, and the civil rights movement. Virginia Law Review, 7-150 Read More