The Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement - Research Paper Example

? Civil Rights Since the times of ancient philosophers and right activists like Martin Luther King Jr., the issue of civil rights still exists in the vocabularies of scholars, researchers, policy makers, and government. Contrary to what these activists believed, decades have past and the issue is still a controversy, with no hope for the better. Through mandatory to every individual in the society, many have been denied their rights. It is for this reason that Newman (2004) defines civil rights as an enforceable right or guaranteed privilege, which incase it is interfered with by an individual, group of the government, a rise to an action for injury arises. Another scholar, Ownby (2002) argues that civil rights are those rights that everyone in a society should recognize and respect, for they belong to all. The appeals of the law uphold them but are not subject to arbitrary denial by either people or the country. People defend these rights due to their common good as they protect individuals from the state and usually subject them to clear limits. Most of the civil movements took place in 1954 to 1968. Their goals included putting an end to series of laws that forced people of African American decency into segregation from whites. They attacked these laws as well as the white man’s premises. For example in 1968, a group of sanitation workers marched in the streets if Memphis protesting against human evil and laws that legalized segregation and dehumanization that had justified slavery. The sociological explanation that takes form to discuss civil rights is that, even though the idea of rights embodied for citizens legally was barely new, it received a new meaning in the 20th century after slaves gained freedom. However, before then, civil rights movement figures used to embrace the fight for equal rights as non-violent protest. Later, it came to their attention that the fight would be lost unless agitate measures taken. Martin Luther King Jr, born in 1929, was a civil rights activist who influenced millions of people with his espousal of non-violent protests in bid to fight against segregation and racial discrimination. In the course of civil rights movements, people used social terminologies to describe their reasons for the unrests (Newman, 2004). To begin with, in 1955, the whites expressed massive resistance that frustrated the blacks and eventually blacks made gradual approaches to implement desegregation by federal and state government. The large number of whites in United States did not view African Americans as their equals but as slaves. There was nationwide racial discrimination, violence directed towards blacks, and economic opportunities marginalized in southern states. People came to know these southern states as “Jim Crow”. It applies in sense that whenever people here of the term “Jim Crow”, what rings in their minds is the feel of human evil done upon blacks living in that region. Due to disputes and lobbying attempts of massive resistance by whites, acts of civil disobedience gave rise to direct action. The blacks adopted a leadership with non-violent resistance that they called civil disobedience. The acts led to crisis between those involved and government authorities, as authorities had to act with immediate effect to end crises although sometimes in favor of protestors (K’Meyer, 2009). Other civil rights movements that took the form of civil disobedience used boycotts. The Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama is an example of practiced and fully successful act. This movement’s aim was to end segregation and racial discrimination against the blacks. In search for better standards of living, blacks organized probably the best industrious march of all times. They marched in Washington in quest for employment and freedom where King Jr. delivered his speech (Ownby, 2002). The demonstration is memorable because of his glorious speech that he gave. The activity brought together leaders from different political backgrounds and people of diverse origins but their concerted efforts, purposes and goals matched. Many women groups were present at the function. Participated in real organization of the march but when it came to main action, men denied them an opportunity to air out their views and instead assigned them insignificant tasks in back row of the stage. This forced black women not only to fight for civil rights, but also to engage in movements that recognizes women. In case of Brown v. Board of Education on September 1957, civil rights movement became victorious when a judicial order nullified the legal article of “separate but equal” and declared segregation legally not permitted. Hence, the nine black students were able to join Central High School at the watch of 101st Air borne troops courtesy of President Dwight Eisenhowever (Jeffries, 2009). The ruling banned discrimination in recruitment tendencies and public settlements. The same spirit that vowed to end discrimination led to passage of both Voting Rights Act of 1964 that revived voting rights and Civil Rights Act of 1968 that denounced stigmatized blacks to sell or rent a house. Although living in the States, scholars argued that Africans historically fought to defend their land, culture, and liberty from European colonialism. Therefore, they regarded whatever came into their society and stole people and their riches as an act of treason. Having fought for and won numerous civil rights Advocates of Black Power asked for black self-determination and created awareness on effects of assimilation on Africans. They claimed that, if the two cultures were to interact it would dissociate their African heritage and dignity. Oppression against blacks proceeded at this time partially by fellow blacks in new black stratum from the average category and the governing class. In conclusion, terms and theories applied by scholars in civil rights movements describe how the atmosphere was at the time of that social activity. The Mexican-American civil rights movement that sought political power and social recognition for Mexican descendants created feeling of alienation among them. Research findings show sociological explanation for these movements with reference to what took place during such movements. Noticeable events are at times of sit-ins protests that were common and appeared to be protester’s gatherings thus creating tensions. References Jeffries, H. (2009). Bloody Lowndes: civil rights and Black power in Alabama’s Black Belt. New York: NYU Press. K’Meyer, T. (2009). Civil rights in the gateway to the South: Louisville, Kentucky, 1945-1980. Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. Newman, M. (2004). The civil rights movement. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Ownby, T. (2002). The role of ideas in the civil rights South: essays. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. Read More