1965 Selma to Montgomery march Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

1965 Selma to Montgomery march - Essay Example History 1). The civil war that had taken place previously had failed to eradicate the social barriers created by some institutions (U.S. History 1). In the south, after the war, there was the creation of laws that only highlighted issues of whites at the expense of African American (U.S. History 1). The situation remained until the beginning of the second part of 20th century. At this period various institutions begun to be sensitive to African American demands. The greatest progress was the school integration ruling of 1954 by the Supreme Court (U.S. History 1). Later, there was a development of peaceful protest by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. Consequently, this led to increased marches, boycotts, sit-ins, and freedom rides in both the American south and parts of north (U.S. History 1). Moreover, public opinions changed and showed a significant deal of sympathy towards the African Americans. However, there remained obstacles to complete racial equality. Although legal equality had made progress for African Americans, there was reduced economic equality and social acceptance (U.S. History 1). Consequently, this led to increased activism in the 1960s. Malcolm X, the Black Power Movement leader, advocated for the policy of non-violence, and he inspired most of the movements in this period (U.S. History 1). A reflection on the civil rights movements helps in highlighting the role of Selma to Montgomery marches. ... History 1). Consequently, there was reduced hopes for achievements of equal rights among African Americans. Moreover, there was increased discrimination in various states, in the north and south. For example, there was approval of laws creating schools and public facilities for each race (U.S. History 2). One of such laws was the Jim Craw laws that reinforced the white supremacy that had diminished during the reconstruction era. The discrimination was seen as whites, and blacks carried activities in different areas such as in school and restaurants (U.S. History 2). In addition, there was also discrimination in public spending. For example, teachers in white schools were paid better wages, and white schools were well maintained while in black school teachers were paid poorly, and the situation was poor (U.S. History 2). Additionally, there was a failure of implementation of Brown decision on segregation in the south. In fact, one decade after the decision, fewer than ten percent in s outhern public schools had integrated (U.S. History 2). This is because the ruling failed to address the issue that led to segregation such as separate restrooms, bus seats, or hotel rooms (U.S. History 1). There are various reasons for the inspiration to revolution. One of the people that inspired revolution was Rosa Parks. She boarded a Montgomery bus and refused to pave the way for the white passengers (U.S. History 3). This was followed by her arrest, and she was fined $10 (U.S. History 3). Consequently, revolutions began in various parts of the country. One of the instrumental persons for the revolution was Martin Luther King Junior (U.S. History 3). After the Rosa Park development, he organized the boycott of Montgomery’s buses (U.S. History 3). They wanted for equal