Faith+T

Although the 1960's are usually considered the decade of the greatest achievement for Black civil rights, the the 1940's and 1950's were periods of equally important gains. Assess the validity of this statement. - 26 April 2012

The Civil Rights Movement was the time in which blacks were gaining their rights as more than just free men and women. They did not just want to vote, a right that they had several decades before the movement. They wanted to be considered completely equal to white men and women. Strives towards this goal seemed impossible to achieve back when blacks were still slaves and even so until late into the 1940s. It was not until this time was black equality within sight. The 1950s gave way to some stunning achievements in black history, almost of equal value to the 1960s. The 1940s, however, did not have as much impact on the civil rights movement as in the 1950s and 1960s.

In the 1940s, about when World War II started, blacks were allowed to serve in the military to help with the war, but they were by no means equal when it could be controlled. The black soldiers were segregated from white soldiers and the units were assigned commanders that were white. The Navy gave blacks the dirtiest jobs and the Marines did not even accept blacks. It was not until after the war that blacks were able to utilize the training that they had received to be able to move to the cities and find jobs in places other than the farming industry (Reinhardt). In 1948, President Truman issued two orders that allowed equality to break through. The first one ordered fair employment in civilian agencies and the other called for "equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin" (“Civil”). This was the start of the feasible quest of true equality.

The first big step towards civil rights occurred in the Supreme Court case //Brown v. Board of Education//. This monumental trial in 1952 - 1954 revoked the decision of //Plessy v. Ferguson// and declared segregation unconstitutional (“Civil”). Black education was to be both non-segregated and equal. One year later, one of the most famous attempts of civil disobedience occurred on a public bus. Rosa Parks sat in the front of the bus and refused to move when a white person had no seat. Parks was arrested, but she set off the movement to boycott buses and the creation of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) with Martin Luther King Jr. at the helm (“Civil”). This ultimately led to the action to unsegregate buses in 1956. The creation of the MIA and the protest of Rosa Parks sparked the initiative to strive towards equality. These actions formed the basis of the important actions in the 1960s that led to the equality of blacks.

The 1960s marked when the blacks went all out on their peaceful “attack” at segregation. The Congress of Racial Equality started the Freedom Rides in 1961, which worked to allow blacks and whites to mix in any mode of public transportation. These Freedom Riders were beaten and arrested, which ended their road trip to equality, but made an impact nonetheless (“Timeline”). The most famous and largest protest occurred in 1963. About 200,000 blacks and whites marched their way onto Washington to press JFK to total equality of blacks. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his memorable speech, “I Have a Dream,” here as well (“Civil”). In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed, which forbade the use of literacy tests or any other type of test in which did not allow blacks to vote. Black voting increased drastically, leading to the election of more black officials. Finally, in 1968, blacks were given full citizenship via the Civil Rights Act of 1968, after a couple weaker attempts earlier in the 1960s (“Civil”).

The 1940s gave little in terms of civil rights since people had initially tried to separate the blacks, but were unable to when they the war caused chaos on the battlefield. The aftereffect of the war helped to hurl the civil rights movement into action. The 1950s provided for which the 1960s would unleash. Martin Luther King Jr. rose to authority when he led the MIA, which was created because Rosa Parks used civil disobedience to protest. Her actions inspired many to utilize this form of protest to fight against segregation. The 1960s thus banded many people together to fight for equality in the march to Washington. This led to the eventual total equalities of blacks. The 1940s may have provided the match, but the 1950s caused the spark which would light the fire for the 1960s.

"The Civil Rights Era." //African American Odyssey//. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. .

Reinhardt, Claudia. "Civil Rights for Minorities During and After World War II." //Wessels Living History Farm, Inc.// Web. 26 Apr. 2012. .

"Timeline: Civil Rights Era (1954 - 1971)." //PBS//. PBS. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. .