More than a hundred years ago the Europeans brought slaves to North America.
The blacks found themselves in the midst of prejudice whites with no way out. When the blacks came over Jim Crow laws were incorporated. With these laws itwas near impossible for blacks to rise in the white world. Booker T. Washingtonwas the first black to rise to any prominence in this time.
In the early 1900’sblacks however began to fight back. In 1909 black advancement organizationsbegan to increase all over North America. Unfortunately with the rise of thesegroups also came the rise of racist white groups like the Ku Klux Klan andothers brutally killing blacks. All blacks coming into N. America were beingbrought into a very hostile environment. The first sign of blacks becoming more equal was the blacks to fight in theWorld War.
For the first time they were looked upon as war veterans instead ofblack slaves. Although progress was beginning a black man named Garvey believedthat the whites would never change, because of this he started an associationcalled “Back to Africa”. At the coming of the Second World War, blacksparticipating in the war were being more important positions than ever before. Franklin Roosevelt was the first president to make a strong contribution tothe Civil Rights movement. He had signed a declaration that stated no one couldbe discriminated in the work place and other areas based on race. Also the highcourt passed a law that enabled black children to have the same educationopportunities as white children.
It was in December 1955 that Rosa Parks made a big step for civil rights bydoing a very small but courageous thing. She was arrested for not giving up herseat to a white man on a bus, which broke one of the many Jim Crow laws. Withthat one action black activist hired Martin Luther King Jr. to boycott the buslaws. This boycott of the Jim Crow transportation laws was a complete success,launching Martin Luther King Jr. into national stardom with the accomplishment.
King often acted on and admired the ways of M. Gandhi. Soon blacks all overbegan to non-violently protest many segregated places. In turn many places weredesegregated.
President John F. Kennedy was a strong force also in the fight forblack civil rights and his assassination in 1963 did cause setbacks. The blacksin the North felt that they had to do more than the blacks in the South to makea difference but they didn’t have a voice. That was until Malcolm X joined thevoice of Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm X did make a difference but he was notliked by many whites and even was strongly disliked by black Muslims. Soon laterblack Muslims shot and killed Malcolm X, not much later Martin Luther King Jr.
was also assassinated, and another great voice was silenced. Jesse Jackson arose the killing in 1965. He started many organizations tohelp support blacks and civil rights. Also to show that the equality betweenblacks and whites was getting stronger Jackson ran for President of the UnitedStates in both 1984 and 1988, not only becoming a threat in the civil rightsmovement but as a political icon also.
His message was and still is well likedby both blacks and whites, as he sends the message of true equality and not justpower to blacks. Poverty, education, and racism are still part of today’ssociety and in political battle with each other, but the efforts of all theblacks are paying off for everyone. The world does seem to be getting better.Category: Social Issues
