Civil Rights Movements During The 60S And 70S Essay

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During the 1960’s and early 70’s the African American and the Women’s civil rights movements underwent great progress in their struggle for political and social equality. These movements towards equality that African Americans and women made include the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the 24 Amendment, Supreme Court decisions, and social uprisings within these groups. Due to the work of Civil Rights movement leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Stokey Carmichael the African American community was able to make great strides towards equality during this period. First, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it possible for the desegregation of the nation. This act made it illegal for most public facilities to discriminate racially, including in restaurants and also helped the government to desegregate their schools. This movement was first started with Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus boycott, and was later helped out by sit ins and the Freedom Riders across the country. Second, the inclusion of the 24th Amendment in 1964 allowed blacks to not be kept out of the polls. This amendment states that poll taxes are illegal. Although legally African Americans could vote poll taxes prevented them from being to do so. These taxes had historically been used to prevent poor blacks from voting, since most African Americans could not afford these high prices. Now armed with the franchise African Americans could now be represented in all forms of the government. Finally, the many social uprisings of the African American community had a hand in the Civil Rights movement. Stokey Carmichael was the quintessential leader of the Black Power movement. This movement believed that, opposed to Martin Luther King, blacks should take a more violent stance against the white majority. In reality this group sought to become equal politically and economically. However, some members

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