The first importation of black slaves in 1619 inaugurated a period of white superiority in America that persisted for decades. Even in the earliest years of settlement in the New World, white Europeans enslaved and oppressed black Africans. A belief in equality for all races alike, in contrast to the previous white supremacist viewpoint, wouldn’t be introduced until the abolitionist efforts of the Civil War. It was not until thereafter that Africans would begin their road to acceptance in American society as a free people. Facing constant racial discrimination and prejudice, their transition from slavery to freedom was a long, grueling task. However, today, almost a century later, various African Americans uphold high social, political, and
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He did many things to bring greater equality to America and to ensure civil rights for all people regardless of race. Some major things that Martin Luther King Jr. was responsible for contributing to the civil rights movement were bringing publicity to major civil rights activities and efforts, emphasizing and encouraging the importance of non-violent protest and resistance, and providing leadership to the African American civil rights movement. Although he was assassinated in 1968, his brief life was filled with many great accomplishments. One of his contributions to the civil rights movement was the Memphis Sanitation Worker Strike. In 1968, 1,300 black sanitation workers in Memphis were protesting their awful working conditions, discrimination, and low wages. They started a strike on February 12th, 1968 while Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in support of the sanitation workers. The strike lasted for 64 days and grew into one of the major civil rights events. The AFSCME and the sanitation workers demanded an end to discrimination in the work place, higher pay, and union recognition. With Martin Luther King’s help, the strike finally ended on April 12th, 1968 and the city of Memphis agreed to the workers’ demands. Another one of King’s achievements includes the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In 1955, King led a boycott against city buses that refused to let blacks sit in the front seats of the bus. The protest gained followers rapidly and it led to a citywide boycott of the system until the rules were changed. After King and his followers were sent to jail, the boycott did succeed and the unfair, racist law allowing the segregation to continue was terminated. Lastly, in 1963, King made one of the most famous social activist speeches of the civil rights movement. King and other leaders organized a huge march for equal rights in Washington, D.C. where with a crowd of
He did many things to bring greater equality to America and to ensure civil rights for all people regardless of race. Some major things that Martin Luther King Jr. was responsible for contributing to the civil rights movement were bringing publicity to major civil rights activities and efforts, emphasizing and encouraging the importance of non-violent protest and resistance, and providing leadership to the African American civil rights movement. Although he was assassinated in 1968, his brief life was filled with many great accomplishments. One of his contributions to the civil rights movement was the Memphis Sanitation Worker Strike. In 1968, 1,300 black sanitation workers in Memphis were protesting their awful working conditions, discrimination, and low wages. They started a strike on February 12th, 1968 while Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in support of the sanitation workers. The strike lasted for 64 days and grew into one of the major civil rights events. The AFSCME and the sanitation workers demanded an end to discrimination in the work place, higher pay, and union recognition. With Martin Luther King’s help, the strike finally ended on April 12th, 1968 and the city of Memphis agreed to the workers’ demands. Another one of King’s achievements includes the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In 1955, King led a boycott against city buses that refused to let blacks sit in the front seats of the bus. The protest gained followers rapidly and it led to a citywide boycott of the system until the rules were changed. After King and his followers were sent to jail, the boycott did succeed and the unfair, racist law allowing the segregation to continue was terminated. Lastly, in 1963, King made one of the most famous social activist speeches of the civil rights movement. King and other leaders organized a huge march for equal rights in Washington, D.C. where with a crowd of