Dbq Reconstruction Era

Unit Assessment The socioeconomic and political momentum African Americans achieved during the reconstruction era hit a solid wall of constitutionalized Jim Crow laws, laws legalized by the Plessey v Ferguson Supreme Court Case, which segregated black and white Americans. African Americans remained on the receiving end of racial discrimination and terrorism for almost a century. Although it had made no progress for almost a century, the push for African American rights gained a lot of momentum during the 1950's due to excellent leadership, the cold war, and Presidential Support Martin Luther King, The man who spearheaded the Civil Rights Movement, was born on January 15, 1929. During his college years, King was heavily influenced by …show more content…
The Cold war consisted of both countries trying to prove their society was superior to the others. Although capitalism was an effective society, The United States had a major societal flaw. The Segregation that occurred in America went against everything its constitution and political philosophy stood for. America was all about equal opportunity. Capitalism's biggest Pro, was that regardless of who you were, if you worked hard, you could make it in America. Since America was now on a Pedestal being judged by the world, the allowed existence of segregation was somewhat hypocritical. This pressured American politicians to get rid of segregation in the …show more content…
Once the 1950's and 1960's came around, the Civil Rights Movement gained Executive support. The Little Rock Nine were A group of African American teenagers, who voluntarily enrolled in an all white school in Little Rock Arkansas. The Brown vs Board of Education Supreme Court Case which occurred three years earlier, made it illegal for Schools to remain segregated, and by extension, ruled "Separate but Equal," unconstitutional. Thus the Central High-School of Little Rock was Constitutionally required to let the nine students attend school. The Governor of Arkansas however, sent the national Guard to, prevent the Little Rock Nine from entering. After Hearing of this incident, The President of the United States at the time, Dwight D. Eisenhower, sent the 101'st Airborne to integrate Central High-School.(2) Although this story was inspirational to many adults, its most important impact was its effect on the children of the era. The Nine became idols, for African American children to look up to. They instilled a sense of civil entitlement and the will to attain it. The fight of their parents became relevant in their