The sixties was an era for change. It let the American people stretch out from their stiff, starched dresses or suits and take off their masks of dutiful politeness. They could slip off the frozen, stiff smiles they wore all day to stretch and distort their faces; eyebrows furrowed, muscles relaxed, and eyes crinkled with emotions that had long since seen the light of day. But, it was not only a social change. This era brought back the passionate, bright fervor in the eyes of many African Americans as they saw hope rise from the ashes. This hope would be recalled as the civil rights movement that brought about great change as African Americans could finally persevere for the change they hoped for as many significant leaders emerged to lead
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Many incidents occurred that aroused a sleeping giant, yet was not enough to wake it from its deep slumber. That would soon change with one woman as her actions would cause a butterfly effect to turn a minor instance into a widespread movement and wake the sleeping giant. Rosa Parks would be remembered as an icon of the civil rights movement with her arrest in 1955 on a late Thursday evening in December (Kasher 31). Leading to her arrest, Rosa Parks had outright declined to give up her seat to a white man (“American”) preceding to her being jailed afterwards (Kasher 30). E.D. Nixon who was phoned by Parks’ mother, helped pay bond and have Rosa Parks released from jail (Kasher 31). However, Nixon realized that her case could be used to challenge the law (Kasher 31). Rosa Parks was well renowned throughout the black community for being a devout churchgoer and a supporter of the civil rights, venerated by those around her (Kasher 31). She had been part of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) for about a decade and had helped found the NAACP Youth Council (Kasher 30). Thus began the organization of the movement as fliers were handed out all having the same written message, …show more content…
It was regarded as one of the most effective non-violent form of protest (Kronewetter). It began in 1960 when the four students declined to move from the segregated lunch counter (Kronewetter). This took place in Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina (Kronewetter). The news of their bold action soon spread and soon student heads began to arrange for the next sit-in protest at the same lunch counter with more students (Kasher 66). Within weeks, the lunch counter sit-ins had spread into seven other states and within a few months more than 50,000 protesters had participated in the sit-ins (Kasher 67). This became one of the most popular ways to protests as no organization sponsored the demonstration and instead of being met with aggression, it was met with bewilderment (Kasher 67). But, soon the disbelief faded and the protesters did have to face violence as many physically were attacked and verbally abused (Kasher 69). Soon many protesters began to be arrested, however instead of opting for bail, many decided to stay in jail in hopes to fill the jails. The point of this “jail-no bail” concept was the idea that the jails only had so many cells, thus decreasing the number of arrests. Martin Luther King Jr. and the organization he was actively participating in SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) took interest in the group of students and the impact they were making, inviting students
Many incidents occurred that aroused a sleeping giant, yet was not enough to wake it from its deep slumber. That would soon change with one woman as her actions would cause a butterfly effect to turn a minor instance into a widespread movement and wake the sleeping giant. Rosa Parks would be remembered as an icon of the civil rights movement with her arrest in 1955 on a late Thursday evening in December (Kasher 31). Leading to her arrest, Rosa Parks had outright declined to give up her seat to a white man (“American”) preceding to her being jailed afterwards (Kasher 30). E.D. Nixon who was phoned by Parks’ mother, helped pay bond and have Rosa Parks released from jail (Kasher 31). However, Nixon realized that her case could be used to challenge the law (Kasher 31). Rosa Parks was well renowned throughout the black community for being a devout churchgoer and a supporter of the civil rights, venerated by those around her (Kasher 31). She had been part of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) for about a decade and had helped found the NAACP Youth Council (Kasher 30). Thus began the organization of the movement as fliers were handed out all having the same written message, …show more content…
It was regarded as one of the most effective non-violent form of protest (Kronewetter). It began in 1960 when the four students declined to move from the segregated lunch counter (Kronewetter). This took place in Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina (Kronewetter). The news of their bold action soon spread and soon student heads began to arrange for the next sit-in protest at the same lunch counter with more students (Kasher 66). Within weeks, the lunch counter sit-ins had spread into seven other states and within a few months more than 50,000 protesters had participated in the sit-ins (Kasher 67). This became one of the most popular ways to protests as no organization sponsored the demonstration and instead of being met with aggression, it was met with bewilderment (Kasher 67). But, soon the disbelief faded and the protesters did have to face violence as many physically were attacked and verbally abused (Kasher 69). Soon many protesters began to be arrested, however instead of opting for bail, many decided to stay in jail in hopes to fill the jails. The point of this “jail-no bail” concept was the idea that the jails only had so many cells, thus decreasing the number of arrests. Martin Luther King Jr. and the organization he was actively participating in SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) took interest in the group of students and the impact they were making, inviting students