The 1960’s brought forth an era of profound social and cultural change which forever changed the political, cultural, and social landscape of America. Many challenged the traditional values of the past and actively opposed the decisions of the government. By this time, minority groups including African American and women, who had previously been treated as subordinate, began to forcefully assert themselves. Women demanded equal rights and African American fought for racial equality. The Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s movement both transformed American society in the 1960s, as minority groups challenged the dominant culture in order to achieve equality. While the Civil Rights Movement sought to end racial segregation and achieved the
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Groups like Southern Christian Leadership Conference, made up of African-American clergy, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, composed of younger activists, sought to reform through peaceful confrontation. Attempting to gain media attention, sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina, where blacks were refused service at a departmental store lunch counter, led to the eventual desegregation of selected stores. “Freedom Riders”, another informal organization formed to combat racial marginalization, banded African Americans together to board buses heading south toward segregated terminals to see if the Supreme Court’s decision to end segregation on public transportation was actually enforced. The influence of the Civil Rights Movement also extended to colleges and universities. When African American student James Meredith was denied admission to the University of Mississippi in 1962, President Kennedy sent federal troops to uphold the law. Kennedy also sent Deputy Attorney General to confront Governor George Wallace when he prevented the integration at the University of Alabama in 1963. Both these incidences led to the desegregation of state universities. It was Martin Luther King who convinced President Kennedy to abandon his cautious tactics in civil rights matter. Starting a large protest in Birmingham, Alabama to integrate
Groups like Southern Christian Leadership Conference, made up of African-American clergy, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, composed of younger activists, sought to reform through peaceful confrontation. Attempting to gain media attention, sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina, where blacks were refused service at a departmental store lunch counter, led to the eventual desegregation of selected stores. “Freedom Riders”, another informal organization formed to combat racial marginalization, banded African Americans together to board buses heading south toward segregated terminals to see if the Supreme Court’s decision to end segregation on public transportation was actually enforced. The influence of the Civil Rights Movement also extended to colleges and universities. When African American student James Meredith was denied admission to the University of Mississippi in 1962, President Kennedy sent federal troops to uphold the law. Kennedy also sent Deputy Attorney General to confront Governor George Wallace when he prevented the integration at the University of Alabama in 1963. Both these incidences led to the desegregation of state universities. It was Martin Luther King who convinced President Kennedy to abandon his cautious tactics in civil rights matter. Starting a large protest in Birmingham, Alabama to integrate