The+Civil+Rights+Movement

KBM Based on NBC Archives Video: Civil Rights March in Selma

While many African-Americans debated whether or not nonviolent resistance, as preached by MLK, was effective, the civil rights marches, bus boyotts, and sit-ins they arranged displayed are now currently seen as extremely effective to bringing civil rights to the nation's attention. When it was determined that the fight for civil right was actually a fight for human rights, many whites began joining the fight for the cause. Marches held in the South showed police brutality against innocent marches, also gaining more support for the African-Americans. Many of the blacks believed that marching and nonviolent reactions, such as the event that occurred on Bloody Sunday, were not gaining enough political attention to make any change, but little did they know, they were already far into gaining social support of the population and a larger group for change through the portrayal of the opposing police officers. President Lyndon Johnson was very active in the move for civil rights, passing the Civil Rights Amendment. Although this was the first legislature passed, there was little in-state enforcement, causing many blacks to grow increasingly displeased with the nation as they anticipated equal treatment. After the death of MLK and the introduction of Black Islam, violence was encouraged in order to seek further government acknowledgement. The Black Panthers and Black Power Movement became prominent in Oakland, California. Blacks began rioting, but this only backfired against themselves as they destroyed their own community. Needless to say, Martin Luther King Jr.'s approach to the problem by targeting violence of whites was much more productive in gaining the nation's support. When the black's began retaliating, it was to their own loss. This never-ending dilemma of racism could only be solved by time, but the Black Power Movement was impatient ant their actions went against all previous ideals and ended up only hurting themselves.


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