The Civil Rights Movement Of African Americans From 1954-1968

The struggle and fight for egalitarianism for African Americans has been an ongoing issue for decades, regressing as far as the 16th century. There have been many protests, rebellions, and boycotts in regards to the social injustice African Americans have beset throughout history, however the most significant and notable movement took place from 1954-1968. The civil rights movement was a nonviolent battle fought long and hard by protestors in demand for the abolishment of racial segregation, injustice, and discrimination within the United States of America. This movement sparked a dramatic change in America, allowing for countless major acts and laws to be passed such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. African

Despite slavery being abolished in 1865, the abhorrent roots of discrimination still followed African Americans throughout the nation into facing prejudice and intolerance. Following the abolition of slavery enacted by the 13th Amendment, many African
Americans felt that they were completely free from social issues and exploitation, which was completely false as black codes were shortly established thereafter. According to historian Nadra
Kareem Nittle, “The black codes effectively continued enslavement for African Americans by restricting their rights and exploiting their labor,” (Nittle 1). African Americans continued to suffer under the diction of white officials where “white planters in these states denied Black people the chance to rent or buy land and paid them a pittance,” (Nittle 5), and “the codes required Black people to sign annual labor contracts that ensured they received the lowest pay possible for their work,” (Nittle 7). These grievances were only some of the many offenses that contributed to the cause of the Civil Rights Movement as African Americans craved for a sense of complete equality and basic human rights. The fight for racial justice during the Civil Rights Movement was incredibly callous

Unfortunately, the most popular form of discrimination these days in racial bias in the justice system and police brutality. Based on the United States Bureau of Justice, “Despite a seemingly smaller “footprint” of police interactions in the community that year [2020] — fewer people came into contact with police overall — those interactions were still too often racially discriminatory and too often involved improper or harmful conduct.” Indicated in the study as well, “Black people were also nearly 12 times more likely than white people to report that their most recent police contact involved misconduct, such as using racial slurs or otherwise exhibiting bias.” This study shows that although the Civil Rights Movement positively impacted society, that impact was still not enough to get rid of the prejudice ingrained within the system. The Civil Rights Movement was able to bury the bigotry and intolerance of the United States government, but never fully unroot