Civil Rights Movement essay

The emergence of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s had a considerable impact on the American society because it stimulated the rise of “liberation movements” and changed the traditional philosophy of the US society.

As the matter of fact, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s became the turning point in the history of the US because it was the organized movement of millions of people for equal rights and liberties. In fact, it is due to the Civil Rights Movement people representing different minority groups learned that they could protect their rights and liberties and struggle for a better, equal position in the society. In such a context, it is quite natural that the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s stimulated the rise of the feminist movement, and other liberation movements which aimed against discrimination and oppression of minority groups throughout the 1960s and 1970s as well as later because the impact of the Civil Rights movement on the US society is still very strong.

In this respect, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that the Civil Rights movement emerged as a struggle of African Americans against racial discrimination and oppression from the part of the white majority. African Americans, being headed by such leaders as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and others, wanted to gain equal rights and liberties compared to the white majority, eliminate segregation and start a new life transforming the US nation into one entity where there is no room for racial inequality and discrimination. In the 1950s, the idea of racial equality was practically revolutionary because the racial discrimination persisted for decades and African Americans were treated as second class citizens. Nevertheless, the organized struggle of African Americans in terms of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s brought positive outcomes and forced the authorities as well as ordinary citizens to accept the concept of equality of rights and liberties of all Americans regardless of their racial background.

The success of the Civil Rights Movement encouraged racial and ethnic minorities to struggle for their rights and follow the lead of African Americans in terms of struggle for equal rights and liberties. In this respect, it is worth mentioning the rise of the struggle of Asian Americans for equal rights and liberties which started in the 1950s and carried on through the 1960s ”“ 1970s. Other ethnic minority groups used the experience of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s to gain equal rights and liberties.

In addition, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s stimulated the emergence of the feminist movement which grew particularly strong in the 1960s and 1970s. The feminist movement aimed against the gender oppression and the domination of males in the society. In fact, the feminist movement attempted to change existing gender-related biases and stereotypes and open the way for new opportunities for women. Feminists used the Civil Rights Movement’s experience to start the organized struggle for equal rights and liberties.

Furthermore, the sexual revolution of the 1960s may be also viewed as the effect of the Civil Rights Movement because it was the liberation of the younger generation and refusal from rigid, conservative norms and standards which limited the liberty of an individual in his or her sexual life.

Thus, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s gave rise to the large scale struggle for equal rights and liberties in the 1960s ”“ 1970s.



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