Civil+Rights+in+1950s

Civil Rights in the 1950s was a time of great hostile and prejudiced feelings against African Americans. There were groups such as the Ku Klux Klan that were organized in order to further the gap between white and blacks. African Americans were subject to many acts of hatred. For example, burning crosses being placed in their yards, bricks flying through the windows of their houses and much more. Also, there was a great deal of segregation. Blacks and whites had to attend different schools, use different water fountains, bathrooms, and just about anything you can imagine. They were not treated as equals in the work place as well. Either blacks could not get the same jobs or they would be paid considerably less for the same amount as work as whites.

However, there were many organized groups and many activists with a goal of ending discrimination in the United States in mind. Rosa Parks, an African American activist, refused to give up her seat to a white person on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama and was therefore was arrested. This outrageous injustice lead to a movement called the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Because African Americans were the majority of who was riding these Montgomery buses, they came together and decided to boycott the entire busing system. This took a huge toll on the economy of this city and after a little over a year the United States Supreme Court ruled segregation on buses unconstitutional. ([])

One very well known group called SCLC or Southern Christian Leadership Conference was very helpful and played a big part in the African Americans livelihood. They had amazing leadership from Dr. Martin Luther king Jr, who was the most well known activist of his time. In the early years of there existence they had a hard time getting grounded because of repression of police and groups like the Ku Klux Klan. However, eventually they got to be known by many and followed a strict motto of "Not one hair of one head of one person should be harmed." This displayed their main idea of nonviolence. They wanted to seggreation, but they wanted it without bloodshed.([|http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/556708/Southern-Christian-Leadership-Conference)] Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played an enormous role in how life as we know it today is. He was a Civil Rights activist throughout the mid 1900's who changed the way that people think. Dr. King was major leader in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and also the president of the SCLC. He was a firm believer in non-violence and that this would lead to tons of media covered and eventually end southern inequality. Although, in 1958 he was stabbed by an insane black woman while signing copies of his book, //Stride Toward Freedom.// Dr. King nearly escaped death and this only furthered his passion for non-violence.

Little Rock Nine was nice blacks students attempting to integrate into an all white school. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the black students and allowed them to go there. However, everyday there were mobs waiting for them and harassing them. President Eisenhower called the army and national guard to come and settle down these mobs. They ended up needing to stay for two months. At one point the public school actually closed down because of this segregation, but once again Eisenhower made them reopen. In the end, eight out of the nine kids graduated. Although, this trend of integration did not catch on it still broke the surface of whites and blacks going to school together.

Unknown Fact-One of the nine black students that did not graduate from the high school because of a racial slur against a young white girl. This black student was expelled, but the white student did not receive any sort of punishment.

__**Bibliography**__ Brody, David, and James A. Henretta. //America: A Concise History, Volume 2: Since 1865//. Fourth Edition ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. Print. "Little Rock Nine." //Civil Rights in the United States//. 2 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2000. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. "**Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)**." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 21 May. 2010