I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Civil Rights Movement Case Study

The Civil Rights Movement was not a sudden event. Still, the peak of endeavors to improve the quality of life of African Americans had been occurring since the American Revolution in the eighteenth century. In 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln, which prohibited slavery and later on set up a legal foundation for the political equality of African Americans (Morris 1986). However, racial discrimination, otherwise known as Jim Crow, emerged in the South, which meant that African Americans would keep on living in discrimination and oppression, with white supremacists denying them their freedom and legal rights. Because of these unfulfilled promises of liberation, the Civil Rights Movement was, for the most part, prompted by African American veterans of the Second World War who were in the wake of fighting for democracy in other countries. Subsequently, these soldiers returned home to the U.S., determined to achieve the privileges and rights of a full citizen (Morris 1986).

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One of the significant changes that the Civil Rights Movement achieved was initiating lawsuits that sabotaged the lawful foundation of the Jim Crow laws in the South. Up to 1954, racial segregation in education was legal and mandated in seventeen states. Following these lawsuits, the Supreme Court decided that public facility segregation was illegal, making a significant triumph for civil rights despite the South continuing to resist these reforms (Klarman 2006).

The second critical change that the Civil Rights Movement achieved was the execution of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, followed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is known to be one of the most exhaustive civil rights enactments to be ever instituted by Congress. The Act contained broad measures to destroy and combat the Jim Crow laws of segregation and racial discrimination (Andrews et al., 2015).  The Voting Rights Act eliminated obstructions to black liberation in the South, such as literary tests, poll taxes, and other measures that prevented African Americans from practicing their right to cast a ballot (Christopher 1965). Other eminent victories of the Civil Rights Movement include the passage of federal legislation that banned racial segregation and the widespread awareness of the African American cultural heritage and its exceptional contributions to the historical backdrop of America.

Impacts on other minority groups

The progressions brought about by the Civil Rights Movement also affected other minority groups. The anti-discrimination legislation applied to other minority groups; the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 listed several characteristics that should not be discriminated against, including age, race, national origin, sex, and religion (Fendrich 1993). This Act opened doors to different campaigns against various discriminations like gender discrimination. Jews and Catholics who were not allowed to vote in some states also benefited from the Voting Rights Act. Additionally, Hispanic Americans benefited directly from the 1975 Voting Rights Act amendments that demanded that election material be made accessible in minority dialects, for example, Spanish. Lastly, immigrants like Jews and Irish, among others who had confronted a significant stretch of actual discrimination for the most part in employment, housing, and educational opportunities, also benefited from the 1964 Civil Rights Acts.

Applications of tactics and strategies today

The Civil Rights Movement involved a wide range of methodologies and tactics; they mainly included legal action and non-violent civil disobedience. I think that such tactics would be effective in dealing with today’s racial and ethnic contentions. Racial and ethnic struggles can get very aggressive and emotional; hence, conflicting sides should try not to crash, as things can quickly get out of hand and be dangerous. Like Martin Luther King, Jr.’s approach to a peaceful course, the principle angle would be not to utilize a particular interaction technique with the clashing sides.

Relevance of ideas of the 1960s today

Despite America’s tremendous advancement due to the Civil Rights Movement, the ideas that prompted the movement still have importance today. In 2016, the U.S. released data that highlighted opportunity gaps in government-funded schools all over the country. The data showed that minority students, especially black children, are almost four times more likely to receive suspension compared to white children (Wormeli 2016). These disproportionate suspension rates also apply to students with disabilities. These cruel disciplinary actions towards minority students then, at that point, bring about high rates of students dropping out of school and into the criminal justice system, also known as the school-to-jail pipeline. Using the ideas of the 1960s, communities and schools ought to assess and eliminate policies and practices that discriminate, then guarantee educational equity for all and maximize educational opportunities in all schools nationwide.

Moreover, as segregation persists in our communities, diversity is struggling. The public authority ought to put forth a considerable effort to advance racial and socioeconomic diversity in our communities. The changes should be executed by utilization of the ideas that achieved the Civil Rights Movement. Subsequently, the statements of the 1960s are as yet pertinent today because society requires successful methods to oppose and wipe out inequalities and injustices in our communities.

Impacts of the Civil Rights Movement on diversity today

The Civil Rights Movement would contribute by advancing diversity and justice dependent on upright principles in our contemporary society. Seeing how communities are still segregated, and prejudice still exists in our systems, such as schools, hospitals, and the criminal justice system, inequalities will continue to affect minority groups in America. The primary objective of the Civil Rights Movement was diversity, which included individuals living in the same conditions and afforded the same opportunities. The Civil Rights Movement could help with inequality problems since it sought equality in education, real estate, healthcare, and economic markets.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the civil rights movement was one of the most empowering yet dubious times for not only African Americans but minority groups as well. The endeavors of activists and protestors from all walks of life brought about legislation that outlawed racial segregation, minority voter suppression, and discriminatory practices in society. After the reforms that followed the civil rights movement, significant changes were observed in institutions; for example, the number of minority students graduating high school in 1997 increased, dropout rates of African American students decreased by 20% in 1996, etc. However, these progressions did not affect total change despite all the efforts, and the discrimination and oppression of minority groups persist in contemporary society. It is upon us to educate ourselves on our history, learn from it, and take the necessary steps towards the ideal communities.

References

Ch. 1 Introduction – U.S. History | OpenStax. Openstax.org. https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/1-introduction

Morris, A. D. (1986). The origins of the civil rights movement. Simon and Schuster.

Andrews, K. T., & Gaby, S. (2015, June). Local protest and federal policy: The impact of civil rights movement on the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In Sociological Forum (Vol. 30, pp. 509-527).

Christopher, W, M. (1965). The Constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Stan. L. Rev., 18, 1.

Klarman, M. J. (2006). From Jim Crow to civil rights: The Supreme Court and the struggle for racial equality. Oxford University Press.

Wormeli, R. (2016). “Let’s Talk about Racism in Schools.” Educational Leadership, 74(3), 16-22.

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Using the Internet, locate and read Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington D.C., August 1963. Copy and paste the following keywords into your Google search bar: “I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr.” Feel free also to locate and incorporate additional scholarly sources to respond to this case study, including information on the Civil Rights Movement.

Construct the case study by responding to the following prompts:

Explain if the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s effectively changed the nation.
What effect would the Civil Rights Acts have across the continent on minority groups?
Do you think that the tactics and strategies that civil rights activists used in the 1960s would apply to today’s racial and ethnic conflicts? Why or why not?
Do the ideas of the 1960s still have relevance today? If so, how? If not, why not?
Analyze how the Civil Rights Movement would impact diversity in America today.
Option 3: American Domestic and Foreign Policies (1953-1991)
Complete a search either in the Chamberlain Library or the internet for domestic and foreign policies of four (4) of the following Presidents. Please incorporate at least one primary source of either a policy or act that you have chosen to write about.