America And The Civil Rights Movement

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Abstract

The civil rights movement was a turning point in the history of America, when African Americans finally achieved the equality promised to all men in the Declaration of Independence. The success of the movement fundamentally altered the fabric of the nation, and the effects of it are still being felt today. Nevertheless, the fight for equality is still underway. While there were many advances on a legal front, not all discrimination is de jure. Advances have been made in education, and minorities are playing an increasingly important role in politics in America, as demonstrated in recent elections. Yet, minorities, as well as women (especially minority women), are at a vast economic disadvantage compared to men. And internationally, minorities often do not have the same rights as everyone else. Nevertheless, progress is being made, albeit slowly

 

Liberty and Justice for All

America has always been a land built upon the ideals of freedom. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; these ideals are woven into the creed of this country. This has been demonstrated early in the formation of the country, as this line from the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," Despite their professed ideals regarding the fundamental equality of men, however, the Founding Fathers were being more than a little hypocritical by owning slaves. For all their talk, a stark dichotomy existed between whites, and members of most other cultures (who were collectively deemed inferior).

Flash forward nearly 200 years later, and one finds that a great many things changed. Slavery no longer existed, African Americans were granted citizenship and accordingly, the right to vote. Yet, laws were being passed in the deep South to restrict the rights African Americans were legally entitled to as citizens. Known as Jim Crow laws, they sought to limit interactions between the two races, African Americans and whites, by imposing arbitrary physical separations. Segregation led to things like separate sitting areas on buses, ‘colored only’ water fountains, train cars, and the like. There were segregated schools, segregated hotels, and segregated restaurants. In a nation referred to as a melting pot, the era that spawned the civil right movements was very much divided.

The civil rights movement changed that. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a momentous breakthrough in the fight for true racial equality. The law outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities, and women. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements on grounds like literacy tests or the grandfather clause and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the general public. Thus, all forms of institutional segregation were (technically) abolished. However, the elimination of segregation on a legal basis did not end segregation in practice overnight. Officially, the case Brown v. Topeka Board of Education had already ended the legal segregation of public schools 10 years prior, but this met enormous resistance in the South and continued for quite some time, eventually ending (rather dramatically) with the forced integration of the Little Rock Nine (Roberts, 2012).

While this appears terrific on paper, it initially fizzled in practice. The economic reality in the aftermath of these laws was not nearly as positive as might be believed. According to the Kerner Report (1968), even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, there was much disparity between the respective social and economic conditions of blacks and whites. On average, African Americans had less total education and far fewer had attended high school. As a result of this lack of education, as well as the latent discrimination that remained, African Americans were two times as likely to be unemployed and three times as likely to be in blue-collar and service jobs. The average black employee made almost 30% less money than his white counterpart and as a result was two times as likely to be impoverished (Kerner Report, 1968). Because blacks usually paid for inner city housing that was closer to their workplaces, they paid relatively more for housing than did their white counterparts. This difference is even more polarized when compared to whites living in the suburbs.

Despite the slow economic advances, definite progress has since been made as a result of the movement. Under the Civil Rights Act (1964), women and minorities should have the same chance at a job or education as anyone else. This reinforced the concept of affirmative action, which was first meant to encourage the employment of minorities etc. and continues to give those from minority backgrounds a slight (some might say necessary) advantage when applying for some colleges (Bowen & Bok, 2000). In fact, Bok and Bowen's study convincingly illustrates that affirmative action policies have had dramatic benefits for minority students, admitted under them (2000). In fact, their study goes on to show that:

The minority students with advanced degrees are the backbone of the emergent African American and Hispanic middle class…Their influence extends well beyond the workplace, important as it is there. Successful African American and Hispanic professionals serve as role models to nephews and nieces and are available to advise a neighbor or a family friend on medical, legal, or financial matters…they can serve as strong threads in a fabric that binds their own communities into the larger social fabric as well.

This alone, is one of the greatest benefits to society as a whole, the beginning of a true economic melting pot so to speak.

The advances in education and employment are reflected by the increased political involvement of minorities. This can be divided into two general categories: the amount of minority members of Congress and in other political or official positions, as well as the political involvement of minority populations at the local, state, and national level. To be honest, the advances of the direct political involvement have been somewhat unsuccessful. Over the first half of the 20th century, a wave of African Americans migrated from the South to other regions of America. Referred to as the "Great Migration", this diaspora led to a high concentration of African Americans in urban housing in northern cities (Wilkerson, 2010). This wave of African American migration was primarily to escape the deeply racist South and the limited employment available to African Americans at the time. Though families made these moves to secure a better economic future, they had the effect of diluting the African American majorities that had previously existed in some Southern states, thereby reducing political influence (Amy, 2000).

Consequently, it was much harder for African American politicians to be elected to the House and Senate. Despite making up approximately 14.1% of the US population, only 44 of the 435 (10.1%) Congressmen are African American.

In other words, the difference between the proportion of the African American population and the equivalent proportion of the House is approximately 17 members. Additionally, there are currently no African Americans in the Senate. The statistics among other minorities are similar, for the same reason (Amy, 2000). Despite this, it is important to note that the sitting president is an African American. More importantly, President Barack Obama was elected despite losing the majority of white votes (Grier, 2012). In fact President Obama "won 93 percent of African-Americans, 71 percent of Hispanics, and 73 percent of Asians….55 percent of the overall female vote" (Grier, 2012). Mitt Romney, "meanwhile, won about 59 percent of the white vote" (Grier, 2012). In our increasingly diverse society, minorities are playing an increasingly important role in politics, though most of this influence is on a grassroots collective level rather than the national political level.

Despite the advances made on a political level for minorities and women, there are still many inequalities, both in America and in the world. According to the 2010 Census, the average African-American family income was $39,988 compared to $67,892 for white families (Profiles, 2011). Additionally, 27.1 percent of African Americans live in poverty, compared to 10.6 percent of whites. Additionally, in 2011, the average unemployment rate for blacks was nearly twice that for whites (15.8 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively) (Profiles, 2011). Additionally, women make less than men across the board. As President Obama highlighted in a recent speech, "women earn only 77 cents for every dollar men earn, with women of color at an even greater disadvantage with 64 cents on the dollar for African American women and 56 cents for Hispanic women" (Grier, 2012).

The situation is even worse internationally. Women specifically, do not have equal rights in any country of the world. There are numerous statistics detailing the obstacles women endure. For example, it is estimated that nearly 70% of the world's 1.3 billion poor people are women (ECOSOC, 1997). Minorities, as well, suffer human rights abuses internationally. As the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated, "Minorities in all regions of the world continue to face serious threats, discrimination and racism, and are frequently excluded from taking part fully in the economic, political, social and cultural life available to the [majority]…" (Pillay, 2009). The gap between rich and poor widens every year, a rather disturbing trend that continues every year. All around the world, and in this country, women are subject to oppression, and are deemed inferior to men. In no country in the world do women and men make the same pay for equal work (ECOSOC, 1997). Moreover, minorities in every country are subjected to some degree of inequality, whether it is cultural or socioeconomic. The status quo will not change itself, for it is a very human tendency to leave things as they are. If we as a species seek to level the global playing field, to guarantee equality for all, then it will take concerted efforts at all levels of life and society. Only then can we truly all become equal in opportunity, though not of position. Then, and only then can we have liberty and justice for all.