Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on the civil rights movement. The murder of the young fourteen-year-old Emmett Till and the earlier issues on segregation in schools had an adverse imp

Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on the civil rights movement. The murder of the young fourteen-year-old Emmett Till and the earlier issues on segregation in schools had an adverse impact on the Blacks who gradually began to gain their resolve to finally face up to Jim Crow. They demanded that the Supreme Court look into the “separate but equal” doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson1.

The Civil Rights Movement began to gain momentum as time passed, but its peak activity took place between the years 1955 – 1965 when the Congress declared the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that guaranteed the basic civil rights to one and all, irrespective of race, class or caste. It was only after about a decade of struggle through non- violent marches and protests did a change takes place.

The NAACP2 played a very decisive role in the Civil Rights Movement. Many organizational groups such as the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the NAACP and the National Urban League tried very hard to put an end to segregation of the Black Americans and the discrimination shown to them, but all the efforts undertaken were slow and laborious.

Many of the files documented by the NAACP had the phrase “Soldier Troubles” marked on them to have proof of the efforts taken to prevent maltreatment of African Americans serving in the military. The NAACP also worked towards obtaining voting rights and tried hard to dismantle discrimination and segregation by moving the court. They also strived hard to gain laws that were beneficial to the suffering of African Americans.

The “Jim Crow” laws that were mandated discriminated Blacks to have separate facilities for worship, housing, travel, schooling, lodging, eating and drinking and all other aspects of economic and social life.

They also had separate entrances for entering a movie theatre which was marked “Colored”. This sort of discrimination and segregation kindled the fire of resentment in the hearts of the Black Americans.