American Hypocrisy In The 50's

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The 50s were a period of unprecedented social and political conformity, marked by fear of the Soviet Union due to the Cold War. Americans avoided dissent due t fear of being labeled a “communist”, a label which could end careers and tear apart families. It is thus surprising, at first glance, that an era of mass protests rose from a period of such conformity. America in the 1950s was in a sustained economic boom, and the American Dream seemed accessible to everyone. In truth, this fact largely contributed to civil rights momentum. However, the seeds for change in America were planted a decade prior, after World War Two, when thousands upon thousands of African American soldiers returned …show more content…

Furthermore, the Holocaust perpetrated by Hitler and his Nazis made racism and bigotry less popular in America. The sheer brutality of the Nazis showed people where racism could lead, and it forced people to reconsider their beliefs. Ultimately, through the Civil Rights movement occurred when it did due a gap between what America was supposed to be and where it actually was. America was forced to finally uphold her ideals. Simply, during the fervor of the Cold War, the United States was not truly living up to her vaunted ideals of liberty and justice for all. The Cold War, while squashing dissidents in the country, also highlighted American hypocrisy. How could the United States claim to be the world’s harbinger of democracy and freedom when millions of its people were still held in bondage by Jim Crow segregation? Capitalist success in the era provoked those who were dissatisfied with the status quo. Americans excluded from the “American Dream” included women, blacks, and homosexuals. Even as the economy soared, they saw few advancements in civil rights. Minorities took to the streets to demand full equality. In the past, similar movements had failed, but now, they succeeded. Why, in a period of such conformity, …show more content…

Under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, the civil rights movement mirrored Gandhi’s principles of nonviolent resistance. By disobeying unjust laws, while at the same time always accepting the punishment given, blacks proved themselves worthy of full rights in the eyes of the public. By highlighting their own suffering, they won the hearts if their oppressors. White America was both economically secure and morally insecure during the 50s, and the South's reaction to peaceful protesting only exacerbated the problem. The protestors were practicing Christians who preached Christian values when campaigning for their cause. Civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. spoke the language of the South, and their focus on Christian ethics of nonviolent resistance resonated with

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