Asa Philip Randolph was a true icon of the mid-20th century civil rights movement, and through his many contributions in social activism he opened the doors to equality in both the areas of labor, social justice, and fair treatment for all people living in the United States of America. Today’s society owes a debt of sincere appreciation to A. Philip Randolph for all of his selfless work, and efforts which he demonstrated throughout his lifetime of commitment to social awareness for the oppressed, minorities, and the war on poverty in our nation. Randolph believed in the philosophy that African Americans needed to be economically free in order to become politically free in America. Randolph was a voice to the voiceless during a period in …show more content…
our nation where minorities were denied many opportunities to better themselves economically through obtaining equal employment in jobs such as the manufacturing industry, government, and other well-paying occupations due to discrimination practices commonly referred to as Jim Crow laws. Randolph rallied against the segregationist opposition protesting against these unfair practices during the Depression and WWII era. In 1925, Randolph established a labor union for the 10,000 African American Pullman Porters, many of whom were respected men and college graduates, yet while employed for the Pullman Company were treated unfairly, discriminated against, and subjected to poor wages (Black Past.org; African American History, Asa Philip Randolph).
The union which is named the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) became the voice of the Pullman Porters, and in 1935 received full recognition from the Pullman Company. Randolph chaired the Brotherhood of 2. Sleeping Car Porters for ten years which under his leadership witnessed increased wages, better working schedules, and overtime pay for all Pullman Porters. Randolph after winning a major battle for the Pullman Porters continued his fight for equality and fairness in the workplace industry for all African Americans to protect their civil rights as employees. As the president of the organization known as the National Negro Congress, Randolph continued with his stance for economic equality by taking his fight directly to then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt arguing that he should create federal policies designed to give blacks fairness in the workplace (Beltramini, Enrico; Journal of American Ethnic History. Summer2016, Vol. 35 Issue 4, p137-138. …show more content…
2p) Upon America’s entry into WWII, Randolph became an outspoken leader for African Americans lobbying fiercely against all segregation in the armed forces, and protesting the exclusionary practices of hiring blacks in both the defense industry and war factory employment.
With the full support of other civil rights organizations such as the Urban League and the NACCP, Randolph put strong pressure on President Roosevelt to pass federal legislation ending the segregated practices in the military and defense industry. As President Roosevelt failed to follow through on Randolph’s demands, he along with other black leaders of the day initiated to call for thousands of African Americans to March on Washington on the date of July 1, 1941, and demand that President Roosevelt take action. President Roosevelt feeling the pressure being placed upon him issued Executive Order 8802 which officially banned all discrimination in defense industries and also created the first. This victory eventually led President Truman to issue an Executive Order which desegregated all
3. Armed Forces upon the end of WWII. Randolph continued his fight for many Civil Rights issues throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, and he was instrumental with successfully organizing a second March on Washington in 1963 for freedom and jobs. Randolph’s initial purpose for the march was to address the economic issues of the day such as employment discrimination, minimum wage increase, unemployment, which were in his eyes just as important to the civil rights movement. Randolph’s idea for the march was met with constant criticism from other black leaders and intellectuals of the period all debated that better articulated approaches should be implemented to achieve their goals for civil rights (Burrell, Kristopher; Western Journal of Black Studies. Summer2012, Vol. 36 Issue 2, p137-148. 12p.). Randolph unfazed by the criticism made alliances with prominent leaders such as James Farmer of CORE, John Lewis of SNCC, Roy Wilkins of the NAACP, Whitney Young of the National Urban League, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of SCLC which became known as the big six alliance. The second March on Washington unlike the first movement was very successful and monumental due to it’s well-planned out agenda to address a multiple variety of issues which all fell in line with the main theme “ Civil Rights “. The success of the second march was so profound that it ushered in the most anticipated Civil Rights legislation since the Reconstruction Era regardless of the opposition’s stand. Asa Philip Randolph should be remembered as a person of both character and conviction. Randolph championed not only for the rights of African Americans but also the poor, and the downtrodden, fighting for their social justice empowering them to live in dignity realizing the true American promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. References
The book, “My Soul Is Rested” by Howell Raines is a remarkable history of the civil rights movement. It details the story of sacrifice and audacity that led to the changes needed. The book described many immeasurable moments of the leaders that drove the civil rights movement. This book is a wonderful compilation of first-hand accounts of the struggles to desegregate the American South from 1955 through 1968. In the civil rights movement, there are the leaders and followers who became astonishing in the face of chaos and violence. The people who struggled for the movement are as follows: Hosea Williams, Rosa Parks, Ralph Abernathy, and others; both black and white people, who contributed in demonstrations for freedom rides, voter drives, and
The history of The Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States is a fascinating account of a group of human beings, forcibly taken from their homeland, brought to a strange new continent, and forced to endure countless inhuman atrocities. Forced into a life of involuntary servitude to white slave owners, African Americans were to face an uphill battle for many years to come. Who would face that battle? To say the fight for black civil rights "was a grassroots movement of ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things" would be an understatement. Countless people made it their life's work to see the progression of civil rights in America. People like W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, A Phillip Randolph, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many others contributed to the fight although it would take ordinary people as well to lead the way in the fight for civil rights. This paper will focus on two people whose intelligence and bravery influenced future generations of civil rights organizers and crusaders. Ida B.Wells and Mary Mcleod Bethune were two African American women whose tenacity and influence would define the term "ordinary to extraordinary".
President Harry S. Truman's Executive Order, 1981. On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman orders the desegregation of the Armed Forces by Executive Order 9981. Prior to Harry Truman passing the Executive Order 9981 on February 2, 1948 he asked Congress to create a permanent FEPC, and in December 1946, he appointed a distinguished panel to serve as the President's Commission on Civil Rights, which would recommend "more adequate means and procedures for the protection of the civil rights of the people of the United States." The Commission noted the many restrictions on blacks, and urged that each person, regardless of race, color or national origin, should have access to equal opportunity in securing education, decent housing and jobs. Harry Truman sent a special message to Congress on February 2, 1948 calling for prompt implementation of the Commission's recommendations.
Throughout the course of American history, there have been many historical figures who have been responsible for, or were a part of, the gradual change of our nation. In the early to mid 1900's, the United States was racially segregated, and African Americans were looked at as second class citizens. In the mid-1900's, a time period which is now known as the Civil Rights Movement, there were a number of different people who helped lead the charge to desegregate the United States. Some of the historical figures, whose names are synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement, include political activist Martin Luther King, NAACP officer Medgar Evers, Baptist minister Malcolm X, and normal citizen Rosa Parks. All of these people were a very large part of the Civil Rights Movement and attempted to recognize African Americans as equals to Whites.
After the Civil War, African Americans encountered great discrimination and suffering. During this era, two influential leaders emerged from different philosophical camps. Brooker T. Washington of Virginia and William Edward Burghardt Dubois of Massachusetts proposed, different means to improve African Americans’ conditions. These men had a common goal: to enrich the black community. However, the methods they advocated to reach these goals significantly differed.
Many students generally only learn of Dr. King’s success, and rarely ever of his failures, but Colaiaco shows of the failures of Dr. King once he started moving farther North. In the book, Colaiaco presents the successes that Dr. King has achieved throughout his work for Civil Rights. The beginning of Dr. King’s nonviolent civil rights movement started in Montgomery, Alabama, when Rosa Parks refused to move for a white person, violating the city’s transportation rules. After Parks was convicted, Dr. King, who was 26 at the time, was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). “For 381 days, thousands of blacks walked to work, some as many as 12 miles a day, rather than continue to submit to segregated public transportation” (18).
We can see that African Americans were still struggling for equality even after the emancipation and the abolishment of slavery. They still did not get the equal rights and opportunities compared to whites. This had been reflected in the first essay in Du Bois’s book with a title Of Our Spiritual Strivings that indicates blacks were denied the opportunity that were available to the whites even after emancipation. During the days of Jim Crow, people of color received unfair treatment from almost all aspects of their lives. At that time, not all people were brave enough to express and speak up their desire for transformation. Two most influential black leaders that were known to have the courage to speak up their beliefs in social equality were
In the mid 1900's, America was finally now an independent country, but had many flaws within their undeveloped system. Racism and segregation towards African Americans was at an all time high in the Southern states. With the Jim Crow laws in place, the privileges that white Americans had were overwhelmingly more than African Americans had ("Civil Rights Movement," para. 1). During this period of injustice in our country's history, there were many activists of equal rights, both black and white. While there were many people who helped the cause, one of the most influential civil rights activists was John Lewis.
On the home front, A. Philip Randolph’s threat to force a march on Washington to advocate for civil rights in wartime employment represented this new stance. When government defense contracting first started in the early 1940s, the US government acquiesced to the demands of many corporations that solely stipulated white hiring. For instance, of 100,000 aircraft workers in 1940, only 240 of the...
Following the desegregation of major league baseball, in 1948, President Harry S. Truman officially desegregated the United States Military. In 1954, segregation was ruled unconstitutional by Brown v. Board of Education. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination in voting, employment, and the use of public activities (“Timeline of Desegregation and Civil Rights”). These important events may have occurred without the help of Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson, but breaking the color line in professional sports directly and indirectly made the United States a better nation. Jackie Robinson breaking the color line in 1947 created a domino effect and helped to diminish some of the greatest social issues throughout the United States.
Between 1865 and 1970 leadership; motivating, persuading, encouraging and inspiring the masses to engage with a vision was vital to the progression of the African-American civil rights movement. It is a common notion that individual leaders held dominant roles within the movement and used the power from this to lead the grassroots and make decisions on behalf of organisations. Additionally, it is believed that leaders were the strategists who shaped the methods of the movement; allowing them to win the nation’s allegiance and convince them to make sacrifices for racial justice. However, this traditionalist perspective ignores much of the conditional causes that in fact triggered outstanding leadership accomplishments. More recent historians
The Life and Activism of Angela Davis. I chose to do this research paper on Angela Davis because of her numerous contributions to the advancement of civil rights as well as to the women’s rights movement. I have passionate beliefs regarding the oppression of women and people of racial minorities. I sought to learn from Davis’ ideology and propose solutions to these conflicts that pervade our society. As well, I hope to gain historical insight into her life and the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and 70’s.
Robert F. Williams was one of the most influential active radical minds of a generation that toppled Jim Crow and forever affected American and African American history. During his time as the president of the Monroe branch of the NAACP in the 1950’s, Williams and his most dedicated followers (women and men) used machine guns, Molotov cocktails, and explosives to defend against Klan terrorists. These are the true terrorists to American society. Williams promoted and enforced this idea of "armed self-reliance" by blacks, and he challenged not just white supremacists and leftists, but also Martin Luther King Jr., the NAACP, and the civil rights establishment itself. During the 1960s, Williams was exiled to Cuba, and there he had a radical radio station titled "Radio Free Dixie." This broadcast of his informed of black politics and music The Civil Rights movement is usually described as an nonviolent / peaceful call on America 's guilty conscience, and the retaliation of Black Power as a violent response of these injustices against African Americans. Radio Free Dixie shows how both of these racial and equality movements spawned from the same seed and were essentially the same in the fight for African American equality and an end to racism. Robert F. Williams 's story demonstrates how independent political action, strong cultural pride and identity, and armed self-reliance performed in the South in a semi-partnership with legal efforts and nonviolent protest nationwide.
Racial unrest by the summer of 1963 was at its height since the Civil War. President Kennedy picked up the situation at the close of the Eisenhower years at a time when tensions were rapidly increasing. By the summer of 1963, however, after a series of violent demonstrations in the South, particularly in Birmingham, Alabama, President Kennedy pushed for a very strong civil rights bill in Congress. The first of its kind since the Civil War, this bill drastically called for the end of all segregation in all public places. In the eyes of the civil rights movement leaders, this bill was long over due.
Nearly three centuries ago, black men and women from Africa were brought to America and put into slavery. They were treated more cruelly in the United States than in any other country that had practiced slavery. African Americans didn’t gain their freedom until after the Civil War, nearly one-hundred years later. Even though African Americans were freed and the constitution was amended to guarantee racial equality, they were still not treated the same as whites and were thought of as second class citizens. One man had the right idea on how to change America, Martin Luther King Jr. had the best philosophy for advancing civil rights, he preached nonviolence to express the need for change in America and he united both African Americans and whites together to fight for economic and social equality.