Civil Rights Dbq

Movements have beginnings and ends, pros and cons, and can have successful outcomes, as well as damaging ones. The civil rights movement, which came to its prominence in the 1950s, initially aimed to abolish slavery and combat racial discrimination within many factions of society. Although the civil rights movement gained momentum and progressed society by desegregating and granting civil liberties for African Americans, it is unrealistic to argue that African Americans in America accomplished complete integration. There were still flaws in society that did not grant equal economic and political opportunities to African Americans, despite the movement’s effort. While the movement introduced racial equality into the American mainstream, there

still today remains a gap in race equality, as a result of the ineffectiveness of the civil rights movement.
A few years later, the Civil Rights Act came into fruition with the support of President Lyndon Johnson; however, Johnson distracted America from Act’s purpose.

Johnson became overinvolved with the message of greater economic and gender equality, which made his points on racial equality less concise. The Civil Rights Act initially aimed to desegregate all public facilities, as well as finally abolish the Jim Crow laws. However, Johnson had lofty goals and he, in many ways, took advantage of the momentum of the movement, in order to further his own social agenda. These goals were, in fact, unrelated to the original intent of the civil rights movement, rather he broadened his goals, “[to] improve the everyday lives of Americans from all walks of life” (AC 131). This is not to say that Johnson did not ultimately progress America towards a less oppressive, less discriminative society. Despite Johnson’s distraction from the intent of the Civil Rights Act, his efforts ultimately did secure the Civil Rights Act and later the Voting Rights Act. However, the shift that occurred under the Johnson administration broadened the scope and goals of the movement, ultimately decreasing the focus of the movement on its commitment to benefit solely African

Americans
Before gaining President Johnson’s support for the Voting Rights Act, Martin Luther King led a march from Selma to Montgomery, which marked a downturn in the movement’s success. Although the march was a success in that the Voting Rights Act passed, it highlighted the internal riffs the movement faced that would later become more pronounced in the second half of the 60s. King, alongside the Southern Leadership Christian Council and other allies, decided to march from Selma to Montgomery. Selma was targeted due, as it was a notoriously racist city with a low number of registered black voters. Not surprisingly, the marchers approached the Edmund Pettus Bridge were squandered by local police. The initial failure of the march not only left the marchers intimidated and afraid, but also left King in a precarious situation: to lead his allies in another march, going against popular opinion, or to face defeat. King’s sense of fear and intimidation was evident when he backed out last minute as he approached the bridge for the second time. Even though the third and final attempt was victorious, King’s hasty decisions as leader of the march were put into question. If the Voting Rights Act was not supported by the Johnson administration, would King be able to persist as leader of the march? After the first two marches from Selma and Montgomery were unsuccessful, it was evident that the movement began to lose momentum and courage. King felt defeated and the movement lost focus, which illustrated the internal difficulties, in a seemingly successful movement.
Towards the end of the movement, similar to President Johnson, King became distracted by other goals, which made the internal structure of the movement less focused and less efficient. Though King’s high expectations motivated him to be powerful representative of the movement, he took on more responsibility than he could handle and eventually lost control of his many goals. King shifted his focus on strengthening the American economy, in fact, his “concern about poverty was not only racial” (166). In addition, King became more vocal about the Vietnam War. As King vocalized his concerns on other issues and broadened his goals internationally, the efficiency and momentum of the civil rights movement decreased.
While the constitutional changes made during the civil rights movement progressed America towards racial equality, the flaws of the movement were reflected in the aftermath of the movement.

The African American community placed much of their faith in the federal government to advocate for their rights, since they passed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. However, the road to economic equality for African Americans was not as rapid as they expected from the federal government. There were limitations to the equality these new acts granted and the civil rights movement did not improve all facets of the lives of African Americans. Ultimately, the rapid deceleration of the civil rights movement after the Voting Rights Act, allowed for lull in other facets of equality for African Americans. At the time, movement leaders were content with the level of equality they had achieved, but they did not foresee future issues that would become apparent after the initial

excitement.
Today, there still persists struggles involving racial oppression; however, the nuance is the lack of support from the federal end. Racial prejudice against blacks is not a resurfacing societal issue, it has existed for generations and continues to persist. The civil rights movement only began to dismantle a culture of inherent racism that is now coming back into the minds of Americans. It is no shock that today’s society so closely parallels that of the 60’s: nationwide protests, newly coined slogans, and the constant fight for the abolishment of America’s racist and oppressive roots. The civil rights battle did not end with the civil rights movement, but still continues today with newly inspired youth. Many argue that history repeats itself; however, the brevity and inefficiency of the civil rights movement only reignited those same feelings. The civil rights movement was not a perfect road to freedom for African Americans; it was incomplete and its flaws are the subject of today’s struggle for equality.