William Chafe's The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement caused immense social change within America, and did it in an equally radical way—through the people. In The Civil Rights Movement, William Chafe analyzes how this movement came to be through key events, leaders, and social trends. Overall, he examines how the lack of real political action forced the African American community to adjust the ways they advanced the Movement. Chafe begins by examining two important events, the Brown vs. Board case and the Montgomery Movement, which both were signs of some progress, but ultimately were ineffective and passive. Things changed, however, during the Sit-In Movement, when the youth led and took charge. Soon the youth controlled the Civil Rights Movement, and spread it significantly—forcing

The Civil Rights Movement originated from and was intertwined with the younger generation through the Brown vs. Board decision and the Montgomery Movement. While the 1954 Brown vs. Board decision marked a major victory for the African American community, it changed almost nothing (156). To Chafe, the decision would require “commitment, leadership, and tangible action” in order to cause real change, which simply didn’t happen (156). First, the ruling faced heavy resistance from the south. In many states like Alabama, the NAACP was outlawed (157). Additionally, 5 southern states passed resolutions nullifying the 2nd Brown decision, which was issued a year later (157). Lastly, many state governors, like those in Arkansas and Virginia, closed schools instead of integrating (158). This circumvention became apparent and gained national attention during the Central High School Crisis in Little Rock. While President Eisenhower was finally forced to intervene, his intervention was “too little and too late” and not based on any “moral

Just two months after the Greensboro incident, demonstrations had broken out in fifty four cities in nine states. To Chafe, “it was if an entire generation was ready to act” (165). Different groups and representatives from CORE, the NAACP, and SCLC traveled from city to city and participated in demonstrations. Some of this younger generation, Chafe notes, “were deeply suspicious of their elders” and feared that that they would “capture the movement” (166). Thus, the youth took even more charge. In accordance to one of the youth’s spiritual leaders, Robert Moses, they should be going “where the spirit” moved them (166). This became evident through the willingness of the youth to face the consequences for their actions. More than 3,600 demonstrators spent time in jail after the Greensboro sit-ins, and youth culture—through freedom songs—became popular in jails alongside churches (167). One of the most significant contributions of the youth, however, were the Freedom Rides of 1961. Regularly on the trip, the passengers were attacked and mobbed, and then were eventually arrested (167, 168). Other acts of oppression, like this, strengthened the position of African American organizations, and shed light on the African American struggle through newspapers and the news. Thus, the youth became integral to the Movement as they energized it and helped it