History 12

Rachel McMillan
UNIT NINE
Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam

Explain the developments of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
The nineteenth century, which saw the abolishment of slavery and the enactment of the Civil
Rights Act through the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, was expected to eradicate racism
throughout America. However, as the twentieth century progressed, the United States remained plagued
with prevalent and appalling ethnic discrimination. Racism continued to heighten as segregation became
legally sanctioned. Black Americans were separated from whites or banned by law from numerous public
facilities and services, including schools and restaurants, based on their colour due to the Jim Crow Laws.
This led to a social and political revolution, known as the Civil Rights Movement, which aimed to end
everyday acts of discrimination, change attitudes, and re-establish an economically equal and just society
in the 1950s and sixties. Black Americans took a non-violent stance on the issue, and hoped to bring
change by organizing sit-ins, boycotts, and marches.
Explain why Civil Rights leaders opposed the war.
As the Civil Rights Movement progressed, many activists began to openly oppose Americas
involvement in the Vietnam War, and subsequently called for the radical departures from the destruction
of Vietnam (King). Protesters to the conflict, including Civil Rights spearhead Martin Luther King Jr.,
drew an almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle [ethnic minorities] have
been waging in America (King). During an address to the public at New Yorks Riverside Church in
1967, Martin Luther King Jr. justified and explained his stand on the combat. King believed simply that
America would never invest the necessary funds in the rehabilitation of civil rights so long as
adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men, skills, and money. While the Vietnam War grew
increasingly expensive, the fight for equal civil rights, including economic equality, remained shockingly
underfunded on the local front. It was known that every time [the American military killed a Vietnam
soldier, the USA] spent about five-hundred-thousand dollars, whereas [the United States was spending]
only fifty-three dollars a year for every person characterized by poverty (King). Furthermore, King and
other Civil Rights leaders were simply opposed to violence. King preached the importance of finding an
alternative to war and bloodshed, as he believed that anyone who thought war [could] solve the social
problems facing mankind [was] sleeping through a great revolution.
Identify those opposed to integration and describe the reasons for their opposition.
As best stated by Michael Friedman, African Americans who waged epic struggles for civil
rights also altered white Southerners worlds. (Free At Last: The U.S. Civil Rights Movement). Although
many white Americans accepted and embraced integration, others undoubtedly feared social and
political change due to the possibility of drastic changes in their lifestyle (Friedman, Free At Last: The
U.S. Civil Rights Movement). With the Civil Rights Movement came the threat of a shift in political
power and the upheaval of social dominance, leading to resistance from many white citizens regarding
desegregation. White resistance to the Civil Rights Movement is easily exemplified by the formation of
the Klu Klux Klan, a violent and influential affiliation motivated by racism and nativism. However,
southern white citizens are not solely guilty of opposing ethnic integration. Many politicians and
American government officials, including John F. Kennedy, dragged their feet in regards to integration as
they feared the loss of support from Southern Democrats.

History 12

Rachel McMillan

Explain the steps taken by the Civil Rights Movement which led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Although black Americans were regularly insulted, beaten, and even lynched based on their skin
colour, Civil Rights activists refused to resort to violence in their fight for equality. Instead, the Civil
Rights Movement relied on sit-ins, boycotts, and marches to achieve their goals. For example, 1955
Montgomery Bus Boycott, made famous by Rosa Parks, led to a Federal Court ruling which outlawed
segregation on public transportation. In 1960, four black students remained seated at a lunch counter all
day without being served, and sparked a widespread trend. Four years later, such sit-ins saw the
desegregation of lunch counters. A 1963 march in the heavily segregated town of Birmingham would
result in hundreds of arrests of activists and children, but would also ultimately see the proposition of the
Civil Rights Bill. This bill called for equal access to public facilities, education, and employment
regardless of race, and was enacted in 1964. While marches would continue after the passing of the Civil
Rights Bill, such a document was an extraordinary victory for civil rights activists, and would remain a
symbol of the progress made by the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

Works Cited
Friedman, Michael J. "White Southerners' Reactions to the Civil Rights Movement." Free At Last: The U.S.
Civil Rights Movement. Bureau of International Information Programs. International Information
Programs Digital. U.S. Department of State, 29 Dec. 2008. Web. 14 Jan. 2015.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. "Beyond Vietnam." Riverside Churh, New York City, NY. 4 Apr. 1967. Speech.