What Was the Purpose of the Civil Rights Movement?
The purpose of the civil rights movement was to establish equal rights for African Americans, says History.com. An incident on a bus started the protest. In December 1955, an African American women named Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white person. Her being jailed for not giving up her seat is what influenced other African Americans to start the movement.
Scholastic.com reports that the civil rights movement had a strong foundational base in the South where most of the African American population was concentrated. The South was also where the effects of racial inequality were felt the most. Although the civil rights movement can be traced back to the 19th century, it reached the height of its popularity during the 1960s. Martin Luther King Jr was one of the most influential people in the civil rights movement. He was an excellent orator and was the movement’s spokesperson. King understood that boycotts and non-violent tactics resulted in better outcomes. After the assassination of King, the rise of black militancy and groups such as the black panthers halted the movement’s momentum. The civil rights movement has served as an inspirational model for women, students, Chicanos, gays and lesbians, the elderly and for other groups seeking equal rights.
