The civil rights movement is a major part of American history and one that will never be forgotten.
The civil rights movement was a struggle that drew many youths into a hailstorm of marches, meetings, planning, and imprisonment. It was a period of fear, excitement, thrill, and victory where students succeeded in exposing years and years of white supremacy, oppression, and institutional segregation.
A period where with determination, willpower, and their voices, college students succeeded in changing the course of the nation. It’s funny how many youths in the civil rights movement didn’t even know the great impact they were making, but instead focused on the tasks at hand and ignored every consequence.
Have you ever randomly wondered “why was Malcolm X famous?” You should know that the civil rights movement played an important role in it.
Malcolm X is an influential character in the civil rights movement. According to the data mentioned in Malcolm X essay examples, he was a prominent leader of the American black rights movement. Even nowadays people remember about great contributions Malcolm X made to humanity in the fight for equal rights and no discrimination. Let’s take a closer look at the historical value of this prominent person.
Brief History of Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement began in the late 1940s and ended in the 1960s and it was a trying time especially for black people. It was a period of struggle for social justice for African American folks to attain equal rights under the law of the United States.
Slavery was already revoked by The Civil War at this time, but that didn’t end or minimize racism in the states. Black people still suffered serious discrimination, they were still treated like less-than-humans, like slavery was not an old topic until they decided that they had had enough! Enough of the oppression. Enough of the inhumane treatments. Enough of the partiality and enough of the entire hate.
African Americans, along with the whites headed by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X took it in their stride to fight for equality and to abolish the prejudice and violence against the blacks. It is safe to note that the major participants in this fight were students who discovered that the only way to improve the political situation in the country was by civil disobedience.
Although serious, the movement was not a violent one, and it gave rise to the Civil Rights Act; a law to protect the constitutional rights of every American regardless of race, sex, national origin, and color.
The Role Student Activists Impacted in the Civil Rights Movement
It’s incredible to note that the movement was mostly led not by experts, but by mere students! And for this, the role of students in the civil rights movement cannot be understated. There is a large database of information concerning the brave historical event and it is right to be so hyped up because now, the new generation is reaping the fruits of that labour.
Students recognized the horrors that black people go through and the majority of them paused their education to join in the great movement. Many students organized campus rallies, sit-ins, demonstrations, and meetings in order to fight unfair political power and to make America an impartial land to both blacks and whites.
Eastern Michigan University played a huge role in the civil rights movement because the students organized marches and rallies to help bring racial equality to the campus. They talked and educated each other on sensitive topics like racism and social inequality and they thought up ways and schemes to end them.
Many activists were in elementary school when they engaged in the movement. Freeman Hrabowski was only 12 years old when he joined and Clara Lupa had started attending the meetings as early as 8 years old.
It is not wrong to say that without students, the movement wouldn’t have succeeded.
Who Was Malcolm X and How Was He Involved in the Civil Rights Movement?
You must have heard about Malcolm X and if you have asked yourself “why is Malcolm X important”, here is the reason.
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Stuart Little on the 19th of May 1925. He was born black and had first-hand knowledge of how black people suffered racism. Malcolm X was one of the men that passionately spoke in rallies and big gatherings, talking about the trials of black people and how they can be remedied. He believed that black people should protect themselves by every means necessary and he wanted a separate nation for black people.
Although Malcolm disagreed with Martin Luther King Jr. on some subjects, they had the same basic goal; equal rights for blacks and whites.
Little changed his name to Malcolm X when he joined a political and religious group called the Nation of Islam. Nearing the end of his life, Malcolm realized that he and King wanted one thing; Freedom for Blacks.
The civil rights movement is a critical part of American history and one that should be taught in every school. It proves that students and youths can make a great change if they set their minds to it. If youths can come together, they can achieve great things.
