Essay About Ghetto Riots And Martin Luther King

Essay
Essay Preview: Essay
Report this essay
Overview of the 60`s
Many social changes that were addressed in the 1960s
are still the issues being confronted today. The 60s was a
decade of social and political upheaval. In spite of all the
turmoil, there were some positive results: the civil rights
revolution, John F. Kennedys bold vision of a new frontier,
and the breathtaking advances in space helped bring about
progress and prosperity. However, much was negative: student
and anti-war protest movements, political assassinations,
and ghetto riots excited American people and resulted in
lack of respect for authority and the law.
The decade began under the shadow of the cold war with
The Soviet Union, which was aggravated by the u-2 incident,
The Berlin wall, and the Cuban missile crisis, along with
the space race with the USSR.
The decade ended under the shadow of the Vietnam War,
which deeply divided Americans and their allies and damaged
the countrys self-confidence and sense of purpose.
Even if you werent alive during the 60s, you know
what they meant when they said, “tune in, turn on, drop
out.” you know why the nation celebrates Martin Luther King,
Jrs birthday. All of the social issues are reflected in
todays society: the civil rights movement, the student
movement, space exploration, the sexual revolution, the
environment, medicine and health, and fun and fashion.
The Civil Rights Movement
The momentum of the previous decades civil rights
gains led by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. carried over into
The 1960s. But for most blacks, the tangible results were
minimal. Only a minuscule percentage of black children
actually attended integrated schools, and in the south, “Jim
Crow” practices barred blacks from jobs and public places.
New groups and goals were formed, new tactics devised, to
push forward for full equality. As often as not, white
resistance resulted in violence. This violence spilled
across TV screens nationwide. The average, neutral American,
after seeing his/her TV screen, turned into a civil rights
supporter.
Black unity and white support continued to grow. In
1962, with the first large-scale public protest against
Racial discrimination, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Gave a
dramatic and inspirational speech in Washington, D.C. After
a long march of thousands to the capital, the possibility of
riot and bloodshed was always there, but the marchers took
that chance so that they could accept the responsibilities
of first class citizens. “The Negro,” King said in this
speech, “lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of
a vast ocean of material prosperity and finds himself an
exile in his own land.” King continued stolidly: “it would
be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the
moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro.
This sweltering summer of the Negros legitimate discontent
will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn
of freedom and equality.” when King came to the end of his
prepared text, he swept right on into an exhibition of
impromptu oratory that was catching, dramatic, and
inspirational.
Everyone agreed the march was a success and they wanted
action now but, now remained a long way off. President
Kennedy was never able to mobilize sufficient support to
pass a civil rights bill with teeth over the opposition of
segregationist southern members of congress. But after his
assassination, President Johnson, drawing on the Kennedy
legacy and on the press coverage of civil rights marches and
protests, succeeded where Kennedy had failed.
However, by the summer of 1964, the black revolution
had created its own crisis of disappointed expectations.
rioting by urban blacks was to be a feature of every “long,
hot, summer” of the mid-1960s.
In 1965, King and other black leaders wanted to push
beyond social integration,