The History of African American Rights in America By: Kylee Tim

Racism, a simple noun, defined by the belief that all members possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race; one race is superior or inferior to another race or races. Racism led into discrimination for the African Americans, and they were treated unfairly for decades. They suffered from small acts, such as not being able to drink from the same water fountain, to being terrorized and physically abused by groups such as the Klu Klux Klan. African Americans went through a great struggle, but they fought hard for the rights they earned and deserved. The racism and discrimination against African Americans has been evident since English people settled in Virginia, and African Americans became slaves. Since then, it was evident that people who were white felt superior to those of other races. As America prospered, the rights of the African Americans did not. All though slavery was abolished, they were still treated very differently than others, most prominently in the 19th century. They were continually segregated, and they eventually were able to gain equal rights. Within the Southern states, discrimination was a major issue. African Americans were separated in many different ways from whites: different water fountains, different seating sections in restaurants, and even different restrooms. In the 1950s, the American Civil Rights Movement began, which was the act in which

African Americans began to fight for equality. The Civil Rights movement was a long, hard fight that lasted throughout the 19th century. The Civil Rights Movement also brought along a group of people known as the Freedom Riders. These people were a mixed group of whites and African Americans who rode together on buses in attempt to desegregate public transportation. 2 buses left Washington D.C in May of 1961, but as they entered the south, their journey turned sour.Riders are arrested in North Carolina, and after they got out they were attacked in South Carolina. Several encounters with others had a violent fate, one in which the Klu Klux Klan, a group of white terrorists, even set fire to the bus and brutally beat several riders. One of the biggest figures in the movement, as well as in US history, was Martin Luther King Jr. King was an African American who gave many speeches and once said in his I Have a Dream speech, I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.. Many people in this time were depicted by how pigmented their skin was, rather than who they really were. King was a huge part of the movement, who gave many speeches. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, when he was shot. As the Civil Acts Right Movement progressed, schools were desegregated in 1954 and sit ins began. Sit ins consisted of African Americans sitting in the white area of the lunch counter at restaurants. During these sit ins they were refused service and abused by whites. Hot coffee was thrown in their faces, and mobs

formed around them. They were even arrested for doing this. Throughout the Civil Rights Movement which lasted from 1955-1968 , African Americans gained more and more rights. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed and it essentially stated that discrimination against any particular race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin is prohibited. Throughout time, equality rose and African Americans, as well as all other races, gained the same rights as whites. African Americans gained their rights because they fought through the insults, the terrorism, the pain, and the doubt. All races are equal because of the fight and drive within the people involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and America is what it is today because of that. Not only was racism demolished because of this, but many are now becoming more accepting of those in the LGBT group, and women. Rosa Parks stated, Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome., and that we did Rosa.

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