How successful had the Civil Rights Movement been by the late 1960s Essays

How successful had the Civil Rights Movement been by the late 1960s Essays How successful had the Civil Rights Movement been by the late 1960s Essay How successful had the Civil Rights Movement been by the late 1960s Essay Things like the Buss Boycott of 1955 and the lynching of Emmett Till, a fourteen year old schoolboy, really paved the way for change. People like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were the driving force behind the civil rights movement. Although Blacks had success during the civil rights movement, the problems with racism continued in most areas. From 1964 to 1968, the average income for black families roes from $5,921 to $7,603. Despite this, the average income for white families was still $5,000 higher. Newark and Detroit were areas that still had problems. In 1967 there were terrible riots, in which, 83 people were shot dead. Blacks argued that the police used the riots as an excuse to attack them. Most of each city was burned down and many families were left homeless. This made things worse for Blacks, with most of them still living in poverty. The actual number of blacks who lived below the poverty line was 33%. Throughout this time, however, Blacks had successes as well. In 1967, Carl Stokes was elected mayor of Cleveland. He was the first black mayor elected in a major city. Also, Colin Powell became the first black chief general in the army. The civil rights movement had concentrated in trying to promote equality in the south, but in the north, the problems were still evident. In 1965 50% of blacks lived in city ghettos, with poor housing and healthcare as well as an inadequate educational system. Towards the end of 1966, the slogan Black Power became popular and a lot of blacks abandoned Martin Luther Kings ideas and joined groups like the Black Panthers. Black Panther members carried guns and many whites were frightened of them and other similar groups. Martin Luther Kings controversial murder in 1968, prompted more violence. King had been being watched by the F. B. I and they saw him as a troublemaker. Many people thought his murder was part of a major conspiracy and Blacks rioted once again with whites, claiming White America had killed Martin Luther King. Many whites were angered by these black suggestions and a backlash ensued. In a 1969 survey, 73% of whites thought blacks couldve done something about slum conditions and 55% though blacks were mainly to blame for the high unemployment rate. At the end of the 1960s, there was no turning back for blacks, whether whites liked it or not, blacks were going to pursue racial equality. Blacks are generally thought to be in a much better position in modern economy, but this isnt the case. The census bureau shows that unemployment had actually risen by 3% from 1963 to 1993. The bureau also shows that the poverty rate was still as high as 32. 7% in 1991 and that the number of discrimination complaints made by blacks from 1960 to 1990 had risen from 8,854 to 49,000. In conclusion, I believe that the civil rights movement wasnt very successful because Blacks still faced problems 30 years on and many blacks were killed during the civil rights movement, including Martin Luther King. This was because, even though the law changed, peoples attitudes did not; this was one of the reasons the civil rights movement wasnt very successful. I also think one of the factors was the timing. The civil rights laws had been put in place and many blacks wanted them to work straight away, this wasnt the case, the laws had to be given time to start making a difference. I do, however think than, at the time blacks must have felt relieved that anything was being done. As they had lived in an inferior position for so long, any change would have been welcomed.