Black Segregation Movements

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Black segregation movements had a positive impact on the world. The black community was forced to suffer through acts of violence and hate due to the belief that race accounts for differences in human character. Restaurants, bus stops, and companies

throughout the southern United States of America practiced total seclusion of races. The whites looked at the segregation as a way of life, while the blacks felt the need for a dramatic change. The black community demanded equality and respect by organizing black segregation movements which halted the suffrage. Black segregation movements imposed a positive impact on the world through bus boycotts, “sit-ins”, marches, and civil rights groups, which ended discrimination problems in the United States.

To begin, blacks had to overcome difficult challenges to be rid the beliefs behind racism. The white community in the south had the idea that blacks were inferior and uneducated, which caused racism in every public place. The blacks were unable to vote or take any political position in America. Also, black men were forced to step aside to let a white man and were prohibited to look at a white woman. If a white child played with a black child, the parents would whip him until he understood that blacks were not good people. The country made education for blacks difficult to obtain by keeping schools open for only 3 hours daily during crop times. Black segregation was a way of life that people accepted as a normal occurrence. The black children believed that whites were better and often wished they were born into white families. Both children and adults were often offensively referred to as “niggers” or “colored.” Thus, black life was extremely difficult in times of segregation.

The most integrated public place provided an excellent start to end segregation towards the black community. The southern buses were completely segregated, yet the most popular place to find a combination of both blacks and whites. The blacks paid the same amount of money as a white at the front of the bus, but were ordered to get off and re-enter through the back. At the front of the bus, seats were reserved for whites, while the blacks were forced to move to the back. If the bus was full, and no seats remained for a white person, a black was ordered to get up from his seat and walk to his destination. The blacks became frustrated by the acts of hate, and realized the need for change. On December 1, 1955, an elderly black woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man. Parks was arrested, yet left a lasting impression on the United States. To show the country the hate needed to stop, the black people organized several bus boycotts. Before the boycotts, forty thousand black people rode the buses, while only twelve thousand whites were found on the popular way of transportation. As the bus incomes began to plummet, the country realized an agreement was necessary. The politicians offered a first-come-first-serve policy, and the blacks accepted. The bus boycotts were important to the end of segregation because the whites began to realize that the black people were a part of the community, and they help the country to grow. The boycotts also shook up the whites, and led them to believe that the blacks were educated and able to come up with intelligent ideas. Also, these boycotts helped the blacks to feel that they could end segregation if they put their mind to it. The people began to realize that segregation only happened if they allowed it to. Therefore, bus boycotts helped stop segregation in the Southern United States.

Next, to end segregation, four college students began to “sit-in” at college counters, despite the “whites only” signs. Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair, and Davis Richmond became furious when they were constantly told they were not allowed to sit at a popular food counter. The four students decided they would participate in the local scene, just like any white could do. The undergraduates “sat-in” at the counter, even when ordered to leave. However, the men did not move, for they were tired of being mistreated. The students were arrested, but later freed. The community was shocked at the bravery of the men, and began to take after them. Soon, many blacks, and few whites who joined them, were sitting at the “white only” counters. In the attempt to end the discrimination, the blacks had to suffer through terrible conditions. The whites poured food and itching powder on their heads, shouted hurtful words at the blacks, and shoved them out of the food joints. However, the difficult times of pain and sadness brought times of joy and relief to the black community. The blacks performed a cycle where they “sat-in”, went to jail, got out, sat again, marched, picketed, went to jail, and got out. The endless cycle proved that they could not be stopped, and that the segregation could be ended. The “sit-ins” gave other black people the strength to protest that they did not have before because they realized it was beginning to become effective. The “sit-ins” also showed the white community that they can not stop the blacks from trying to protest against the hate. As a result, discrimination was beginning to be defeated.

In order to demolish segregation, the black community organized several marches to show the world that discrimination needed to end immediately. Adults asked children to march in order to show the world that the offspring were suffering too. The children marched from the church in Birmingham, signing songs about freedom to support their parents who were attempting to end the hate. Police halted them, putting 959 children into the jails. The children were released, and attempted to march the following day. However, while marching, firemen sprayed the young black children with 100 pounds of pressure per square inch. The hoses slammed the young crowd into parked cars, buildings, and sidewalk curbs. Also, Selma became the center for a major civil protest and focus of national attention. The black community organized a march to Selma, where they could register to vote. They organized “Freedom Day” in Selma, where two hundred and fifty blacks waited outside of the County Courthouse with signs at eleven o’clock in the morning. The local officials took the signs away from the protestors and snapped photographs of each black, hoping the photos would result in job losses. The marches helped aid to the end of the hate. The several marches allowed the entire community to participate in the act to end segregation. Also, the marches led the community to register to vote, which gave the blacks more freedom then ever. Hence, as the black community organized marches, segregation began to deteriorate.

The black community created civil rights groups in order to organize black segregation movements. For example, the SNCC was one group that worked to better the community. The group walked with high school and college students, visited churches, met with the young and the old, and looked for national leaders. Also, the popular group
promised to better the community by getting black neighborhood streets paved, trashed picked up, and the group forced the government to give more money to schools in order to better education. The groups often tested new laws to make sure that they were truly being enforced to enable equality between the races. Another popular group that fought segregation was the NAACP. The assembly forced improvements in black schools by fighting for more money and better conditions. Also, the group realized that the white teachers had fewer students to teach yet made a better income than the black teachers. The organization ordered that black and white teachers must be hired for their skills instead of the color of their skin. Both civil rights groups imposed a positive effect on the strive towards freedom. The groups were often in charge of organizing black segregation movements such as bus boycotts, marches, and “sit-ins.” Also, the groups bettered education for the black children by requesting more money for black schools. Lastly, both groups promoted better job availability for blacks, and less violence in the communities. Therefore, black segregation was ended with the help important civil rights groups.
In conclusion, black segregation movements portrayed a positive image of the black community in the world. Black segregation movements imposed a positive impact onto the world through bus boycotts, “sit-ins”, marches, and civil rights groups, which ended discrimination problems in the United States. The blacks came together to find ways to put an end to the segregation that was apparent in the country. Thus, the segregation movements helped blacks to regain strength and the country to maintain order and equality.

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