The Civil Rights Movement and the Kerner Commission Essays

The civil rights movement was a period of time when blacks attempted to gain their constitutional rights of which they were being deprived. The movement has occurred from the 1950s to the present, with programs like Affirmative Action. Many were upset with the way the civil rights movement was being carried out in the 1960s. As a result, someone assassinated the leader of the movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Many blacks were infuriated at this death so there were serious riots in almost 100 cities. President Johnson then appointed a committee called The Kerner Commission to study the civil rights movement. They concluded the following: We are moving toward two societies-one white and one black, separate and unequal.†¦show more content†¦Because of this new political power they have obtained, blacks have the ability to elect other blacks to represent them. There are over four times as many blacks in office today, than before the movement. This helped the blacks because they could have a representative to speak for them. A few years ago, a black named David Dinkins was elected mayor of one of the largest cities in America, New York. In 1968, Chrisam became the first black woman in the House of Representatives and in 1984, a popular black leader, Jesse Jackson ran for president. All this is a success because one of their goals was to have political power and equal opportunity. A second reason why the civil rights movement was politically more of a success than a failure is due to the fact that blacks are better off in the courts than they were. Now, blacks are allowed to serve on juries, and they are hardly ever discriminated in court as opposed to when the boy was over-sentenced for stealing an ice cream. For example, O.J. Simpson, who was accused of killing his wife, received a fair trial and was let off not-guilty. In the 60s in the south, he would have been found guilty very quickly. In the economic sense, the Kerner report has some truth today, but overall the civil rights movement was a huge success in this area because blacks are much better off today than they were before the movement. Before the civilShow MoreRelatedRacism Is A Part Of The Landscape Of America1401 Words   |  6 Pagesbeen a part of the landscape of America. The dictionary defines racism as â€Å"a belief that inherent differences among various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving one’s own race is superior and has the right to dominate others.† That belief, led to the attempt to wipe out Native Americans through mass murder during what was deemed as the discovery of America. Throughout the 19th century, Native American lands were taken away and given to white settlersRead MorePolice Reform : 1960s And Today s Society1732 Words   |  7 Pagesof riots and protests due to the civil rights movement to enrich individual’s r ights and constitutional protections. Many of the police were restricted and were â€Å"handcuffed† and could not do much in order for people to have their rights. The bond between the police and minorities were quickly detached, causing racial issues and total chaos. Lyndon B. Johnson established The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, or better known as the Kerner Commission to investigate the causes of the 1967Read MoreCivil Rights Movement and Black Nationalism Essay1210 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish 1302.044 March 3, 2000 Militant and Violent Acts of the Civil Rights Movement and Black Nationalism The rights of African-Americans have been violated since they were brought over to America as slaves in the late 1600s to the land of the free. Great political gains for African-Americans were made in the 1960s such as the right to vote without paying. Still, many African Americans were dissatisfied with their economic situation, so they reacted with violence in the form of riots. OtherRead MoreSuper Max1720 Words   |  7 Pagesarrests and dealt with problems in a way that greatly differ from law enforcement of today. This time frame involved racial riots, women rights, civil rights and important court cases. Mapp v. Ohio was concluded in 1961, and concluded that the fourth amendment applied to state courts and not just federal. Women achieved major milestones in the 1960’s, and Civil Rights were one of the biggest topics of the times. In the criminal justice field, a law enforcement official is expected to conduct themselvesRead MoreFdr-Vietnam War1153 Words   |  5 P ageson civil rights issues because he wanted the African Americans to vote for him. 37. MLK’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech at the march on Washington DC was outlining his dreams of freedom and equality for all Americans. 38. MLK selected Selma, Alabama for a protest march because it had built strong momentum for the Civil Rights Movement 39. The Kerner Commission blamed the white society and racism for inner-city problems. 40. Plessy v. Ferguson established â€Å"separate but equal† rights Read MoreEssay about HIST 1302 FINAL EXAM REVIEW1343 Words   |  6 Pagesbrutally attacked marchers in full view of television that helped lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965? Selma, Alabama 12. In response to the arrest of Rosa Parks, African Americans did what? Boycotted riding the bus 13. Where was the location of a Woolworth’s lunch counter that sparked the â€Å"sit-in† movement for civil rights? Greensboro, NC/ AT University 14. At first President Kennedy acted slowly on civil rights because? JFK didn’t want to lose support from Southern Democrats 15. What was theRead MoreTypes of Policing Systems in the Police Force1958 Words   |  8 PagesThe professional model was a reformed system of policing put in place originally to remove corruption in the police force, such as through creating civil service systems to eradicate political influences from the police by removing patronage and ward influence among the process of firing and employment of police officers, and to improve the structure of the police. Standardized operation and training procedures, a strict division of labor through separate divisions for investigating, patrolling,Read MoreModern Environmental Degradation And Exploitation3639 Words   |  15 Pagesdecomposition. Carrying forth Marxist scientific socialism and Marx’s deep concern for the alienated individual in the capitalist world, Michael Parenti, one of America’s leading progressive political thinkers, strongly opposes the degradation of civil liberates, the decline of the social state, American neocolonialism and imperialism and the Bush Doctrine of preventive wars fought for the sake of capitalism’s predatory search for new markets, easily exploitable resources and cheap labor. ParentiRead MoreAfrican Americans Attitudes Towards Police Essay3294 Words   |  14 Pagesan entire subgroup that is hostile towards the people who are suppose to keep us safe, what does this say about our society? And what does this say about the people we trust to protect us? This issue has continued past segregation, past the civil rights movement, past the race riots, and past the drug raids of the 1980s.The fact that times have changed, but African Americans’ sentiments towards police have stayed the same speaks volumes on the burden put on a sector of American society and displaysRead More The Diversity Myth Essay5534 Words   |  23 Pagestrivial human distinction, all else had to follow. Congress abolished not only Jim Crow and legal segregation but, with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, put an end to free association as well. The Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1965, which abolished national origins quotas and opened immigration to all nations, was a grand gesture of anti-racism, a kind of civil rights law for the entire world. As has been pointed out in such books as Lawrence Austers The Path to National Suicide and