Activism in the U.S. (DPLA)

Introduction

Activism, the act of standing up and making your voice heard on political issues, has been an important part of American culture since the early days of our country's founding. From the Boston Tea Party to the March on Washington, activism in the US has been an essential element in shaping our country into what it is today. With a strong history behind it, activism in the US continues to inspire people from all over to get involved in causes that are close to their hearts. Protests are significant methods of civil rights activists such as the ones in Birmingham and Atlanta among other places. One common demonstration technique is nonviolent direct action which, as attested by Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail, can be particularly successful. This technique might entail marches, rallies, picketing, and other methods of protest. As a result of these demonstrations, others began to adopt similar methods for activism, for instance for the issue of peace women's rights, gay rights, and other such causes.

Civil Rights Movements

From a broader perspective, the civil rights movement in the United States generally refers to the long history of social and political activity seeking civil rights and legal equality for all Americans, but usually, the focus is on the struggle for racial equality for African Americans. Important Supreme Court rulings include Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, which upheld separate but equal racial segregation, and Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which overturned the earlier decision. Brown v. Board of Education began a process that resulted in the landmark achievements of the 1950s and 1960s including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The southern civil rights movement can be described as comprising a few sub-movements in key geographical areas, such as Georgia during the 1960s, including, for example, the Albany Movement, the Augusta Movement, and Americus Movement.

Albany Movement

In November 1961, residents of Albany, Georgia set out to ban segregation in every facet of life. Their campaign drew the attention of the entire nation a month later when the local leaders invited Martin Luther King, Jr. to come. Despite Martin Luther King's involvement, the movement did not succeed in securing concessions from local officials and, according to many observers, it was considered unsuccessful. On the other hand, subsequent appraisals identified the movement as a formative learning experience for King and other civil rights organizers, credited it with hastening the ultimate learning experience of King and other civil rights organizers, and credited it with hastening the ultimate desegregation of Albany's facilities, which occurred only one year following the movement's conclusion in August 1962.

Augusta Movement

In March 1960, students from Augusta's historically black Paine College sat at restaurants in a part of the civil rights movement called direct action. Biracial negotiations commenced, but the white side ultimately withdrew from their commitment to desegregate the city's lunch counters. White resistance, having foiled the city's student-led reform movement until April 1962, continued until negotiations were reopened with student leaders to avoid unfavorable publicity before the U.S. Masters Golf Tournament. Although a few stores desegregated before negotiations concluded, little integration took place in Augusta before the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Riots began in May 1970, following the passage of the federal legislation, after tensions had continued to simmer for years.

SCOPE Project

Upon their arrival in Sumter County in Feb 1963, members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) quickly began working with local leaders of the African American community. Though local officials initially opposed the movement, SMCC collapsed when four civil rights activists were arrested and charged with sedition following a series of large-scale protests. Registration drives and citizenship campaigns continued over the course of the next two years, but demonstrations were suspended. Renewed protests came when Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) activists arrived in Americus and the demonstration was strong until the summer of 1965 when violence continued in reaction to the murder of a white, twenty-one-year-old Marine recruit SCLC workers decided that, thanks to the 1965 protests, significant media attention throughout the nation lead to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Birmingham Demonstrations

In the spring of 1963, when Birmingham, Alabama remained segregated, Martin Luther King Jr. and his colleagues from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference launched Project C. Sit-ins, mass meetings, and an economic boycott was among the more conventional measures taken. These peaceful demonstrations led to Martin Luther King Jr. and his team receiving national media attention, and this was on April 7, when Public Safety Commissioner T. Eugene Bull Connor sent out attack dogs on protesters undertaking nonviolent action. King's decision to not abide by a federal court injunction blocking further demonstration resulted in his arrest, along with the arrest of local leader Fred L. Shuttlesworth, and others on April 12th. While imprisoned, King wrote a letter from Birmingham Jail, his response to the people who were against him, and his choice of direct-action protest. On May 3, Birmingham police shot high-pressure fire hoses at a crowd composed largely of students, and that generated national outrage and an appeal to the federal government. Faced with this, President Klan bombing at the A.G. Gaston Motel and the home of Reverend A.D King. Events in Birmingham inspired the country to back reform for civil rights and allowed for the passage of the Civil Rights Act 1964.

Atlanta (Vine City) Demonstrations

In January 1966, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his wife Coretta Scott King, Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, and his wife Juanita Abernathy led a protest march in the Vine City neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia to highlight substandard housing conditions in that area.

Atlanta (Rich's) Demonstrations

A group of African Americans picketed in from Rich's Department Store in downtown Atlanta, Georgia in December 1960, who were perhaps students of Atlanta University Center colleges and universities. They were protesting against the store's policies on racial segregation.