Reducing Racial Discrimination in the USA Essay Example for Free

Reducing Racial Discrimination in the USA Essay amongst the periods of 1877-1981 there were mevery probative figures who contributed to strugg directs trim down racial unlikeness in the USA. Although without events such as the capital of Alabama charabanc Boycott, WWII or the actions of the NACCP to limiting attitudes towards African Americans, these individuals would have had little effect. The likes of Booker T Washington and Du Bois strict the foundation for elegant rightlys along with the Second World War however other individuals such as Martin Luther superpower help to actively progress the exercise. Along with this the government and various presidents more(prenominal) so in the latter of the period of 1877-1981 helped to change attitudes and employ legislation which was vital in cut back racial disparity in the USA. Booker T Washington began to provide the foundations to the civil rights movement in his actions. Although I conceive that during this early pe riod of the movement little was achieved, Washington was still able to provide education, and show African Americans that they had a future and it was at their own mercy. This helped to relieve some who were less fortunate.On the other go through Du Bois took a route which directly campaigned for civil rights for African Americans alike to Washington he achieved little out-of-pocket to the already widespread racial locating in the USA. It is noticeable that these individuals had no short term purposeful effect on reducing racial diversity, however much was achieved long term as they created the racetrack for the civil rights movement in the future, this was also aided with the work from the NACCP, which raised awareness of the racial disagreement particular in America.Another individual which had little short term significance in reducing racial discrimination was Marcus Garvey, who unlike Du Bois and Washington believed that blacks and whites could not co-exist and they sh ould be separate, he held the belief that African Americans had to adopt their own nation in order to advance. Whilst he failed to make much impact on the movement itself, alike to his predecessors Du Bois and Washington, his ideas were value and widespread, they inspired many including future activists such as Malcolm X.Garvey gave African Americans at that clock time a sense of confidence that they would be able to advance as a race, and they need not be bound by the constraints of racial discrimination. This is why in the Long term Garvey was a valued activist, and his ideas were useful in progress in the movement towards equality. to a fault he gave confidence to other African Americans in campaigning against racial discrimination which could be seen in the likes of the Greensboro Sit Ins move on into the civil rights movement.The likes of the NACCP helped to puke an contain to racial discrimination with the use of court cases and legal methods which were unlike the method s that the likes of Washington used with his attempts to educate. Examples of this were cook Vs the board of education which the Supreme Court ruled in favor of reducing discrimination and sequestration within schools. However the NACCP failed to diminish discrimination totally the organization still managed to do some skillful in the fight for equality.Furthermore, whilst the likes of Du Bois were unable to make a direct impact on reducing discrimination, he was able to work alongside the NACCP using other methods to succeed in his goals, and together this would edit discrimination more. Therefore the NACCP played a more important percentage than early individuals in reducing racial discrimination towards African Americans through its early successes in successes in removing segregation, and although things to come would show to be more valuable to the civil rights movement, the NACCP was still a vital element in setting the foundation of the civil rights movement for the fut ure.Although individuals had led the campaign for civil rights for African Americans throughout the early 20th century and towards the end of the 19th, as WWII commenced it would prove to be a key factor in aiding reduction of racial discrimination. It helped to change attitudes towards black Americans, as they went to war they were portrayed to be worthy American citizens which changed many white Americans attitudes towards them.The war also created stepping stones for the likes of Martin Luther King to breach into the civil rights movement, therefore not only did it have an impact on black Americans, it also created some success for many civil rights activists. However the war did nothing to visit discrimination towards other ethnic minorities, for example Japanese Americans received much racial discrimination due to Japans role in WWII.Although the war was bad for the civil rights of Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans received a fail way of intent, with more civil rights as America forged a great political alliance with China after the war due to their help during it. Therefore WWII was a great influence on reducing racial discrimination within the USA for only certain minorities, although for the likes of Japanese Americans way of life got worse as they were sent to camps until the war ended due to suspicions.The war was more important than ahead individuals as it had a direct impact on reducing racial discrimination, and further effect in the emergence of fresh civil rights activists who would later have a significant role in the movement. As the attitudes towards African Americans changed after the war in the 1940s many civil rights activists saw their time to give the civil rights movement. One of these activists was Martin Luther King who used methods of non-violence in order to gain sympathy from whites and in doing so change attitudes towards black Americans.Although his views were similar to those of Du Bois views, King had more effect on r educing racial discrimination. specially in attempts to eliminate desegregation. This was likely to be partly due to how far the civil rights movements had advanced by Kings time, in particularly down to WWII which changed attitudes. King gave confidence to glum Americans he used television and media to pay off his ideas through speeches which were very powerful and very much a trait of his. King was often compared as similar to Washington and Du Bois, although he did much more to reduce discrimination.His direct actions in the likes of the Montgomery transport boycott. This event was critical in reducing racial discrimination as it saw black Americans unite as one to fight for their cause, its success showed that with the unity of African Americans civil rights could be achieved, and also prove that the likes of King needed events such as the boycott to achieve anything as an activist. This event was significant to him. Also significant to Kings civil rights success was the use of television. With the use of television violence towards African Americans could be shown to a wider audience across the USA, and could hange attitudes.Therefore although King was more significant than his predecessors Washington, Garvey and Du Bois as an activist, this was partly due to what King had to work with such as television. Further to this, the likes of civil rights activists such as Cesar Chavez who was in the fight for reducing discrimination within Mexican Americans followed Kings policies of non-violence, this showed King was not only having an effect on black Americans. Chavez led the low gear farm workers union in America which was successful to some extent, and led to the reduction of racial prejudice.Although this wasnt much compared to what the likes King had achieved with his use of speeches. In contrast to Kings policy of non-violence was the up and coming idea of Black Power during the 1960s. Originating from Garvey, violent civil rights activist Malcolm X worked to make the ideology more popular. The idea support segregation, and blacks being supreme compared to white Americans, and again highlighted the ideas of African Americans starting their own nation. Xs beliefs of gaining equality by any basals necessary contrasted with Kings beliefs of non-violence which made King and X much like enemies during the 1960s.However, Xs ideas had little or no(prenominal) effect on passing legislation and reducing discrimination. Although alike to Garvey X gave black Americans confidence, noticeably within the northern ghettos in highlighting important issues of violence within these areas. Therefore Xs views of violence were greatly frowned upon, which of all time put him in the shadow of King who was always more significant in reducing racial discrimination in the USA. In the early stages of the civil rights movement the government played little role in reducing racial discrimination.However presidents began to get voluminous in the moveme nt as it persisted. Eisenhower had the first real involvement in the movement when he sent federal troops for assistance in Little Rock, and the government enforced the Supreme Court ruling of the Brown case in the town. Kennedy had aforethought(ip) to enforce a Civil Rights Bill, although this was later enforced via Johnson along with the suffrage Rights Act of 1965, which gave black Americans the right to vote, and again reduced discrimination this was a step in the right direction of equality.Further to this Nixon aimed to enforce desegregation in schools as well as helping the like of voting rights, employment discrimination and aid to the poor. Although Nixon was not as significant as Carter who later made attempts to get black Americans involved politically, appointing them in the judiciary. This enabled more blacks to have a say as well as improving their stead in society. Therefore presidents played a key role as if they were for civil rights, then this could mean attitude s could be changed on a broader scale.This was important to the movement, and was more useful in reducing discrimination general due to legislation passed which was showing that action was being taken against racial discrimination, unlike the role of prior activists such as Du Bois, Garvey, X and Washington who failed to have much impact on legislation. The most influential president was Johnson he was able to pass legislation which made blacks equality to whites greater, such as the ballot Rights Act. Although the likes of King didnt have the power to do this, civil rights activists made government aware of the racial situation in the USA.Therefore they were more significant than presidents. In the 1970s and 1980s further action brought front the civil rights movement. The introduction of the Quota System meant that employers and universities had to take on a certain percentage of African Americans, and the situation for black Americans began to rapidly improve. Although this h ad much more significance than many activists in this later period, it was still influenced because of activists in the early stages of the civil rights movement, which make the likes of King more significant.In conclusion, in the period of 1877-1981 individuals were the most significant in reducing racial discrimination. Early activists such as Washington and Du Bois had little opportunity to reduce discrimination due to the widespread discrimination and the likes of the KKK, however, events such as WWII enabled activists to emerge, as attitudes towards African Americans had began to change. Using the ideologies of preceding activists the most important individual King was able to use events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the likes of television to share his speeches and views, helping to pass legislation, change attitudes and give blackAmericans the confidence to further the civil rights movement. King helped to convey the on-going discrimination problem in the USA toward s the government, which enabled presidents to take action with the likes of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which brought about further equality for blacks. Although towards the latter stages of the movement the government had more effect on reducing racial discrimination by passing legislation.