Introduction
The United States has always been a country that promotes freedom and civilian liberties. Nevertheless, civil rights movements have been a priori attribute of the American social agenda throughout its history. The reason is that the understanding of freedom has not always been expanded on all the groups present in society. Historically, one of such groups as African Americans living in the U.S. A breakthrough occurred in the 1960s that was the apotheosis of the anti-racist struggle in the country with Martin Luther King becoming the strong pacifist leader. His ideas inspired the African American population to fight more actively for their rights and influenced many other social movements globally.
The 1960’s Civil Rights Movement Impact on American History
To begin with, Martin Luther King’s movement of civil rights effectively changed the American nation. The modern U.S. society seems to be much closer to the dream of King’s: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal” (History, 2020). The movement caused a series of legislative changes that shortened the distance between the White population and the African Americans. Moreover, Martin Luther King imposed the value of non-violent protest in the Western world. He demonstrated the efficiency of such measures in comparison to police brutality that, for instance, occurred on the Bloody Sunday of 1965 (History, 2020). Hence, the 1960’s Civil Rights movement had a fundamental impact on the American nation.
One may pose the question of how the movement of the 1960s influenced the minority groups in the United States. First, there was the immediate effect of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As the Act was not comprehensive, it caused a new wave of protests that pushed the U.S. Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act a year later (Abhay & Avenancio-Leon, 2019). On the one hand, such a success started the institutionalized fight against discrimination against African-Americans. On the other hand, this experience inspired other minority groups to struggle for their rights. Second, the movement of the 1960s ended up as an iconic example of social solidarity in the face of injustice. This heritage impacted even the contemporary Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement (Myers, 2017). Therefore, the 1960’s Civil Rights movement appears to be the symbolic example of the social protest in the circumstances of racial tensions that significantly impacted the social positions of the ethnic minorities.
The Relevance of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement Experience for The Modern Context
Speaking of the strategies and tactics used by the 1960’s civil rights movement, its leader Martin Luther King was famous as a promoter of non-violent protest. His approach was inspired by the philosophical system of Mahatma Gandhi (Erikson, 1992). Among the tactics employed by the followers of the 1960’s civil rights movement, there were marches, sit-ins, freedom rides, boycotts, and other forms of peaceful civil disobedience (Crosby, 2017). Therefore, it would be fair to claim that “non-violent direct action was critical in challenging segregation in public accommodations” (Crosby, 2017). Such actions appeared to be considerably useful: some sit-ins caused the changes in local policies, and, eventually, brought American society to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Crosby, 2017). In a word, Martin Luther King’s followers employed the strategy of non-violent civilian protest and its specific peaceful tactics.
It is relevant to pose the question of whether these tactics are relevant for contemporary ethnic and racial conflicts. On the one hand, it seems that for the social contradictions occurring in the developed societies – for instance, the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States in 2020 – there are all the opportunities to employ non-violent tactics. Communities that marginalize violence should adhere to that paradigm, and that is why there is much discussion on the BLM movement members that acted differently, for instance, practicing looting. On the other hand, most societies experiencing racial and ethnic tensions belong to the so-called Third World, where ethnic police and other state actors extensively use violence against protestors. While the idea of peaceful protest seems applicable considering the values that pro-equality protestors defend, it makes the fight itself challenging. In other words, violence is not the tool to apply; however, some communities exist in such a level of violence that it is difficult to give up these means.
Nevertheless, the ideas that enriched the public agenda in the 1960s in the context of the protests under discussion appear to be applicable for contemporary discussion. There still seem to be more authoritarian regimes than there are democratic ones. Fighting against injustice with violent tools reaches the minimal level of efficiency facing the state system based on military and other powerful institutions. As Gene Sharp (2013), the ideologist of peaceful protests, explains, fighting an authoritarian regime with force is equal to beating one’s head against the wall. Meanwhile, the idea of nonviolence does have much to do with the values of the Post-Protestant world in which the contemporary West exists and which are globally promoted. Thus, the ideas of Martin Luther King have not lost their relevance throughout the 50 years of human history. On the contrary, this approach has proved to be extremely useful, as the non-violent tools are practiced in recent protests like in Armenia or Belarus.
Finally, it is fair to pose the question, whether the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s impacted diversity in the new American community. The movement analyzed did indeed contribute to the U.S.’s diversity level in the 21st century and has given equal rights to African Americans and other minority groups. However, it is impossible to imagine American history without it: seeking emancipation has always been the natural trait of the underprivileged groups in the country that globally promotes human rights. The 1960’s movement and the phenomenon of Martin Luther King himself was a part of a tendency that brought American society to its current state. Noteworthy, if this question is interpreted in the way of what the movement could do today, the contemporary civil rights movements are, in a way, the reflection of the 1960’s heritage. Hence, the Martin Luther King movement contributed to the diversity in America, and it continues to impact the social fight against injustice.
Conclusion
To conclude, the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s was the continuation of the many decades’ fight of the African American population against discrimination. While the U.S. is globally known as the country that defends human rights, this concept has not always covered the minority groups, including the one under discussion. The movement transformed American society and liberated other underprivileged groups. What is more, the non-violent protest that proved its efficiency during the 1960’s movement inspired other groups worldwide to employ its tactics and techniques. Hence, it would be fair to claim that Martin Luther King’s ideas and approach to protesting are still relevant and respectable.
References
Abhay, P., & Avenancio-Leon, C. (2019). The effect of political power on labor market inequality: Evidence from the 1965 Voting Act. Law NYU.
Crosby, E. (2017). Civil rights movement tactics. Civil Rights Teaching. Web.
Erikson, E. (1992). Gandhi’s truth: On the origins of militant nonviolence. Norton & Co.
History. (2020). Civil Rights movement timeline. History. Web.
Myers, P. C. (2017). The mind of Black Lives Matter. National Affairs, 44. Web.
Sharp, G. (2013). How nonviolent struggle works. The Albert Einstein Institute.