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In the tense time period of the 1950’s and 1960’s, commonly known as the Civil Rights Movement, a non-violent form of black protest would enter American society with a gripping force. This movement was instituted by the defiance of enforced segregation by African Americans combined with the age-old tyranny of white supremacy. This paper analyzes the effects that Cold War politics, protests and sit-ins, and the need for black power had on the shaping of the modern movement for civil rights. The most prominent factor in the shaping of the Civil Rights Movement was the arrival of Cold War politics. After the war, the United States was in a very difficult situation in regards to the newly present international concern for civil rights. Because foreign delegates from the United Nations were able to witness the degree of racial discrimination present in the United States, the Soviet Union was able to use this as a powerful source of propaganda against us. This intense international advantage would eventually aid in the re-shaping of American racial policies. “The impact of the Cold War, the anti-communist purges and near totalitarian social environment, had a devastating effect upon the cause of blacks’ civil rights and civil liberties.” On the flip-side, American conservatives used fear of “communist subversion” as an excuse to tyrannize anyone who favored change in American society. In a time where African Americans were trying to fit in, being associated with communism was exactly what they didn’t want. This was especially hard to avoid given the fact that “racial reform” was viewed as a communist act. In the novel, Race, Reform, and Rebellion, Manning Marable states, “The paranoid mood of anti-communist America made it difficult for any other reasonable reform movement to exist.” This quote magnifies the importance of a non-violent approach to civil rights, as well as the acute political intensity of the time. Black Americans began to reach out to the world for help, criticizing the US Government through various forms of articles and public speeches. Leaders such as Paul Robeson and W.E.B. DuBois spoke openly and enthusiastically about the black man’s struggle for civil rights in America. “It is unthinkable that American Negroes would go to war on behalf of those [the United States] who have oppressed us for generations against a country [the Soviet Union] which in one generation has raised our people to full human dignity of mankind.” Comments such as these attracted the attention of many people across the world, ultimately ruining the United States’ foreign policies. With the US trying to gain the support of emerging nations, this could not have come at a worse time. The United Nations would now use this advantage to “discredit American sincerity by pointing to the deplorable state of race relations within the United States.” From this point on, the modern movement for civil rights would transpire with flying colors. Another important factor in the shaping of the Civil Rights Movement was the presence of non-violent protests. The most influential protest movement that took place in this time period was the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Approximate Word count = 1997
Approximate Pages = 8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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