Nothing Good Comes Easily

Nothing Good Comes Easily:

The Acceptance of Blacks in White America

Alec Whitman

FYS 188: Fight the Power

2/16/07

From America's birth with the signing of the Declaration of Independence there have been few movements that have affected as many people as the Civil Rights movement. In a world where blacks were always seen as inferior, any other notion or conception of blacks was highly untolerated. Since Abraham Lincoln had freed the slaves in 1886, there had been no discernable change in the state of racial affairs in America. Not until Brown v. Board of Education ruled that schools should be integrated was anything done for help the plights of blacks. Even after Brown, the South met the changes with fierce and violent resistance. When CORE started their freedom rides, the activists were brutally beaten time and again by Southern whites opposed to change in their way of life. For many whites these were welcome changes that finally address the issue of racism and civil rights for all, but for the large population in the South the government telling them what to do did not sit well at all. These feelings of unrest caused many reactions from whites and blacks alike, but for whites in America these changes would rest deeply for years to come.

Blacks have struggled to gain acceptance since they first were encountered with the injustice and inequality that dwelled in our country. However, whites had so repeatedly cut them down that most blacks were so far beaten into submission that hope for a better life seemed gone. The South could not stand having the government come and interfere in their affairs, and were willing to protest the government's decisions by not protecting activists. Then with the Montgomery bus boycott, all blacks finally had a cause to rally in support for. Rosa Parks sparked the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, and there were a mass population of blacks to join in. To go along with the determined blacks there were many whites from all levels that were willing to fight for equality. But blacks would not be deterred by these acts of hate; they weren't going to sit back and take it anymore. Racism affected nearly every aspect of life in America, and activists worked very hard in the face of violent resistance to combat some of the largest issues. To begin, sit-ins inspired by the Greensboro Four "achieved impressive results. Activists had integrated lunch counters and theaters in nearly 200 cities" (Anderson, 27). The changes were only a small part of the overall goal, but it was a good start. The Civil Rights movement came to a head in 1963 with Kennedy asking congress to pass a comprehensive civil rights act. The government was always slow to act in addressing civil rights, and the March on Washington was proposed by Martin Luther Kind jr. to urge congress to pass the act. There King delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech along with many other key black speakers to the crowd of 200000. Kennedy's assassination slowed the progress for a short time, but in 1964 Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act. Finally "after blacks had resided in America for three centuries, the United States recognized that in all states they were citizens protected by the US Constitution" (Anderson, 51). Although the act officially instituted school district integration, non-discrimination, and desegregation, activists working to ensure these were carried out were still met with violent resistance in many parts of the country, specifically the south. Also, the Civil rights act failed to address another important concern, the right to vote in state and local elections for blacks, beginning yet another movement to register black voters in Mississippi. To ensure the process, Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, making it illegal to deny valid voters from registering. Although there were more murders and violence, out of "freedom summer" succeeded in registering many black voters, the recognition of black officials was denied from the 1964 Democratic Convention and had to wait until 1968. These all contributed to the progress of civil rights for black citizens, but that was only one group on which the movement had an effect.

For liberal whites in America, the civil rights movement was a cause to support, though there were varying degrees to which they became involved. Most vocally supported equality for all, and those were important to elect officials who would pass laws to further the cause. They were willing to commit support for the movement, but remained out of the national spotlight for the most part. Along with those, a small group of students, teachers, and activists took a more active part in fighting for the rights of blacks. Along with the blacks involved in the movement, there were always these white activists to show how other races cared about civil rights than only blacks. These people were just as committed, although they lacked skin color of their peers. They desired equality in America along with the black movement, and were willing to take beatings and death to get just that. Liberal whites had already accepted the presence of blacks in their communities and saw that we are all equal as humans, and we should all have the same rights. This was a sharp contrast to the other major portion of whites, the ones who believed that blacks were lower, and it should always be that way.

Growing up in the south, people had become accustomed to their way of life. One crucial part of that was the idea that blacks were inferior to whites. So deeply rooted was this belief that hate mongering and murder all became acceptable as a means to stop the civil rights movement. In response to actions by activists to gain equal rights, Southern leaders felt it right to protest these actions by not protecting them from attackers with force. In fact many turned the forces on the activists, setting fire hoses, dogs, and police on the people. Their attitude was that if these people want to come make trouble then we are in no way obligated to help them. Birmingham police commissioner Bull Connor captured the feeling exactly, "We have no intention of standing guard for a bunch of troublemakers coming into out city" (Anderson, 29). Southern whites were ready to do anything the felt necessary to uphold their standard of living. They were raised this way and be damned if they wouldn't die like that. Black activists knew this, but were undeterred from fighting for their rights. "The really terrible thing, old buddy, is