Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement would add to the modules examination of the US because it is a fundamental part of American history regarding race and equality. This era completely changed America, it gave African Americans a sense of hope and unity to overcome their inferior status in society.

Without the Civil Rights Movement America would not have Barack Obama as the first black President. In addition to Obama being President the issue of police targeting African Americans has become more prominent in the media, therefore the whole world can see that America still has some racial issues to this day.

Important figures in the Civil Rights Movement such as Booker T Washington, W.E.B DuBois, Stokely Carmichael, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King to name some of the most well-known leaders would follow on nicely to the progression from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement to the modern day. This can show the broad history of African Americans as well as whites attitudes towards them have changed across the years. Also how effective the different methods of approaching the Movement and the different beliefs the different leaders had would also assist in analysing the time period. In addition to this if people can only recognise Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael and Rosa Parks they will not know some of the early leaders who began with equality in education and jobs before the later leaders received more media coverage. Therefore can decide who they believe was in fact the most influential leader of the time when faced with other leaders and noting the advantages and disadvantages of the approaches.