Civil Rights Essay

By: Shea Connelly

During Americas history there have been many dark spots where America hasnt always
been the Home of the free. African Americans suffered injustices and violence towards them.
When they started protesting for Civil Rights there were both peaceful and violent marches. A lot
of this went on particularly in the south including Georgia. Hosea Williams led a few marches in
Georgia and other states too. Even though this all happened a while ago, there are still racial
inequality problems today.
The injustices that blacks suffered went from one extreme to another. They were
sometimes falsely convicted or lynched just because the color of their skin was different. The
buses were segregated by making black people sit in the back of the bus in a certain section, and
if a white person got on the bus and needed a seat, a black person would have to give up their
seat. Schools were also segregated and one Georgia governor even said that he would cut all state
spending on schools before he let them be integrated. His name was Ernest Vandiver. There was
also violence towards blacks when they had done nothing wrong. Many black people also
received lower pay than white people. One group called the Klu Klux Klan would organize
bombings of black schools and churches and violence against black and white people fighting for
Civil Rights in the South. Many researchers and people who come from this time period say that
Mississippi was the most violent state because of the lawmakers, law enforcers, and officers who
fought for segregation with violence threats against anyone who tried to protest for rights.
Examples of violence would be the many shootings of innocent black people and no one charged
for the crime, bombings of black schools and churches, bricks being thrown into the homes of
black people living in white neighborhoods and more.
During the 1950s and the 1960s, African Americans had a tough time without laws
against violence towards them and segregation everywhere they went. Many colored people and
white people started to protest for rights and integration. Their marches were meant to be
peaceful, but many times they ended in violence. They would have peaceful sit-ins and protests
that students and black citizens would participate in. Malcolm X is a Civil Rights activist who
used violence to get his point across. He was part of the black panthers, a group of violent black

men who use fear and violence to get people to listen, and an example of his forcefulness is that
he would sometimes blow up old cars.
A lot of the civil rights protesting took place in the south including Georgia. Many black
Georgians from rural and urban counties got involved in protesting against white supremacy and
segregation. There was even segregation at the University of Georgia. In January of 1961 UGA
was unwelcoming to two students who were African American. Their names were Charlayne
Hunter and Hamilton Holmes. They were the first black students accepted at the school and they
were the first to graduate. There were many other events in Georgia including the Albany
Movement, the freedom rides, the Savannah bus boycott victory, and the Voter Education
Project.
Hosea Williams was an important Civil Rights activist and was one of the many leaders
born in Georgia. Williams played an important leadership role in 1965 in the March to
Montgomery. He was born in Attapulgus, Georgia. When he was young his mother died and he
and his sister had to move in with his grandparents. After he joined an all-black unit for World
War II, he got injured and was sent home with a purple heart. Hosea played a major leadership
role (once again) in Bloody Sunday. This was a meant to be peaceful march from Selma,
Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama. Williams started the Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless
Food International Aid Organization in 1971. Williams became the president of the SCLC
because Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
Even though the Civil Rights Movement was in the 60s, there are still problems with
races today. For instance, there have been numerous shootings of African American teens and
white teens. African Americans believe that the white cops shooting the black teens are racially
intolerant, even though they may have the right to shoot. Another thing is that the president of
the United States is African American. His mane is Barrack Obama. Not everyone votes for the
same person, but you shouldnt vote or not vote for someone because of the color of their skin.
Another example is that many South Americans dont like to be called Hispanic because they
arent from Spain. They are commonly called that without even a thought as to how they might
feel about it.
In conclusion, African Americans fought hard for rights against segregation and
discrimination. Some chose to use violence and others chose to use peaceful strategies. No

matter what America does it will still have those dark blemishes from the mistakes it made. All
we can hope for is that we will avoid making any more blemishes again in the future.

Work Cited
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