Sample Essay

Katie Risolo
EDU 509
DBQ Assessment
Civil Rights Movement - Sample Essay
The Civil Rights Movement was a time where African-Americans fought for equal rights
and treatment. From 1954 to 1968, many groups and individuals experienced unfair treatment or
violence to achieve equality. African-Americans in the United States faced great hardships both
before and during the Civil Rights Movement. However, there were significant actions taken by
different groups, people, and also the government to make a change.
African-Americans faced many hardships both before and during the Civil Rights
Movement. Throughout this time period, they were segregated and kept separate from white
people in all public buildings. For example, they were not allowed to sit in specific parts of
restaurants. In Document 1, it states that four college students named Ezell Blair, Jr.m, Franklin
McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond known as the Greensboro Four, sat down at a
whites-only lunch counter one day at Woolworths. These students were not served at the lunch
counter because of the color of their skin. While performing sit-ins, they experienced verbal
threats and also were physically harmed. Some even had food poured over them, but they still
engaged in civil disobedience. Another hardship African-Americans faced was attending
segregated schools. Before the Civil Rights Movement, children who were African-American
attended different schools than white children. Usually these schools were not in the best areas
and required them to travel far away to attend. According to Document 2, during the time of
when schools were beginning to be integrated in the American South, by 1960 there were still a
few states who were not integrated. These states were Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,
and South Carolina. So, in order to receive an education, African-American students had to go to
schools that were a far distance away from their house even if an all white school was relatively
close. Some very serious hardships that African-Americans endured were violent retaliation to
their non-violent protests and demonstrations. For example, as exemplified in Document 4,
police used water hoses and dogs to respond to people involved in the non-violent
demonstrations. Police officers in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 reacted to non-violent protests
with violence because they did not agree with the Civil Rights Movement. Rather, they promoted
segregation and discrimination. As a result of the many difficulties and trouble AfricanAmericans experienced, they began to leave the South and go to states that were accepting of
their race and desegregated. Document 6 features a migration map that details the large
population loss in the South that is directly related to the large population gain in the North
because of the segregation, discrimination and violence against African-Americans.
There were a few different groups and individuals, as well as the government, that took
many actions to make a change during the Civil Rights period. On February 1, 1960 in

Sample Essay
Woolworths Department Store in Greensboro, North Carolina, four students began the first of
many sit-ins. According to Document 1, protesting non-violently instead of using force is
advantageous because it does not provoke violence with violence. It is taking a stand against
violence in a peaceful manner. By taking a stand, they were working to make a change. One of
the most famous figures from the Civil Rights Movement is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who
became prominent in 1955. As detailed in Document 3, due to Dr. Kings leadership during
demonstrations and protests that openly defied the racist laws, he was arrested many times. In the
Spring of 1963, he was arrested and in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King wrote a letter
talking about how strongly he believed in non-violent resistance. He could not sit idly and not be
concerned about the injustices he has faced after accusations that his actions were unwise and
untimely. Dr. King was writing to other clergymen to emphasize the importance of engaging in
non-violence to show how strongly they feel about gaining civil rights (Doc. 3). One of the most
famous demonstrations was the March on Washington. The March on Washington was when
thousands of demonstrators went to Washington, D.C. to demand social justice. The goals of the
largest demonstration during that time were to demand the right to vote, to have adequate
integrated education, meaningful Civil Rights laws, full and fair employment, and a massive
federal works program (Doc. 4). Document 4 explains that the March on Washington was
coordinated because millions of African-Americans were denied freedoms and also jobs. The
United States government took into consideration all of the groups and individuals fighting for
their rights. Ultimately, the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954 stated that the racial
segregation of children in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment (Doc. 2). This was
a huge case for the supporters of the Civil Rights Movement as it lead to major changes.
African-Americans in the United States faced great hardships both before and during the
Civil Rights Movement. However, there were significant actions taken by different groups,
people, and also the government to make a change. Some of the hardships included segregation
in public facilities, discrimination against their skin color and race, and violent acts done against
African-Americans. However, through non-violent demonstrations, protests, marches, and even
speeches done by significant Civil Rights figures, changes began to happen. These were major
events that helped shaped the time period while showing the extent of injustice, unfair or violent
treatment, and also directly took action against the injustices faced.