SSODSTYLES

By: Cristopher Avello

Social Protest Movements were established during the 1960s by racial activists seeking and discovering sources who could change the dynamics of social reform. These movements used non-violent resistance tactics that expanded individual liberties, strategies that proved very effective in achieving equal rights, outlawing discrimination in public accommodations, and establishing educational opportunities. Though non-violent resistance provided a forum for the momentum that would lead to civil rights efforts, it was the movement of “Action inspiring action and nothing more contagious than courage” that encouraged and expanded groups like the SCLC and CORE, which rallied the people with messages of justice and hope. Later, communities fought harder to pass meaningful civil rights legislation through Congress, but none proved as important as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Subsequently, the Social Protests I will discuss address moderate and radical organizations that not only influenced civil rights actions but also legislative reforms that still hold true in Congress today. The moderate movement I will discuss is the Women’s Rights Movement, which focused on the right to live free from violence and discrimination. Over time, these organizations helped pass the Equal Rights Amendment, which broadened the feminist movement. Followed by a radical protest organization called the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), which was known for pushing for governmental support through civil rights initiatives, much like the Women’s Rights Movement. 

From family life, workforce, and reproductive rights, a charge sparked the Women’s Rights Movement, establishing the right to abortion in the Constitution. Then it was the case Roe vs Wade, when a woman argued before the Supreme Court advocating that the decision to have an abortion should be made by the woman who is pregnant. This resulted in a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court calling for the legalization of abortion in 1973. But even before landmark decisions, ruling feminists faced opposition from other women who valued minority organizations and traditional homemaker roles; most women voiced desperate appeals for deliverance from the bondage of enforced maternity (Johnson, 135). First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt inaugurated the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women in 1961. This group advocated in areas of employment, pushing for perspectives that promoted equality for men in the workforce and the formation of local advocacy groups alongside welfare organizations. 

In 1964, Phyllis Schlafly, a social activist, argued that there was nothing wrong with women in homemaker roles and that they should take pride in raising children and caring for their husbands. She said, “God created women to be caregivers and devout Christians.” And in 1960, a controversial discovery was introduced by the FDA, called the birth control “Pill.” During a time when women wanted higher wages and more demanding employment possibilities. The birth control pill transformed women’s thinking because it limited the consequences of extra-marital sex, and it also separated sex from childbirth. But despite the control on whether to choose to become pregnant or not, a Senate Hearing in 1970 brought the health risks of the “Pill” to the attention of the nation.  This infuriated women even more. Up to this point, the drug had been lauded by women as revolutionary and liberating. After all, it was they who bore the disproportionate burden of pregnancy. With the pill’s creation, women began asking why they had less control than men in the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry. This also forced the U.S. Government to recognize and support the economic value of unpaid work, such as childcare and domestic labor.

Not all social protests were moderate; Georgia was a city known for its segregation and racial violence. It was also the place where the Albany Movement formed and where members of the SCLC refused to engage in police brutality after the police chief launched mass arrests (Locke, 319). 1963 was perhaps the most eventful year for civil rights, with non-violent campaigns prompting sit-ins at lunch counters, business boycotts, and peaceful marches (Locke, 320), led by controversial activists, who were unable to pay for planned movements and debates.  Radical social protests remained at the center of efforts by the African American Community to seize the opportunity the war had created, clearly showing the roots of what would become the civil rights movement. This style of protest advocated a bolder variation of a sit-in, in which social activists traveled through the Deep South on buses in the Freedom Rides. The activist group (CORE), the Congress of Racial Equality, even resisted Supreme Court decisions, organizing bus rides that fought off beatings from angry mobs and fierce resistance from KKK groups. These racial violence and segregation protests formed a group of civil rights organizers called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The SCLC is a radical social protest movement, and I think historians should rate it as the socialists’ biggest movement. They were a group of Black Christian’s propelling important civil rights issues that demonstrated the significance of religion to the broader world. 

This group was led by SCLC leader Martin Luther King Jr. He provided direction to his followers, and together they earned the country’s trust, helping change discriminatory laws in Congress. Following demonstrations that prompted arrests and were hosed down by the Birmingham police, resulting in national outrage. What made the SCLS unique among other social protest movements was its role as an umbrella organization for affiliates. This group also had non-violent training programs through its affiliations with churches; the SCLC tried to frame the struggle for civil rights in righteous terms. Their first project was called the Crusade; the social movement’s objectives aimed to raise awareness among African Americans. That their chances for improvement rested on their ability to vote. Then this project was followed by a broader focus on economic inequality. And on August 28, 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have A Dream” speech as the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial, stating, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” This ultimately called for civil rights, raising the movement’s profile to new heights and putting unprecedented pressure on politicians to pass meaningful civil rights legislation. This later created space for political leaders to pass legislation, and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) helped with the Freedom Summer campaigners set up schools for African American children. 

In conclusion, both of these social protest movements addressed issues concerning prejudice and expanded freedoms. Movements that made their way all the way up the Congressional chain and placed standards on what the workforce should look like. Women were encouraged to perform duties beyond the scope of perception during equal rights marches, emphasizing the need for education and advancements in employment opportunities. Much like the non-violent march initiatives displayed by the SCLC, which confronted segregation in various aspects of life, specifically a citizen’s right to vote. Historians should focus on the sacrifices around the country that both these movements endured in their struggle against uniformed officers, from riots on the streets that led to arrests and destruction of city buildings. Then, most importantly, into a union formation seeking favorable rulings from the U.S. Government. 

References

Michael P Johnson (1998) Johnson’s Reading the American Past, vol. 2 

Locke, Joseph (1877) the American Yawp textbook