Trailblazing Civil Rights: The 1957 Acts Impact on Equality

Abstract

Instructor’s Name Date Introduction Democracy in the United States dates back to a long struggle for freedom, a civil composite entailing a series of political adjustments and governance. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 is the first Civil Rights Legislation since the reconstruction era. . It dawned in America when the federal government took its first initiative to protect civil rights. It was legislation to end segregation deeply rooted in White America. The White Supremacists denied African Americans equality and lived in poverty, hopelessness, and segregation for a very long time. The Civil Rights Act was signed by President Dwight Eisenhower in his second term of the presidency on the 9th of September, 1957, protecting the civil rights of United States citizens. The Act was significant in protecting the rights of minority groups and black Americans. Despite challenges in the execution of the Act until the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 laid a steadfast foundation in the enforcement of Civil Rights that for a long time had been trampled by white supremacists. It did not create new rights but increased the protection of voting rights for blacks and minorities. Only 20 % of African Americans were registered as voters in the South. Discrimination and segregation hindered African Americans' healthy living in schools, businesses, and public institutions. The Bill's primary purpose was to increase the number of registered voters in the South. This research paper will discuss the historical propositions of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 on a broad spectrum and its tremendous influences on Civil legislation in American society. The Struggle for Civil Rights. Nobody was much more interested in freedom than an African American. The racial tribulations and narratives documented in history are painful. They seemingly strike the people of colour today due to the legacy of slavery and segregation they succumbed to, passed from generation to generation. The African Americans suffered racial turmoil in a fascist setting that led to heroic mobilizations across the country demanding equality and justice that would ultimately shape American politics for a long time. The first initiative the blacks used since the civil war was the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Civil rights in America are a long struggle, a journey of discrimination, assassination, and turmoil. Yet, today Americans can enjoy the freedom of the historical influencers who fathomed for a peaceful America. In the 1952 campaigns, Eisenhower campaigned vigorously with an assurance to promote justice and equality in his tenure. The president championed the complete desegregation of the capital. But did not put his focus on desegregating the whole country. The demand for civil rights was not easy. Many African Americans had to lose their lives through assassination. Harry Tyson Moore was a steward organizer for the NAACP and worked in Florida. He helped establish voting registration offices in rural areas to uphold the voting rights of African Americans. Due to Moore’s vocal fight for the rights of African Americans, he was assassinated. He organized and filed a lawsuit in Brevard challenging the discriminatory salaries between black and white Americans in 1937 in the South. He died in 1951 due to the Ku Klux Klan terror attack. Ralph Ellison stood tall amid the hostility of the blacks to defend his worth as a black American; he said, “I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fibre and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible simply because people refuse to see me." Ralph published a book in 1952 titled the Invisible man' which showed courage amid the scrupulous acts of the White Supremacists. African Americans were willing to die for their freedom. African American musicians from all realms were not happy about the deprival of freedom. They took it to music to express their grievances through music. Jazz pianist and educator Dr Billy Taylor penned his song “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free”. The concept of freedom was fundamental, and African Americans took all their efforts to fight for it. Medgar Evers, the first field secretary of the NAACP, was a vocalist in championing African Americans in his state Mississippi. He fought against segregation, organized protests, and promoted voter registration. Medgar was unwilling to relent until the people of color got their freedom. His story of freedom forced his death when he was bombed in 1963 while leading protests in Mississippi. The members of the NAACP faced tribulations in their struggle for civil rights. They worked at the expense of losing their lives to enjoy freedom. African Americans organized Christian rallies and prayed for their freedom. In an attempt to push for the confirmation of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, Martin Luther King, Roy Wilkins, and Roy Randolph organized a prayer pilgrimage attracting a total of 25,00 people, which today regarded as the most significant civil rights registration till today. The struggle for civil rights also included nonviolent disobedience, legal action, and black power. Jim Crow and Segregation in White America The Civil Rights Act of 157 was influenced by segregation in the United States. Segregation was a law in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries. African Americans were treated as second-class citizens and deprived of their human rights of freedom and equality. In the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857), the supreme court ruled out that African Americans were not United States citizens. Racial segregation was eminent in schools, housing, medical care, transportation, employment, prisons, armed forces, and recreational facilities. The white supremacists operated under the doctrine passed in 1896 that upheld the legal separation of races following the ruling on H.A. Plessy v. J.H. Ferguson. This doctrine was regarded as "separate but equal"; hence segregation laws did not violate the constitution. The famous belief that blacks and whites cannot coexist was a norm in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Jim Crow laws established a chasm between the blacks and whites in all sectors to block coexistence. The anti-mix marriage laws were upheld since they did not violate the constitution. The Great Migration in the 19th century showed the incredible hatred of racism. Most African Americans migrated from the South towards the North, but the whites were not receptive to it. The racial segregation they experienced in the South was prevalent in the North. The Great Depression was a crisis that affected the U.S., and African Americans continued to languish in poverty. The government focused on building houses in the white communities, and few blacks enjoyed the privilege. The 1930s saw the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board conspired to the red lining of black communities, and they could not access loans and replenish themselves from poverty. Racial segregation was adverse and black activists led protests around the country to express their dismay. The segregation did not affect only politics but extended to public policy. The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist movement, targeted black voters who wanted to be registered as voters and killed the people of colour who attempted to desegregate the country. The Civil rights movement became a cornerstone in fighting against segregation in the United States. History Attributed to the Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Abolition of slavery was a new dawn for African Americans after three amendments were passed to protect their freedom. The thirteenth amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery; the fourteenth amendment, ratified in 1868, granted them citizenship; and the fifteenth amendment, ratified in 1870, guaranteed them the right to vote. However, the enforcement of these rights failed terribly after the supreme court between 1873-1883 dismantled the work of Congress during the reconstruction era, leaving a chasm in the enforcement of civil rights. The black codes then gain accolades limiting African American progress. The leaders were also racists and did not want progressive legislation to counter discrimination. The passing of the Civil Rights Bill in the senate became very difficult due to the leader's provocations to hinder civil rights legislation. The Senator of South Carolina used a filibuster to create a magical twist for the people to change their minds against passing the Civil Rights Act bill 1957. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was a calling to ban racial discrimination in public institutions, but it lasted until 1883, when it was nullified. The Jim crow laws became a custom and racial segregation became a norm. The 1890s saw Africa Americans lose their voting rights through white primary, poll taxes, and literacy tests. The Civil Rights Act led to the formation of the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice, a Civil Rights Commission in the Executive Branch, and the broadening of federal authority in determining lawsuits. Racial segregation was intense in America. Rosa parks, a black woman of resolute refused to give up her seat to a white woman in Alabama; the aftermath was arrest. The scene sparked a lot of attention and protests from African Americans, leading to the evolution of the Civil Rights Movement. The world came to dawn after World War II. The horror of the white supremacists in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia demanded action against racial prejudice. World War II is regarded as the second reconstruction since it saw the cracking of the Jim Crow laws. The 1957 Act marked the end of an 82-year absence of federal civil rights in America. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the landmark of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and several other human rights followed proposed by the Civil rights division. The Legislative History of the Civil Rights Act 1957. Prior legislation The infringement of civil rights on African Americans took place for almost three-quarters of a century while Congress watched without taking action. The last legislative action was during the reconstruction following an intense Civil War. The fourteenth and fifteenth amendments ratified in 1868 and 1870 provided a basis for constitutionalism in enforcing civil rights. Congress was determined to enforce more civil rights to strengthen civil rights against discrimination, but their fate was met by the Supreme Court's ban in 1883. The struggle for freedom continued despite many difficulties by white supremacists who believed in the separate but equal doctrine. They did not want race mixing and made the states relent by encouraging the provision of the same services in separate institutions. In the 1950s, a new shade of light arose. The Jim Crow laws and the Black codes were still effective. The South was still a hotbed for discrimination, segregation, and civil rights denial. Voter qualification tests were still used to disqualify African Americans from boasting about their suffrage rights. In 1939, reforms in the federal interventions on enacting civil rights began a journey that saw the eventuality of the passing of the Civil Right Act of 1957. What led to the Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act Bill of 1957 was introduced by Attorney General Herbert Brownell, who played a significant role in shaping the passing of the Bill. President Eisenhower’s administration also propelled the passing of the Bill. The Bill was divided into four parts which include the following; I. Creating a commission within an executive branch to investigate the violation of Civil Rights. II. creating an assistant attorney general on civil rights. It led to the heightening of the ranks of the Department of Justice, a section of Civil Rights to the Civil Rights Division III. Proposed broadening the language of authority in justice departments to enhance the enforcement of civil rights in criminal and civil proceedings. IV. Protection of voting rights. The attorney was authorized to bring civil lawsuits and court orders causing the infringement of voting rights. The Bill engaged in a conscious debate. It was voted for overwhelmingly by the house of representatives with a vote of 286 against 126. The Southern Democrats significantly opposed the passing of the Bill and became an obstacle to achieving Civil Rights suffrage rights. Through their leader Senator Richard Russell of Georgia, many argued that the Bill would not pass in the senate due to the support base that the senators had against the Bill. The 1957 legislation was a very crucial matter for the future of the democracy of the country and the nearing general election in 1960. There was a necessity to pass the Bill, and the majority leader of the senate Lyndon B. Johnson was aware of the impending critics surrounding the Bill. Most southern senators were not convinced about the civil rights bill due to the fear of race mixing. The Bill was a dilemma to many senators since most of their constituents were racists and would not view the passage of the Bill on civil rights as fit in the public domain. Senator Rusell scrutinized the context of the Bill on the 2nd of July 1957. he changed the thoughts of many senators against the Bill. The senator's speech was calculated to win votes to certify part IV of the Bill. As recommended in part III, the senator did not have broad authorization for influencing criminal investigations and civil lawsuits. Rusell referred to the Civil Rights Act of 1866, where the federal government enacted the armed forces to use power in court orders and civil lawsuits. But eventually, they had to sacrifice their thoughts and assertions to certify the Bill since part IV was crucial to their needs. On the 7th of August, part III of the Bill was passed with a majority vote of 72 against 18. The passing of the entire Bill in the senate was difficult compared to the house of representatives. Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina took his influence on the passing of the Bill and made a substantive speech to lure the passing of the Bill and eventually the Bill with a majority of 60 to 15. President Dwight signed the Bill on the 9th of September 1957. Features of the Civil Rights Act 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was propelled by President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration and conventions such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Congress. The legislation called it an hour of moral stamina in the eyes of the whole world. The Bill was finally enacted as law. And the Bill is proposed as parts I, II, III, and IV. It was proposed to have various features. I. the commission was created with a six-member bipartisan commission on Civil Rights. The members were entitled to investigate voter infringement based on color, nationality, religion, or race. The commission was entitled to assess the constitution's equal protection rights and collect information regarding the clause. The equal protection laws were granted appraisal under the constitution, and the six members of the bench were expected to abide by the federal government's enactment of equal protection rights. The collection of information was done in the states, and witnesses provided information to be scrutinized by the six members. Under the civil rights Act, the commission was to be dissolved in two years; the commission is still relevant in the 21st century in investigating civil rights violations. II. An assistant general was created for the attorney general position. The serving attorney general, William Rogers, ordered the creation of the Civil rights Division within the Department of Justice. III. it entailed the amendment of the civil rights conferring authority and federal jurisdiction on lawsuits to influence civil rights violations, especially the infringement of voting rights. IV. this part of the Act entailed enforcing powers provided by the Act. The Act prohibited interference and intimidation of a person on his purported right to vote as they may choose. The federal authority enacted the ban on discriminatory laws to prevent citizens from exercising their voting rights peacefully. Judicial Action and Enforcement of the Civil Rights Act 1957. The Act provided that the Department of Criminal Justice’s jurisdiction was limited to violating voting rights and criminal prosecutions. The Civil Rights Division conferred 15 attorneys in 1958 and increased to 27 in 1959. The attorney represented the emphasis on voting rights and their enforcement. The strategy of the Act changed after the entry of a new President, J. F Kennedy, into power. He appointed his brother Robert Kennedy as the serving attorney ad Burke Marshall as the head of the Division. The department was very aggressive and travelled periodically to the South to investigate the extent of voting discrimination. The states, however, proved hostile to the attorneys and the department members due to the discriminatory measures in place. The Division of Civil Rights presented a case showing discrimination and infringement of the suffrage rights of people of color. The evidence showed that in 1961, 8,597 out of 14,400 whites in Dallas County and 242 out of 15,115 blacks, depicting a vast discriminatory base of Africa Americans. The case was presented to the court, and many other cases of discrimination gained victory from the court. The dedication and service in eliminating voter discrimination following the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 led to a turning point. Congress passed the 1965 Voting Act Right to enforce all the stipulations of the 1957 Act. Over 100,00 Americans followed suit in voter registration in Dallas County. The enactment of the 1957 Act shed the discriminatory nature of States in conferring suffrage rights and, through various cases, forced the Civil Rights Voting Act of 1965. Powers of the six-member commission A full-time staff director shall be appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the senate and shall receive compensation from the president's office for an amount not exceeding $25000 in a year. Before any appointment of the staff director, the president shall consult with the commission. The commission is, however, limited to the use of voluntary or uncompensated personnel. The commission may also contain an advisory committee within the states who may consult with governors, attorneys, and other state representatives. All federal agencies are entitled to cooperate with the commission to enhance the efficiency of their functions. Propositions included in the Act Federal Jury Qualifications The Act instigates that cases of criminal contempt arising under the Act's provisions shall be punished by fine or imprisonment. The fine shall not exceed $1000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months The accused in a case of criminal contempt in the presence of a judge may be tried with or without a jury. Qualifications of federal Jurors The Act instigates that any citizen of the age of 21 who has lived for one year within the judicial district is entitled to serve as a juror. The juror is limited to serve due to the following reasons; They cannot read or write, speak and understand the English language. He has a pending case in court, state or federal, and either pardon or amnesty has not lifted his case for a case of more than one-year imprisonment. He is mentally disabled and is not capable of serving as a juror. Reforms attributed to the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The Act's enactment did not successfully confer voting rights equal to African Americans and whites but influenced numerous reforms on civil rights. The discriminatory policies rooted in the Southern state were dismantled. The Civil Rights Division challenged the voter requirements as provided under the constitution. The colossal obstacle was broken down, creating a platform for enacting the civil rights constitutional laws. Along their line of duty, the Civil Rights Division and Civil Rights Commission realized numerous civil rights problems facing African Americans. It was a move that strengthened the ties of the Civil Rights Division with the people to solve their civil rights problems denied. It ended over 50 years of congress inaction on the passing of civil rights. It was an era of transformation, and the Civil Rights...