How TV Shaped the Civil Rights Movements Impact

Abstract

Course name Instructor’s name Assignment due date The Role of Television in the Civil Rights Movement The media has played a significant role of setting the agenda and depicting players in social issues in the history of the United States. One of the most impactful moment of the media was its role in the Civil Rights Movement and how it defined the successes and failures of the strategies used by various actors. In particular, television played a central role in communicating key issues raised during the Civil Rights Movement and influenced its impact on national politics in the country (Wasow, 2020). Television grew in popularity in the United States in the 1950s and served as the key mass media through which debates on political issues reached the American people. Consequently, it had a major impact on the information people received from the media during the civil rights protests across the country. Through television, prominent leaders of the movement gained platforms through which they could appeal to the public and strategize on how to achieve political change (Brown & Mourão, 2021). The growth of mass media in the 1950s and 60s through increased access to television influenced the progression of key political debates among them being the Civil Rights Movement. A key role of television during the protests was to provide viewers with a first-hand account of racial injustices. Television provided a new form of mass media where the audience could bear witness to the methods used by the police against the protesters. For instance, television was instrumental in demonstrating the racial injustices occurring during the Birmingham Campaign of 1963. The media showed police officers using fire hoses on protestors and the extent of violence caused by their methods (McKersie, 2021). During the campaign, the police used violent methods to disperse protestors, including children, involved in nonviolent protests. The actions of the police and the determination of the protestors despite racial injustices facilitated debate on the issues leading to the Civil Rights Movement. The media, particularly television, played a central role in showing protests across the United States and how the police responded with violent methods against the protestors. Moreover, television provided a platform where the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement could address their audience and recruit supporters to their cause. A major cause of success of the movement is the overwhelming support the leaders received from a wide range of demographics in the country. Leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. benefited from television by using mass media to communicate to their audience across the country. King’s famous speech, “I Have a Dream” was televised across the country and he gained support for promoting nonviolent protests. The media captured and broadcasted the diversity of people involved in the protests such as the elite and the white population (Wasow, 2020). As a result of the promotion of speeches on national television, leaders of the Civil Rights Movement gained a greater platform that they could use to seek support from the general population. They benefited from having a form of mass media that was more effective at appealing to their target audience compared to radio and print media. The rise of television in the United States had a significant impact on the capacity of the leaders of political protests to appeal for support from a diverse audience. Television impacted the Civil Rights Movement by influencing change in public opinion on issues that the leaders were calling to attention. The broadcasting of key events and protests during the movement played an important role in promoting discussions on issues affecting the African Americans. One of the most televised events was the Selma to Montgomery marches which was a series of three marches that advocated for the rights of black people to vote (Cunningham, 2018). The marches were marked by incidents of violence that television stations captured and aired to their audience. They were influential in the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 since they influenced public opinion on issues that the protesters wanted to address. The broadcasting of such events where dedicated leaders and their supporters showed bravery against the threat of violence caused sympathy and shifts on public opinion concerning voting rights. The March 7, 1965 march by protestors led to violence after state troopers attacked the demonstrators in an event called “Bloody Sunday.” By broadcasting the events and their effects, television promoted progressive debate on issues raised during the protests and how the police responded to nonviolent protestors using violence. Television led to the development of a nationwide debate on the rights of minorities by showing the protests and marches to the audience. By the mid-1960s, a significant portion of the American population received their news from television media. They got information about the protests, their effects on the people involved, and the level of violence used by police officers. Additionally, television provided leaders across the United States with the opportunity to express their views on issues involved in the Civil Rights Movement and how they were handled. The media played an important role in advocating for the changes the leaders and their supporters were seeking during the protests (Cunningham,...