The Civil Rights Movement and its Impact on Diversity in the US

The Civil Rights Movement
Name
Course
Institution
Date
1. Explain if the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s effectively changed the nation.
The Civil Rights Movement (1961-1968) focused on equality and social justice, mainly for African Americans. Briefly, after the end of the Civil War, black people enjoyed some political rights. Still, by the 1870s, they had lost these rights because of the racial segregation system. The US constitution recognized African-Americans as equal citizens, but in practice, this was not the case. In the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement leaders, activists, and their allies focused on eliminating segregation and promoting equality for all. The movement hastened the end of racial segregation in the US, with blacks now able to access public facilities, transportation, accommodation, restaurants, and workplaces where they were previously barred.
At first, there was a greater focus on African-American civil rights and liberties, but there were changes to protect civil liberties for all. For instance, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination in employment and public accommodations (Foner, 2014). This was monumental as this banned racial discrimination, while there was improved access to African-Americans, women resources for women, religious minorities, and the poor. Laws, policies, and legislations were adopted to address discrimination, and the system of racial segregation was dismantled. The socially and economically marginalized African-Americans were hopeful that there would be changes.
2. What effect would the Civil Rights Acts have across the continent on minority groups?
The message of ending segregation and discrimination for African-Americans also resonated with other minorities across the continent. The Civil Rights Acts banned racial discrimination ad emphasized supporting minority rights. There was recognition that there was a need to protect the legal rights of minority groups and to adopt anti-discrimination laws. Just as the US denied civil rights to African-Americans, minorities were discriminated against across the continent, including other democratic countries. In Canada, the practice and policies of exclusion and marginalization meant that women, Indigenous peoples, and different minority groups were discriminated against. Minority-led movements recognized influenced the adoption of anti-discrimination laws to ensure equal treatment.
There was an increased focus on resisting discriminatory governments, law enforcement agents, and policies through activism. There was the unfair and unjust treatment of minority groups and activism and collective action for equal rights protection. Activists became more vocal in highlighting the plight of minorities as the US civil rights movement influenced a change in policies and reforms in the US. Furthermore, the activists openly advocated for equality and justice and allied themselves with supporters, with collective action being more influential. The Chicano Movement, one of the radical Mexican-American movements, was one of the influential groups that focused on political rights, voting rights, workers' rights and restring land grants. Boycotts and direct action were effective strategies to draw attention to the ...