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Politics and the Civil Rights Movement

Laura and Holly

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Introduction- Politics

Politics are often the foil of society and reflect public opinion, influence and the societal mood. By studying race in politics, the attitude of the nation can be perceived and studied. Theoretically, the nation’s population and the people’s opinions should come through the politicians they elect. Before 1965, when the Voting Rights Act was passed, the politics of the nation are sorely skewed; because of unfair practices, which held African Americans from voting, the politicians elected are not necessarily representative of their districts, counties, states, and finally nation. Despite the difficulty of voting, African Americans were able to hold some political power and through the years, it has built upon itself. Each new position filled by an African American man or woman allowed another to exceed that post. To understand more fully this fascinating development of a political voice, this project was undertaken. By investigating the history of African Americans in politics and looking ahead to the future era of even more pivotal black politicians, we can begin to answer the question of whether true equality has been reached in America. The first black elected official was John Mercer Langston in 1855. It is there that our timeline begins and it ends with Barack Obama. In between these two men, there have been scores of influential politicians, pioneering a path toward political equality. Among them is the first black U.S. Senator (of which there have been only five) Hiram Revels, sat in the Mississippi’s seat on February 25, 1870. During Reconstruction there were some strides toward equality in politics. These advancements include the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery; the Civil Rights Act of 1866, grants citizenship and equal rights; the 14th Amendment, equal protection under the law; 15th Amendment, the vote is extended to all races; and finally the Civil Rights Act of 1875, equality in housing. Unfortunately despite these advances, there was intense resistance by the white community. For example black codes were invented in the Reconstruction Era and the Ku Klux Klan, a society that used intimidation tactics to prevent blacks from voting, holds its roots in the Post-War South.

The Great Migration (1916-1925) , a mass movement of African Americans moving from the rural South to the urban North for a multitude of reasons drove the political influence of African Americans. A seed of black nationalism began to grow in the new concentrations of African Americans. The affects of the Great Migration were particularly felt in Chicago, which became the “capital of black America” (http:// www. encyclopedia. chicagohistory.org). Acclaimed as the most powerful black politician, Democratic congressman William L. Dawson represented Chicago. The World Wars increased the amount of jobs in the cities and accelerated the migration. Also, the fight for justice overseas spurred the formation of organizations to place more political force for Civil Rights. Some of organizations placing political influence with their large concentrations include the NAACP (1900).
Through the 1960s to the present, the voting base of African Americans has been increasing and political movements like the Freedom Democratic

have helped to involve the black community in politics. In 1964, The Voting Rights Act was passed, ensuring protection to vote for all. Currently the fifth black United States Senator, Barack Obama, is running for President and is considered the favored candidate by some experts. Among some clips of other significant political figures, a primary source on the website is his speech on race given on March 18, 2008. The question still remains whether a black politician is regarded equally as a white candidate and if the nation is prepared to take the leap and accept a black man as the leader of the country.