What lead to this event happening? When and Where did it take place?
The Riots took place on the streets of Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. This was part of the Civil Rights movement. There had been many events in this town the led this event to happen. First, the KKK, Ku Klux Klan, had happened a lot in this town, it was one of the strong place that held this group. Secondly, when Freedom Riders drove through the town they were attacked and the police did nothing about it. Also, Birmingham, AL was known as a very racist state in the 1960's. This angered African Americans and caused them to start the Birmingham Riots. These caused Birmingham to be the main focus of the Civil Rights movement.
What was this event trying to accomplish?
The Goal of this event was winning equal rights for African Americans. They were trying to stop violence so people wouldn’t get hurt, but Americans always had made violence happen because they thought African Americans were ruining America, which isn’t true. As a result their stores were still segregated, but their options for jobs have improved.
Who was involved in the riot? Was there any important people involved?
The main people involved in the riots were African Americans of all ages. Men, Women, Elderly, young African Americans fought for what they deserved, equal rights. Martin Luther King, Jr was involved in these riots. During them he was sent to jail for protesting. He one of the leaders of the Civil Right movement, and he gave speeches about equal rights and told the people to protest for what they believe in. He put a positive impact on the African Americans, he gave hope to them.
What kind of obstacles did African Americans have to overcome during the riots? How did they overcome them?
Africans Americans were facing segregation in school, public places, restaurants, and were only given low-paying jobs. At the riots, Americans would yelled at them and attack them. Also, the police brought dogs and fire hoses to the scene and used them on the African Americans. They overcome the obstacles by being the bigger person. They didn’t kill innocent white Americans like the white Americans killed innocent African Americans. They just protested nonviolent but the Americans turned it violent using dogs and water hoses. They were strong and never came up for what they think is fair for everyone. By never giving they were able to win the protest.
How did this event impact today? What are the lasting effects?
The impact of the riots today is that we no longer have “Whites Only” and “Blacks Only” signs on bathrooms, drinking fountains, and busses. Also, schools, restaurants, and public places don’t have segregation issues. The lasting effects of the Birmingham riots is there will always be some racism in the world, but most of the bad racism is gone.
What modern day inequality or event can you connect your Civil Rights Event to?
I can connect this to the Black Lives Matter protest that could place over America. Over the past few years, police have be killing African Americans because they “look like” the are grabbing a gun or they are armed when really they aren’t. African Americans have protested in many cities some are Chicago, Minnesota, Louisiana, Atlanta, and Baltimore. They protests have been nonviolent and the most of the police have not been violent back, but some have. This shows that the Birmingham Riots have decreased the police's violence used against protests.
This video shows how many people were injured or died.
This video shows how African Americans protest today.
Works Cited
History Learning Site (n.d.). Birmingham 1963 - History Learning Site. History Learning Site. Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-civil-rights-movement-in-america-1945-to-1968/birmingham-1963/
Katie Lapotin (64 Jul. 2016.). 15 Cities Where Black Lives Matter Protests Happened This Past Week Besides Dallas. IJR - Independent Journal Review. Retrieved from http://ijr.com/2016/07/646356-15-cities-where-black-lives-matter-protests-happened-this-past-week-besides-dallas/
The National Archives (n.d.). Effect of Birmingham riots - The National Archives. The National Archives. Retrieved from http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/civil-rights-in-america/effect-birmingham-riots/