Reaction Post EOTO

Reading about the rise of the KKK and the pushback against the Civil Rights Movement honestly shocked me more than I expected. I always knew the Klan used violence, but seeing how openly they worked with some local authorities made it feel even more disturbing. They claimed they were “fixing problems,” but really they were using arson, attacks, propaganda, and harassment to keep Black people from gaining equal rights. Freedom Summer in 1964 especially stood out. The murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner showed how deep the racism ran not only did the KKK kill them, but the police helped set it up. And the fact that real justice didn’t come until 2005 says a lot about how long this fight has been. 

The massive resistance against integration also surprised me. Southern states were literally willing to shut down entire public schools rather than allow Black students in. The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door was another example; Seeing a governor physically block students from entering the University of Alabama shows how political leaders were part of the problem too. 

The four girls who died in the bombings

What’s interesting is how every violent event also seemed to push the movement forward. The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing was horrifying, but it also made people around the country take the movement more seriously. The same goes for peaceful protests like the lunch counter sit-ins, the Freedom Riders, the March on Washington, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Even though they faced violence constantly, their nonviolent approach actually made the government step in. Laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 didn’t just appear, they were forced by years of activism. 

Overall, learning about groups like the NAACP and all these protests helps me understand why the Civil Rights Movement made the progress it did, even while facing so much hate. It’s honestly inspiring how people kept pushing forward despite everything against them.

Ai disclosure: I used ChatGPT to consolidate my notes into a blog post using the parameters that it should be 300 words and in the style of a freshman in college.