Report Example on Bridging Injustice: The Evolution of Civil Rights Movements in Texas (1930s-1970)

Plan of San Diego

The initial plan of San Diego, which was drafted in 1915, was mainly aimed at overthrowing the U.S. government in the southern region during the Mexican Revolution. The founders were Mexican and Tejano rebels who were to kill white men over 16 years old (Haris et.al 2015). The reason for this plan was to retain back the Mexican land. However, the plan did not succeed as it was exposed before its full execution.

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Sweatt v. Painter

The case was presented in 1950 in the Supreme Court in the United States. It was challenging the "separate but equal" racial segregation doctrine. It was presented by an African American student (Heman Marion Sweatt) who was denied admission to the school of law because the constitution did not allow integrated education (Chin, 2010). Instead of granting the plaintiff the right to enroll, a law school for blacks was put up in Houston, thus the reason for the case in the Supreme Court.

Section 2

Civil rights in Texas

Fighting for civil rights in Texas has been progressive from the early days to date. Equality has been achieved by movements for both African and Mexican Americans. However, this essay looks into the evolution of these movements from the 1930s to 1970, and the shortcomings of the movements.

Early organizations and individuals who introduced civil rights movements in Texas

Bold individuals and organizations played a major role in campaigning for civil rights in the country. Therefore, the struggle was established to ensure equality and freedom for all the nationals without discrimination despite the race and color in the country. Initially, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Negro Congress started anti-lynching campaigns in 1930 (Gugliemo, 2006). Both aimed to fight the white supremacy and disunion caused by racist leaders. NAACP remained resilient and became very influential until the early 1950s (Gugliemo, 2006). Charles Hamilton Houston, a black attorney, developed a movement to bring equality in education for he believed the black individuals endured unequal treatment. His strategy was gradual based on both legal matters and advocacy politically. Through his political party, the Progressive Party, Henry Wallace despised racism as he termed it "The greatest enemy" of development in the country. He was given support by Charles Hamilton, making it a total success. In 1960, the impatient younger African Americans started a movement due to the Brown movement's slow pace and started pushing for change (Gugliemo, 2006).

Cases Fought by the Movements

The civil rights movements were formed to push for democracy in Texas. The main cause of concern fought by the movements was racism, which was exercised both in schools and workplaces. It was expressed in many areas as black Americans felt they were denied democratic rights such as political participation and accessing quality education in schools. To fight racism, African Americans led protests such as voter registration where they won by establishing the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Act in 1965 (Calvert et al., 2020). Another case acted upon was lynching, which is killing people without a legal trial. Both the Mexican Americans and African Americans were tired of extrajudicial killing within the state and therefore vowed to stop it by passing a federal anti-lynching law (Clayson, 2010). Besides fighting the influence of corporations in American civil life, only working-class participation in politics, and other human rights violations were to be worked on to render a state change.

Legal, political, and social rights development

Rights development was highly embarked on in an attempt to curb the above-stated cases. First, the Mexican Americans were able to combat racist policies where the black movement gained white support in large numbers. Also, the Association of Southern Women played a great role in stopping lynching from prominent statesmen such as Maury Maverick. Again, the American G.I. Forum and the LULAC used the legal system to remove segregation, inequalities in education, and any other form of discrimination (Orozo, 1993). Politically as of 1961, the African Americans were able to exercise voter registration and take part in poll-tax through the Democratic Progressive Voters League, which informed black people on the political issues and encouraged them to participate in voting. The capitol, formed in 1963, comprising Hispanics, Blacks, and Whites, overthrew the governor due to the slow amendment of the civil rights bill in Washington. The federal government allowed for free voting.

Impacts of the Civil Rights Movement in High Schools

The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund ensured an equitable education system by financing schools and solving any other education-related problems. The change was marked by building schools and improving facilities, the salaries of teachers being equalized, and library construction, among others. Desegregation in schools favored black children whereby they could be admitted to universities and acquire sponsorship leading to employment opportunities (Behnken, 2011). The development of civil rights enacted through legislation played a big role in mitigating inequality, ensuring almost equal education quality.

The Roles Played by LBJ in an Attempt to Shape the Civil Rights Movement

LBJ played a big role in advocating for the civil rights movement in Texas. In his term, he fought to bring equality as he believed that everyone deserved equal treatment despite their skin color. As a president, he made sure that everyone was treated equally, thus promoting economic growth. Through his advocacy, violence was minimized on both African Americans and their supporters. Through legislation, he was able to promote local schools through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Through his movement, many children with disabilities were greatly assisted in education acquisition. He also took part in financing the elderly Americans who were not able to acquire medical coverage.

Change in the Civil Rights Movement and Consequences

The civil rights movement brought spectacular changes in Texas. The movement for the struggle for social justice amongst Black Americans kicked on in the 1960s. It was introduced by civil wars, which led to the abolishment of slavery (Calvert et al., 2020). However, African Americans were not excluded from slavery. The four college students who formed a movement after they were denied lunch in a canteen were charged with prejudice but later saved their colleagues as other students joined hands fighting racism in schools(Gugliemo,2006). The Civil Rights Act guaranteed equality in employment, voting, and also integrated public facilities (Clayson, 2010). The protests led to the killing of activists such as Jimmie Lee Jackson, who was killed by a white police officer. In 1968, Martin Luther King won the Nobel Peace Prize, which led to his assassination. After the assassination, The Fair Housing Act was established, which fought against housing discrimination.

Conclusion

In conclusion, fighting for equality in civil rights in Texas bore fruit after introducing democratic leaders who have propelled fighting discrimination and racism. However, racism is a major threat to development and should be abolished.

References

Behnken, B. D. (2011). Fighting their own battles: Mexican Americans, African Americans, and the struggle for civil rights in Texas. Univ of North Carolina Press. https://books.google.com/books

Calvert, R. A., De Leon, A., & Cantrell, G. (2020). The history of Texas. John Wiley & Sons. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr

Chin, G. J. (2010). Sweatt v. Painter and Undocumented College Students in Texas. T. Marshall L. Rev., 36, 39. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi

Clayson, W. S. (2010). Freedom Is Not Enough: The War on Poverty and the Civil Rights Movement in Texas. University of Texas Press. https://books.google.com/books

Guglielmo, T. A. (2006). Fighting for Caucasian Rights: Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and the Transnational Struggle for Civil Rights in World War II Texas. The Journal of American History, 92(4), 1212-1237. https://academic.oup.com/jah/article-abstract/92/4/1212/742656

Harris, C. H., & Sadler, L. R. (2013). The Plan de San Diego: Tejano Rebellion, Mexican Intrigue. U of Nebraska Press. https://books.google.com/books

Orozco, C. E. (1993). The origins of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Mexican American civil rights movement in Texas with an analysis of women's political participation in a gendered context, 1910-1929. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=5778602