Jewish Contributions to the Early Civil Rights Movement Essay -- The Ci

In many ways, the 1950s planted the seeds for the progress of the 60s. Glimpses of the rebellious generation, who would later find its way to the anti-War protests, are found throughout the fifties, specifically in movies like Rebel Without a Cause and more overtly in Jack Kerouac?s On The Road. The move away from conformity and towards more of an individualistic mentality began in the somewhat closed circles of the Beat movement and spread throughout America during the sixties. The Montgomery Bus Boycotts and Brown V. Board of Education were great precursors to the revolutionary civil rights legislation of the mid sixties. Whereas for most of the aforementioned societal changes, the 50s only exhibited hints of what was to come in the sixties, members of the civil rights movement built an impressive resume and did more than merely build a base for the 60s. The fifties marked a time when civil rights began to take front stage for many Americans and served as the call to action for Afr ican-Americans. Blacks decided that they would no longer sit around waiting for change, but that they were going to get up and right the wrongs of the North and South. Tremendous historical events, some which took days and some which took years, were planned and successfully carried out in this decade. Individuals were mobilized, great leaders emerged, and powerful organizations took center stage. But, the African-Americans were certainly not alone. Along with them stood Whites of all backgrounds and religions, of all social classes and perspectives, and of all reasons and justifications. American Jews, who had the unenviable predicament of being both White and a persecuted minority, disproportionately involved themselves with the struggle against s... ...ms: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community p.41. 19. Greenberg, Cheryl. "The Southern Jewish Community and the Struggle for Civil Rights." 20. Dollinger, Marc. "Hamans and Torquemadas: Southern and Northern Jewish Responses to the Civil Rights Movement 1945-1965" 21. Webb, Clive. Fight Against Fear: Southern Jews and Black Civil Rights. p. 45-56 22. Dollinger, Marc. The Quest For Inclusion: Jews and Liberalism in Modern America. p. 167 23. Schneier, Rabbi Marc. Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community. p. 40 24. Schneier, Rabbi Marc. Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community. p. 62 25. Rose, Peter. "Blacks and Jews: The Strained Alliance." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Vol 454, March 1981. p. 55