Civil Rights and Social Change in America, 1868–1968
This paper surveys one hundred years of American political and social history, from 1868 to 1968, with particular attention to the civil rights struggles of Black Americans and the gradual advancement of women's rights. Beginning with the turbulent Reconstruction era under President Andrew Johnson, the paper traces landmark legislative milestones — including the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act — alongside persistent obstacles such as employment discrimination and voter suppression. The paper also situates these domestic struggles within broader mid-twentieth-century transformations, including urbanization, the postwar rise of American global power, and the Civil Rights Movement's pivotal campaigns, from the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr.
- Introduction: America in 1868: Overview of racial and gender conditions in 1868
- Reconstruction, Suffrage, and Early Civil Rights Struggles: Amendments, Johnson's vetoes, and suffrage tensions
- The Civil Rights Movement and the Road to 1964: Bus boycott, MLK, and the Civil Rights Act
- Employment Discrimination and Economic Inequality: Job discrimination in construction and other sectors
- Conclusion: Progress and Persistent Inequality by 1968: Gains made but equality still incomplete by 1968
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What makes this paper effective
- Uses direct primary and secondary source quotations — from Joseph T. Wilson, Hugh Davis Graham, and Norgren and Hill — to ground historical claims in documented evidence rather than relying solely on generalization.
- Maintains a clear chronological spine from 1868 through 1968, allowing readers to track incremental legislative and social gains against a century-long backdrop.
- Connects macro-level political history (constitutional amendments, landmark legislation) to street-level experiences (bus boycotts, construction job protests, military wage discrimination), creating a multi-layered account.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses contrasting evidence to show the gap between formal legal rights and lived reality. For example, it cites the passage of the 14th and 15th Amendments alongside evidence of continued voter suppression and wage discrimination, demonstrating that legal recognition did not automatically translate into social equality — a central analytical move throughout the essay.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a thesis orienting the reader to the 1868–1968 timeframe, then moves through Reconstruction-era struggles, women's suffrage, the mid-century social context, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s–60s, employment discrimination, and a concluding assessment of progress by 1968. Each section builds on the previous, tracing the slow, uneven expansion of civil rights over a century.
Introduction: America in 1868
Life in the United States in 1868 was markedly different from what it would be a century later. Racial discrimination, though not as overtly institutionalized as it had been immediately after the abolition of slavery, still imposed severe burdens on Black Americans. Economic advancement for Black communities would not accelerate meaningfully until the introduction of affirmative action — well after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. During this hundred-year period, numerous political, economic, and social changes were witnessed, yet civil rights for Black Americans remained a perpetually contentious issue. The status of women, however, improved significantly over this span, as they became a major part of the American workforce and ultimately gained suffrage rights.
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