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Americans were fed up of no change. They had no Jobs and were poor. They had protested peacefully for ten years and nothing had changed. John F Kennedy had been killed. The blacks figured they had nothing to lose so they Just started protesting in the country major cities. At the time of the riots the Black Civil Rights movement was breaking into two groups, Martin Luther King and followers that wanted to have a good place in American society and to do this needed the co – operation of whites.
The other side began lack power and felt they couldn’t rely on white people. The blacks in the ghettos didn’t have Jobs. If they did have one it was generally low paid and unskilled because they didn’t have a good enough education. Most were Janitors, garbage men, freight handlers, watchmen or elevator operators. They were working Jobs that paid little more than the Social Security payments for the unemployed.
They didn’t see the point in working and because they weren’t paid barely enough to live on they couldn’t pay for their children to go to university or to do a course so they could get a skilled bob so the blacks were Just in a cycle of poverty. John F Kennedy was killed and that upset the blacks because he had promised them change and was going to make life better for them, help them get Jobs and good housing. Blacks voted for him hoping for change. The blacks lost their leader, the one who was helping and leading them.
They figured since he was gone they would Just have to get change for themselves but it would be more violent. Martin Luther King had led the blacks through various protests but they still weren’t being treated right and they had had enough, for the sat 10 years they had protested peacefully without any major action. Martin Luther King wasn’t doing it the way they needed and after turning back at Selma he was criticized for being weak. The blacks needed to get the whole countries attention. They were at the bottom, what was there to lose?
Ghettos had developed in the poorest parts of the big cities in the North. Most were unemployed or had low paid jobs, they were in the cycle of poverty. They didn’t buy nice new things to have them stolen or go to school because it didn’t get them anywhere. They began the riots things turned very violent. There were many arson attacks including a big attack in Watts, Los Angels. It was the Los Angels police verse the poor blacks. In the end 1000 police and 1300 troops were in the area. 36 were killed and over 1000 injured and 4000 in Jail. 40 million worth of property was wreaked. The movement had divided and the young radicals felt the only way to get through was with the use of violence. Waiting for the whites to change their attitude was going to take too long. They began to pride themselves on being blacks that it was beautiful and they were happy and proud of being black. They then formed black power. Martin Luther King and followers wished for America to be integrated and they thought they couldn’t do it without whites and it was to be non – violent.
King started to speak up against other American issues including the Vietnam War. He felt as though America was making war on Itself Ana could only De stopped IT America got RL AT pope Black Americans made changes in those summers of 1964 – 1967. They had no Jobs, John F Kennedy had been shot and there had to change because they felt that after 10 years of peacefully protesting they needed change even if violence was involved. They had nothing to lose.