America: Influencing Politics by Being Racially and Ethnically Diverse

​One way America being racially and ethnically diverse influenced politics was by having protests such as sit-ins and boycotts during the civil rights movement. The civil rights movement lasted between the years of 1955-1968. Some specific protests include the Woolworth’s sit-in and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. A couple of the major political achievements that were a result of these protests were the Browder V. Gayle, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
​Another form of protesting used during the Civil Rights era was a sit-in. A sit-in was a non violent form of direct action where protesters usually seat themselves at a certain location until their demands were met or they are removed by force.   Anne Moody was a black woman who grew poor in rural, south Mississippi. She experienced many protests in her lifetime and one protest that she remembers in particular was a sit-in at Woolworth’s lunch counter in Jackson, MS. NAACP headquarters alerted the news services the morning of the sit-in what was about to take place; as a result, police officers and newsmen stationed themselves along the street at which the sit-in would take place. Moody was elected to be the spokesman for the sit-in that took place. At 11 a.m., Moody and her two friends entered the Woolworth’s lunch counter through the rear entrance and made purchases from different counters. 15 minutes later, all three friends joined each other at the front lunch counter. Moody and her friends began to write their orders down and that’s when the waitress finally asked them what they wanted. After responding about what they wanted, the waitress told them they could only be served at the back counter. When moody and her friends stated that they wanted to be served at the front counter, the waitress realized that a sit-in was taking place and all employees and customers immediately vacated the building.
​Just as the last person left the building, leaving only Moody and her two friends at...