Throughout the 19th and 20th century many political ideas have helped change and shape society, to what it is presently today. The list is endless for what each of these political ideas has achieved. These changes can be political or economic; however the change that is most conscious in the populations mind is that of social change. Equality was an important issue in many countries, especially Britain and America between the 1850’s to 1950’s and feminism and race equality major issues campaigned for. There was a major political idea behind the want for these changes, liberalism.

Political ideas change and adapt their perceptions of the social and political world through the years to cope with all changing aspects of life. Liberalism is no different. It is these changes that allow the idea to maintain its identity. Sometimes it is hard for some political ideas to adapt and change for instance the divine monarchists. Liberalism goes back at least 300years; this means that it has had to change a great deal, the ideas behind the ideology have remained the same though. Liber

Education wasn’t the only area in which segregation and racial inequality reigned, it happened in almost all daily activities. Libraries were segregated not only to stop races mixing but also to maintain the lack of education blacks received. Interracial marriages were forbidden ‘a white person may not marry a Negro or mulatto or person who shall have one eighth or more Negro blood’, this was classed as a misdemeanour and could mean imprisonment. Separate graveyards, prisons; ticket offices for things such as circuses, toilets, restaurants, transportation and shops. It was also illegal for mixed race baseball matches and pool games.

Desegregation started in the 1930’s. The influence of blacks rights organisations such as the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured people) helped force the government (Roosevelt at the time) to allow access for blacks into a well know law school. This meant that the education the community had desperately wanted was in their grasp. This also meant that they would be able to fight for the cause through the legal system. Since the NAACP had gained knowledge of the law they were able to set up the NAACP legal defence fund. With this fund they won the case of Smith v Allwright (1944). This case was a milestone since it outlawed desegregation of primary schools. This meant that black children had access to better education in the properly funded former white schools. Even after the Brown v Board ruling in 1954, which outlawed all segregated schools. This desegregation was only in theory for some schools because racially segregated communities meant that they did not attend former white schools. This meant that the work done by the NAACP was negate because the new found adequate education for black children wasn’t being used and many stayed in the poorly funded schools. Schools did try to solve this problem by introducing buses for students for the outside neighbourhoods. Also to add to the limited power of the outcome of the Brown case much opposition was encountered. This opposition to desegregated schools came to a head in 1957 when Governor Orval Faubus would not admit 9 black students to Central High School. President Eisenhower sent federal troops to Arkansas to enforce desegregation. The changes that occurred to the American education system were fast and abrupt, allowing little time for adjustments to be made by the community. Thus meaning that it could be seen to be doomed from the start, this was shown in the rise of members for the Ku Klux Klan shortly after desegregation started. There were good things about the desegregation of schools however, since it allowed black children the right to a fair and adequate education.

Desegregation was also campaigned for, with much media attention, for public transport. Public transport for blacks was inferior to that of whites. Many blacks were not allowed to go on white public transport so it was very difficult for them to get around, when they were allowed on public transport they were treated very rudely and with much disrespect. When an elderly black lady (Rosa Parks) refused to give up her seat and move to the Negro part of the bus she was arrested. This was the catalyst for public transport to be desegregated. A boycott was staged in local areas because of her arrest, this along with the powerful force from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) influenced many other areas of America that they could protest non-violently and get a huge amount of support. Many other groups formed to continue this from of non-violent protest. The Student Non-violent Co-ordinating Committee (SNCC) were responsible for a sit in which protested about the separate lunch counters in schools. Even thought this may not sound like an important aspect of the civil rights movement, it was because it was fighting for the daily forms of inequality. This was a good form of protest because it would b

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