The civil rights movement of the 1960s aimed to achieve racial equality and justice for African Americans in the United States. While the movement made significant gains in the early years, by the late 1960s, it began to splinter and lose momentum.
One reason for this was the emergence of different ideologies and strategies among key leaders and organizations. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders pursued a strategy of nonviolent resistance, while Malcolm X and the Black Panthers advocated for a more militant approach.
Another reason for the splintering of the movement was the frustration among African Americans with the slow pace of change and the persistence of racism and discrimination. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 had addressed some forms of discrimination, but many African Americans still faced daily acts of discrimination, harassment, and violence.
The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968 was a turning point in the splintering of the civil rights movement. King's death was a huge loss for the movement and left many of his followers feeling disillusioned and leaderless. As a result, the movement became increasingly fragmented and lacked the coherence and leadership it had previously had.
In conclusion, the splintering of the civil rights movement in the late 1960s was due to a combination of ideological differences, frustration with the slow pace of change, and the loss of key leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.