The Civil Rights
movement of the 1960s was not a movement for equality in the social or political sense; rather, it was a
movement to bring an end to economic inequality and exploitation by the elites. Common perception holds that the Civil Rights
movement sought to gain certain political and social rights and equalities. Measures such as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act reinforced such flawed perceptions. However, when the works of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement are consulted, it is discovered that they were seeking economic equality. They
believed that the fundamental cause of racism was a flawed economic system. It is important to note that they did not believe that poverty in the traditional sense caused racism and inequality. They believed, especially King and Carmichael, that the entire economic system of the United States and of the world was inherently flawed. This essay explorea their arguments why racism was based on economics, why the system was flawed, and how they hoped to change the system.