Limitations

• Division between white and AA increased and led to fears and repression - weakened impact of the movement and its ability to make changes
• Association of civil rights with separatism , violence and radicalism, alienating moderate opinion and weakened support for further extensions of civil rights
• 1967- MLK was critical of the movement’s failure to see that progress depends on interracial cooperation
• Power of the US state was too great and a considerable amount of police repression was used against the radical leaders
• By 1970s - the movement ceased to exist