Premium Essay

Civil Activist Martyr

Submitted By
Words 1081
Pages 5
The criteria point about why a martyr joined their movement is necessary to have an accurate evaluation. It’s already understood why a person may hurt or even kill a martyr, it’s to stop them from spreading their message and to stop their revolution. However, understanding why someone was willing to put themselves in harm’s way is more important. This is talked about in the academic journal, “Christian martyrdom as a pervasive phenomenon”, where it’s mentioned that “the motives of the victims are considered more important than those of the killers in identifying a martyrdom situation” (Johnson & Zurlo, 2014). I want to assure that I’m not talking about religion martyr, but I believe that it’s very important to understand where these martyrs’ hearts are. They could have joined their civil movements because they understand the struggle that …show more content…
The sacrifice a martyr is perceived to endure is death and you can only be a martyr if you die, however this is viewed differently to other sources that try to define a martyr. The definition, according to the Merriam-Webster, a martyr, is “a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle”. The definition on Dictioniary.com says that a martyr is “a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause”. Another source says that a martyr is “someone who suffers, or is even killed, for his or her political or religious beliefs” (Vocabulary.com). As you can see, the definition of martyr includes a broader spectrum of what it means to sacrifice like suffering greatly other than it only being just dying that made you a martyr. I believe to suffer greatly is to lose something valuable, this could be losing years of your life in jail, suffering a major injury that make living difficult, or ultimately dying for your

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

How Did Slavery Affect American Life

...on a plantation, with his expected father as the plantation owner and his mother passing away by the time he was 10. He got sent to live with Hugh Auld in Baltimore, and there Mrs. Auld taught Douglass to read and write and help him to become the intellect he was. It was through reading that he developed his ideas about slavery and other social issues. He escaped slavery on his third attempt, after two unsuccessful ones. He escaped up to New York with love interest Anna Murray, to a thriving black community. There, he was urged by William Lloyd Garrison to speak publicly for anti-slavery. Frederick accepted the challenge, but wasn’t always successful. Sometimes he would get mobbed. Douglass did go on to have success in his speakings about civil issues, and even got on the ballot for United States Vice President. Douglass wrote his autobiography, which helped spread the evils of slavery. He was very successful in his life, up to his death in...

Words: 1008 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Tony Horwitz's Midnight Rising

...Or it had to do with John Browns social life, his religion and his upbringing, and how that affected his choices and the aftermath of the raid. The primary sources used were either court documents from the trail or the events thereafter, or were small book written just a few years after the raid. These are the perfect resources because it captures the tone of the time more accurately than a book written 50 years later. The Public Life Of Captain John Brown, by James Redpath, compares to that of Horwitz’s book in that it paints John Brown as a martyr of sorts. With Redpath being an antislavery activist as well this comes at no surprise. Another resource used by Horowitz is A Voice from Harpers Ferry by Osborne Anderson, the only surviving member of the raid. He writes that if John Brown had not been so merciful when it came to the prisoners he took at Harpers Ferry, that they, John Brown and his men, might have been able to get away and free more slaves. (VHF 60) This firsthand account is easily the best resource that Horwitz...

Words: 617 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Autumn Gem China 202

...martial artist, and a leader of a revolutionary army. In the 20th century she was recognized as a national heroine who redefined what it meant to be a woman in China. At the beginning of the movie we see Qiu Jin trying to take the role as a traditional woman in China. You see her going through an arranged marriage, to a wealthy man and came from a religious family, and practiced foot binding. As her marriage progressed Qiu Jin became very unhappy with being a submissive house wife. So she began to read and write for a women’s activist newspaper. She had two children and soon was divorced. Her and her fellow activists’ supporters built a school where they would recruit and train new members of the cause. They hoped the school would be some sort of cover up for the army that they were creating. She went along to start a woman’s army to revolt against the corrupt Qing Dynasty. She was captured and executed for treason, and became China’s first female martyr. After her execution monuments and statues were put in place to honor her and celebrate her contribute to China’s revolutionary cause. After watching Autumn...

Words: 819 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Nationalism In Nicaragua Essay

...Whether under dictatorship, corruption, poverty, ethnic conflict, social stratification, and civil war, Nicaragua has been able to maintain its nation and nationalism. It is worth mentioning that Nicaragua follows Benedict Andersons idea of imagine communities where you may not know everyone but each person lives the image of their communion even as the government oscillates from one extreme, the Somoza’s, to the Sandinista’s. The Nicaraguan people realized within this transition of power that fighting for freedom doesn’t always lead to freedom. Unfortunately, the reoccurring theme within the country revolved much around military dictatorships that protected private property at the expense of an egalitarian government for most of its existence until...

Words: 481 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Men and Women, Who Made a Difference in the Civil Rights Movement, Impact of Civil Rights Laws and the Effects from the Civil Rights Movement.

...made a difference in the civil rights movement, impact of civil rights laws and the effects from the civil rights movement. A Paper By Jabioas A’Martinezs Glenn Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for History 2112 Submitted To: Dr. John L. Rhodes, Sr. FVSU November 14, 2012 Civil rights are a class of rights based upon birthright into a designation otherwise of human rights. The civil rights ensures citizen's ability to fully participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or political repression and protect the freedom of classes of people and individuals from unwarranted infringement into those rights by governments, private organizations and other entities. Many men and women help made a huge impact in changing the world during the civil rights movement. The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. Many men and women help make a difference during the civil rights. There were many but some just stood out in particular. Jesse Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr. are famous Civil Right leaders, often considered to be some of the greatest. They believed that African Americans should get more political power. Throughout the Civil Rights Movement they were always known as the people that TOOK action with what was given. Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress...

Words: 2341 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Famuos Thinker

...Famous Thinkers Paper We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome someday, deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall overcome someday. These legendary words have been the foundation for people of color since the long nights of captivity, slavery. Several prominent activists have made immense strides in making those words a reality. Such individuals like James H. Cone and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. James H. Cone, an advocate affectionately known for black liberation theology, a theology grounded in the experience of African Americans, and related to other Christian liberation theologies. James H. Cone approach provided a realistic snap shot of a new way to articulate the distinctiveness of theology in the Black Church. Frustrated and outraged at the White Church of playing a significant role in the oppression and racism of black people. Cone believed that the Black Church is a powerful force [in his life] and did not do enough in regard to racism among African Americans. Cone exploited scriptures, slave spirituals, blues, and other prominent African American thinkers such as David Walker, Henry McNeal Turner, and W.E.B. DuBois to help shape his theology. Malcolm X and the Black Power Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King also influenced his theology. Cone formulates a theology of liberation from within the context of the Black experience of oppression, interpreting the central kernel of the Gospels as Jesus' identification with the poor, oppressed, and...

Words: 1754 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Malcolm X

...Composition 24 February 2015 Malcolm X: Building Up the Fire of the Civil Rights Movement “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it” (Malcolm X). This quote from one of Malcolm X’s speeches embodies who he was as a person and what he valued. As a civil rights activist, Malcolm learned not to let the hate of others prevent him from living out his life the way he wanted. While others pushed a pacifist movement, Malcolm understood that there would be no peaceful way to resolve the civil rights issues. Malcolm was prepared to fight for his own rights, and even put his own life at risk. The impact that he had on the Civil rights movement was rivaled only by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and all of his ideas were culminated into one speech, called The Ballot or the Bullet. Malcolm X’s speech comes during April of 1963, a critical time during the American Civil rights movement, and Malcolm’s ability to target and rile up the emotions of his African-American audience is what makes his speech so powerful. During the 1960’s, America was a hostile environment for an ambitious African-American citizen. Although executive leaders, such as John F. Kennedy, were promising that they had been doing as much as possible to improve civil rights, not enough actual progress had been made to improve the lives of African-Americans. In 1963 alone, a year in which the civil rights movement was supposed to take a huge step forward, hate...

Words: 2619 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Visual Aesthetics in Social Realism

...sculptures and many of the artists had multiple pieces within the gallery. Elizabeth Catlett’s print entitled Sharecropper focuses on the face of a female sharecropper whose face is worn from years of work but has a look of hope in her eyes; she looks determined and commanding. Elizabeth Catlett also has a sculpture in the gallery entitled Mother and Child; the piece is a monument to motherhood as experienced by numerous women across cultures. The sculpture is of a mother cradling her baby in her arms. The woman is a hero to the child; she is protecting the baby from the evils of the world. The painting Proletarian Victim by David Alfaro Siqueiros features a Chinese woman who is stripped bound and shot in the head; she is monumentalized as a martyr through this piece. The ropes that bind her...

Words: 973 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Same Sex Marriage

...In a country with its fundamentals based on liberty and equality, America always has struggled with those very concepts. Throughout history, Americans have been challenged to make decisions that have oppressed and freed certain groups of people. The political fight for same-sex marriages is a perfect example of this notion. This relation between spouses has created a major controversy that is creating history in our nation. A series of protests, acts and political scandal has opened America to discuss a topic that had been in “the closet” for a long time. This discussion asks questions that have caused a visceral reaction in society. Same sex marriage opens the door to a new unnatural purpose that could detrimentally influence the fragile generations to come. Tradition is a strong component in the institution of marriage. The ideal American dream usually involves the perfect fairy-tale wedding with the gorgeous white wedding dress for the bride, the matching bridesmaids, the well-arranged bouquet and, the numerous rituals that compose this well thought-out event. Usually it requires a spectacular amount of planning, devotion and dollars to make the important day memorable. Family and friends come together to rejoice in the vows that will bond the two lovers into a lifetime journey of love, commitment and fidelity. Both persons in the relation is expected to have a role in this institution. According to Judith Wallerstein and Sandra Blakeslee, “In the idealized form of the...

Words: 1703 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Raising Holy Hell

...Devin Capuani History 103 Book Report September 28, 2014 Raising Holy Hell The novel Raising Holy Hell at length discusses the madness of John Brown and his life leading up to his famous raid on Harper’s Ferry. John Brown was a radical abolitionist from Connecticut who believed in the violent overthrow of slavery as opposed to law .The raid was just the beginning to rising tensions between the North and South upon the issue of slavery. The raid on Harper’s Ferry lasted only three days until Robert E. Lee had a garrison of marines storm the engine room at Harper’s Ferry and capture all of the raiders. John Brown was captured as a result, put to trial where he was found guilty and executed by hanging. On page 31, there is a piece from John Brown Jr., which talks about the death of his mother. In the passage, the boy talks about how the death of his mother was explained to him and his siblings in religious terms. His father told them that their mother was now with God in heaven but the boy chose not to believe such things. The part of the passage that is the most interesting is the last bit, the boy was fearful of incurring his father’s wrath so never told him the truth. This signifies that John Brown was a very violent man, not only to slave supporters but for his own children to fear speaking their minds due to their father’s anger is a big clue into his personality and in the case of this book, his insanity. The next section that stands out is on page 37. The section...

Words: 1589 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

International Relations in Afghanistan

...Years of violent conflicts, those between warring Afghan factions, the superpowers of Cold War Russia and now the United States and its allies, have left the rebuilding of Afghanistan in political and economic limbo. Many of the physical and social infrastructures are debilitated, the economy barely functions, the population's health and nutritional status is among the lowest anywhere, and internal security is lacking. Also, Afghanistan poses a potential threat to richer countries as an exporter of drugs and terrorism. This combination of factors makes the engagement in Afghanistan a particularly fragile one. In this paper, the following points will be expounded upon: theoretical approach, in regards to international relations; an assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan and an effective approach to combat the threats; how a struggling economy can be helped that is plagued with corruption; key components of identity for this nation, ethnicity, religion and women; and finally, some recommendations on how to get this nation back on track. There must be an investment in Afghan-led development and peacebuilding. Billions of dollars are poured into reconstruction and development in Afghanistan but have shown few results and often contributed to corruption and conflict. I remember procuring aircrafts and setting up missions to pickup pallets full of medical supplies, but days later, I tried to coordinate with my Afghani counterparts to see how their inventories of...

Words: 2476 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Hezbollah

...Hezbollah “The Party of God” Who Are They Ronald M. Reeves Jr. Columbia Southern University MCJ 6453 Professor David Milen Aug 30, 2012 Hezbollah “The Party of God” Who Are They We are not fighting so that the enemy may offer us something. We are fighting to wipe out the enemy ( Hussein Mussawi, Former Hezbollah Leader). Who are the Hezbollah? This little statement from their former leader sums it up what they are and what they stand for. Hezbollah is an Islamic Shi’ite group that has its origins in Iran and they also have a branch in Lebanon. Their name in Arabic means “Party of God”, it is derived from the Surra 5, verse 56 of the Quran: Lo! The Party of God, they are victorious, this group is not only a political party but a terrorist organization (Encyclopedia of the Middle East). The flag for the Hezbollah is yellow with a green AK 47 and green rocket truck with the entire globe in the background. The early history and foundation of Hezbollah, Hezbollah came around long before the Iranian revolution of 1979, they have strong ties with the religious scholars from Iran and Lebanon, These scholars or Shi’ite ulema studied theology in the academies in Iraq. During the 1950’s and 1960’s these academies were very active bringing together an Islamic response to nationalism and secularism (Encyclopedia of the Middle East). At this point we need to briefly discus the difference between Sunni and Shiite Musliams, the origin of Islam began back in 610 A.D. Sunnis...

Words: 2380 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Harvey Milk

...in the 1960s, becoming a figure in the counterculture and peace movements before expressing an interest in public office. While the majority of the public did not agree with some of his more outspoken views on the rights of gays and lesbians, Milk succeeded in winning over large portions of the public through his crusades for better representation in local government, interest in the livelihoods of average people, and dedication toward causes that he believed were in the best interest of all. In examining the legacy left behind by this pioneer of civil rights, Epstein and Schiechen's film essentially abandons the usual approach and instead focuses on exactly what the title says. The film is a study of the time in which Milk lived, and the duration of his tenure as an elected official. In doing so, the film is a compelling examination of what it was to be living in San Francisco of the late 1970s, a time when gay activists in the city were campaigning for rights equal to those...

Words: 1909 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Eco Shack

...gjghjgjgjgJump to: navigation, search Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.4,254,761 articles in English | | * Arts * Biography * Geography | * History * Mathematics * Science | * Society * Technology * All portals | ------------------------------------------------- From today's featured article | Fomitiporia ellipsoidea is a species of polypore fungus in the family Hymenochaetaceae, a specimen of which produced the largest fungal fruit body ever recorded. Found in China, the fruit bodies produced by the species are brown, woody basidiocarps that feed on dead wood and can grow very large under favourable circumstances. They measure 30 centimetres (12 in) or more in length, though typically extending less than a centimetre from the surface of the wood. A number of chemical compounds have been isolated from the species, including several steroidal compounds. These may have pharmacological applications, but further research is needed. The species was first recorded in 2008 by Bao-Kai Cui and Yu-Cheng Dai in Fujian Province; it was revealed in 2011 that they had found a very large fruit body, measuring up to 1,085 cm (427 in) in length, on Hainan Island. The specimen (pictured), which was 20 years old, was estimated to weigh between 400 and 500 kilograms (880 and 1,100 lb). This was markedly larger than the previous record holder, a specimen of Rigidoporus ulmarius found in the United Kingdom, which had a circumference...

Words: 1196 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Social Unskillworkers

...Title: The Burma Road Riot Name: Alieth Jeanienne Adderley Student ID#: 000-06-8795 Instructor’s Name: Tracey Thompson Date of Submission: 29th March 2012 The Burma Road Riot, despite being often misunderstood and misinterpreted is still regarded as one of the most significant events in the racial and political history of The Bahamas. Although there were immediate causes of the riot, the social system existing from emancipation fostered dissatisfaction in the hearts of many non-white Bahamians. Prior to 1838, slaveholders who were mostly white were prescribed by law to own black slaves but after emancipation in 1838, Bahamian society was reorganized in a three tier system, the white elite, the coloured middle class and the black masses. Although this system was similar to the model of The British West Indian colonies, The Bahamas, due to its proximity to the United States, was influenced by The Jim Crowe laws existing in The Southern United States which discriminated against African Americans in an effort to control their movements. The white elite, being the former slave holders used any means necessary to maintain their status as the ‘master class.’ This included economic control through the use of the truck, share and labour tenancy systems, which ensured that black Bahamians were in debt, legal means which prevented them from not acquiring land, and social means by using the coloured middle class to create social divisions among the black Bahamians. Bahamian society...

Words: 2612 - Pages: 11