...1 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 English/101 September 2, 2012 2 How would Americans feel if there were not equal rights in the United States? Civil Rights are basic legal rights a person must possess. They are rights that constitute free and equal citizenship which includes personal, political, and economic rights. (Stanford 2012 Encyclopedia of Philosophy). According to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, all Americans are entitled to equal rights. There are many cases of how African Americans struggled for civil rights in this country. This paper will explore many of them. American history saw a dramatic change when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted. The U.S. National Archives & Records Administration keeps well documented records of the Civil rights movement. Civil Rights for black Americans have been an issue from the beginning of time. All Americans have the right to vote under the Civil Rights Act. The fundamental right to vote is the most important right that we as American citizens possess. The Civil Rights Act barred unequal voter registration requirements. Voting rules and procedures had to be applied equally to all races. Before the Voting Rights Act was passed, some states used literacy tests and poll taxes to keep minorities from voting. These are some of the same tactics that are being implemented today to suppress the vote for minorities. The American Civil Liberties Union made this statement: Modern day efforts to suppress voter turnout and...
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...integrated Martin Luther King JRs house was fire bombed he was arrested due to this protest and boycott. Anyone that was involved in this boycott was intimidated and harassed, but none of this stopped the boycott. The Montgomery bus company was forced by the Supreme Court to accept integration on their busses after the 13 month boycott. In 1961 The Congress of Racial Equality formed the Free Rides. The Freedom Riders which consist of black and white volunteers began their journey through the Deep South on May 4th, 1961 stopping at “white” only restaurants. On May 14th one of their buses was fired-bombed and the Freedom Riders were attacked by an angry mob. During the Freedom Riders travel through the South Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Jim Eastland a member of the United States Senate were in constant contact about what was going to happen when the Freedom Riders hit the Mississippi state line. They decided to avoid...
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...policies and laws that did not follow the emancipation guidelines for ex-slaves, but instead made segregation and discrimination of African Americans more prominent. These laws were at first called the Black Codes, allowing for differences in the way that African Americans were treated both privately and publically. Even Supreme Court cases, like Plessy vs. Ferguson, further allowed for racism to be a compelling factor within the nation. This case allowed for the expansion of the Black Codes instead of abolishing them by creating the “separate but equal” mentality that existed until the 1950s when “systematic segregation within the states was ended” (Plessy vs. Ferguson Judgment, 1895). The Black Codes were also eventually referred to as the Jim Crow Laws, based on a stereotype of an African American portrayed in public plays by a white man with black makeup on. This was one of the ultimate insults...
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...Rosa Parks: The Woman Who Changed a Nation On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks’s act of courage began turning the wheels of the civil rights movement on that fateful day. Being tired and weary from a long day of work, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man 40 years ago. In fact, under other circumstances, she would have probably given up her seat willingly to a child or elderly person. But this time, Parks was tired of the treatment she and other African Americans received every day of their lives, with the racism, segregation, and Jim Crow laws of that time. She knew that there was a possibility of being mistreated, but an opportunity was being given to her to do what she had asked of others to do. Forty years later, despite some tremendous gains, Parks feels, "we still have a long way to go in improving the race relations in this country." Parks is quiet, soft-spoken, and diplomatic. But she is firm in her belief that enough people will have the courage and dedication to make this country better than it is. Rosa Parks was one of many who fought for freedom rights. Parks' belief in God and her religious convictions are at the core of everything she does. Rosa Parks has a very spiritual background and believes in church, her faith and that has helped to give her the strength and courage to live as she did. Despite the violence and crime in our society, we should not let fear overpower us. We must remain...
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...Stereotypes Paper Growing up I did not have much exposure to African American males and to me they looked mean. My whole life, I have been uncomfortable if I am in the presence of an older African American male. In addition, when I was a teenager my family was friends with an African American couple. The wife was sweet as she could be but the husband would get drunk and tell me that he was going to kidnap me and take where no one could find me because I looked like Wonder Woman. I told my mom about this and he never did make any actions to make us think he was serious. Because of that one experience and lack of exposure with other races when I was young, I now look at older African American males with distrust. I know that not every African American male is going to be like that but that experience will stay with me forever. Another stereotype I have trouble with is with Arab Americans. My family had friends that were Arab Americans when I was teenager and young adult and they were the nicest family. After 9/11, I feel uncomfortable around Arab American males. Once again, I know that not all Arab Americans are the same or are terrorists, but I cannot help the small degree of anxiety I feel around Arab American males. If I am correct, the terrorists responsible for 9/11 were not even Arabs. I think some of this could be because THEY feel targeted as well and I have simply not had a tremendous amount of interaction With Arab Americans until the because a focal point because...
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...Martin Luther King Jr wrote this letter to signal khbj ,./a type of 'call to arms' attitude for the country and his fellow clergymen. The letter was pieced together during his unjust incarceration in the Birmingham Jail. The letter is a passionate response to a criticism of the nonviolent protests, sponsored and led by Martin Luther King, against segregation laws in Birmingham. Martin Luther King tries to defend and explain why he and his followers were acting now, rather than waiting, to get the civil rights movement underway. Martin Luther King used the same technique in responding to the criticism of the clergymen as he did with standing against unjust segregation laws. King did not viciously attack the clergymen's criticism but rather openly and respectfully objected and brought up many great facts and beliefs that were on his side. Out of respect and order, King even waited for the election of the new mayor to be over as to not inflict upon any of the major issues that were being debated during the election. The clergymen and other Christians say that the time for the African Americans equal rights will come, but it will take much more time. King stated several times that the movement cannot wait for a better time to begin. He goes as far to say that time is a neutral aspect. One way King confronted the opposition was to site many quotes from the church and also great social figures of his time. King repeatedly compared his movement to biblical movements, and at some...
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...Definition Civil rights are defined as "the nonpolitical rights of a citizen; especially those guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the 13 th and 14 th amendments to the Constitution and by acts of Congress" (Merriam-Webster Online). The 13 th amendment of the Constitution abolished slavery in the U.S., and the 14 th amendment insured African Americans of their legal citizenship and equal protection under the law (National Archives Experience). Movement is defined in part as "a series of organized activities working toward an objective; also: an organized effort to promote or attain an end" (Merriam-Webster Online). The Civil Rights Movement was an era dedicated to activism for equal rights and treatment of African Americans in the United States. During this period, people rallied for social, legal, political and cultural changes to prohibit discrimination and end segregation. Historic Roots Many important events involving discrimination against African Americans proceeded the era known as the Civil Rights Movement. The importation and enslavement of Africans is perhaps the most notorious example of inhumanity in United States history. The abolishment of slavery did not change the perceptions that allowed discrimination to continue. • In 1808, there was a ban on the import of slaves. The prohibition was in vein because the trade continued. • In1863, the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln officially ended slavery. However, the proclamation could not instantly...
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...Abigail Parks SOCI 4311 Dr. P.Davis January 17, 2012 Reaction #1 In summary, in periodic episodes of history, African Americans endured horrendous acts of mistreatment during slavery. All aspects of African American lives were dictated by shareholders. Enslaved African Americans lived with the constant possibility of separation through the sale of family members. Families were separated due to sale, escape, early death from poor health and suicide. At the time that they had to face their greatest crisis during the abolishment of slavery, freed slaves were left to their own strategies to face freedom. The legislature passed laws designed to keep African Americans in poverty and in position of servitude. To benefit African American integration into society, the government executed many reform laws. Despite these and other measures to protect the former slaves, a number of racist groups sought to keep African Americans completely disenfranchised through harassment or intimidation. In 1896 the Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that African Americans be segregated in all areas of life. To escape intimidation, just before the outbreak of World War I, many blacks traveled north to seek opportunities. By the 1960’s the most unconcealed forms of racial discrimination came to an end. African Americans had been lifted out of poverty as a result of the many economic opportunities created by the civil rights movement. Also important, the civil rights movement served as a model for...
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...| African Americans | | | Christy B. | ETH 125 June 5, 2011 | | African Americans Who are we, where did we come from, what has been our experience since we landed on United States soil? The migration of Africans has been very significant in the making of African Americans history and culture. Today's 35 million African Americans are heirs to all the migrations that have formed and transformed African America, the United States, and the Western Hemisphere (The New York Public Library, n.d.). African American history starts in the 1500s with the first Africans coming from Mexico and the Caribbean to the Spanish territories of Florida, Texas, and other parts of the South (The New York Public Library, n.d.). Although we are most familiar with the documented 1619 arrival, in which Africans were brought to the United States aboard a Dutch ship to Jamestown, Virginia for the purpose of slavery. In the 17th century, the United States nation began to grow and white European settlers need more laborers for the production of crops, like cotton and tobacco. In 1793 the cotton industry began to grow. Cheap labor was needed for the tedious task of removing seeds from cotton, which had to be done by hand. Africans were kidnapped from their native land and sold to share croppers for forced labor. The idea of Africans as slaves was embraced and spread rapidly through the North American colonies; making the modern western slavery, known as indentured slavery, which...
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...The Journal of Ashanti Bankole I have so much to be thankful for and I am so proud. I sit here and think about my heritage and what my people before me went through getting to America. Today, I am a free woman because of what they endured. I have so many liberties but they were not so lucky. Many of my ancestors were brought here against their will. They were brought here as slaves to serve the European white families. Too many Africans were taken from their homes to be sold into slavery. For many years, my people were beaten and treated very cruelly working in the fields and serving others. These slave trades allowed America to prosper and expand but ruined our villages in Africa. During most of the 17th and 18th centuries, slavery was the law in every one of the 13 colonies, North and South alike, and was employed by its most prominent citizens, including many of the founders of the new United States. The importation of slaves was provided for in the U.S. Constitution, and continued to take place on a large scale even after it was made illegal in 1808 (Learning Page, 2005). Even after slavery was illegal, many Americans challenged and resisted the civilization of my people. To think that so many African Americans were just trying to have something of their own, land and a family, and others were just trying to belittle them. My ancestors worked hard to make a living but were still not seen as an equal to the white man. The Underground Railroad was the saving...
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...I am writing my paper on African Americans writing a letter to a friend that is not African American. Dear Anthony, I am writing this letter because I would like to share with you what it is like to be African American and the what we have experienced throughout history. Sometimes people think that because times have passed and things are better that we should be happy but that is not the case. So I just want to give you some insight on African American’s history in the Unites States. Black history has tremendously shaped the African American experience in the United States. For most of U.S history the African American experience developed outside the American culture. Black history’s impact on the African American experience resulted from influences of slavery and racial discrimination in the U.S. For most of U.S history, legal and social discrimination has denied African Americans access to education, literacy, and work. The Harlem Renaissance was one of the first and most important movements in black history. It was the first recognition of African American for their music, literature, arts, and poetry. The Harlem Renaissance was an important period of increased political involvement in black history. Another important movement for African Americans was the Black Arts movement. The Black Arts movement saw the rise of music and literature that embraced a pronounced political and racial consciousness. The Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts movements are only two of...
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...African American Folklore Dr. Burns 11:00-12:30 How Does My Hair Look? Perhaps one of the most asked beauty questions, besides “Does this make my butt look fat,” women and men are obsessed with hair. This has not changed over time and probably will never change. Hair is a vital part of personality and self-esteem. However, hair styles differ with skin color and culture. As a white woman, I know all about hair styles for my race. However, I am very interested in learning about the very complex world of weaves, braids, and relaxers of the African American race. It seems like there are tons of hair styles for African Americans. I am going to explore everything from natural black hair to relaxing, crimping, coloring, and other various styles. I want to know the fads, what’s “in” and what’s “out”, as well as the norms for African American hair. I will be interviewing Jasmine Smith, Jamelle Shaw, Kalin Gragg, Brianna Hurley, and interviewing/observing some people from “Daddy Cutz” barber shop. I also will be observing in some other black hair salons, but I am waiting for consent from Gods House of Beauty in Jonesboro. Even if Gods House of Beauty declines my request to observe and interview, I am going to call some other hair salons because I need to observe so I can get an authentic feel of what goes on in an African American barber shop/hair salon. I am also going to do a brief history of African American hair and how it has evolved into what it is today. The barber shop/salon...
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...white supremacy. In 1865 the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln freeing African Americans from being considered as property, with the expectancy of receiving the same rights as whites. The White American society during the early and mid-1900’s were not embracive of American Americans being equal to whites, there for the Jim Crow Laws were developed and implemented. The Jim Crow laws created a separation in society, meaning whites and blacks were to go to different schools, whites sit in the front of the bus while blacks sit in the back, certain restaurants would not allow blacks to dine inn instead they were to pick up their food from the back of the kitchen. These were different ways whites could still maintain a certain level of control and power over blacks, which is why cases such as Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education were so pivotal in the development of the society we live in today. In 1892 on a East Louisiana railroad, a shoemaker by the name of Homer Plessy sat in a whites only railroad car. During this time the United States firmly allowed the enforcement of the Jim Crow laws, so there for Plessy sitting in the whites only cart was breaking the law and was arrested. In the United States constitution under the 14th amendment section 1 it states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state...
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...African Americans are disadvantaged throughout time. From the terrible establishment of slavery to being discriminated against they have been marginalized. However, there are people that have fought for the rights of African Americans in the United States, and there have been many court cases that have helped decide the fate of African Americans in society. I do not know where African Americans would be today if those brave people did not stand up for the rights of African Americans. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. He stood up for the rights of his fellow African Americans, and it ended up putting his own life in danger. With his courageousness, and vision he helped advance the African American community in society. African Americans were used as slaves for much of early American history. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation finally set them free on January 1, 1863. However, just because they were set free did not mean they were equal. Abraham Lincoln did not agree with the institution of slavery for different reasons than most people. He did not necessarily think they were equal to their white counterparts, but he thought freeing the slaves would help crush the south during the civil. Freeing the slaves in the south would effectively crush their economy and infrastructure. Their society’s base was the hard would of the slaves, and without the hard work of the slaves the society would crumble. White people would have to do the work they only saw fit for an underappreciated...
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...Daniel Washington June 23rd, 2015 English 120 Section 56281-601 Literary Analysis Essay 2 Striving Despite All Odds In The Deep South The short story “A Worn Path” by Edora Weltty (1909-2001), Is about a elderly African American woman who, despite her deteriorating mental health and old age, manages to leave no stone unturned to accomplish her goal. Life as a African American in the deep south in the early 1940’s was unyielding. The “separate but equal” Jim Crow laws were still in effect. Mississippi was thought to be in the heart of it all. This is where the plot begins where we are introduced to Phoenix Jackson, where she makes her humble journey. At this moment, some of the stories conflict comes into play. At first, there is a erect hill, which appears to lofty to climb, but somehow she operates a way to climb it. This is one of the first of many conflicts she manages to bring about. Jackson proves that she won’t be defeated so easily. When she makes it to the bottom of the hill, she cautiously walks across log over a large creek. Phoenix needs to catch her breath, and at this moment in the story a new conflict arises. This particular conflict isn’t the wild animals or unkempt terrain, the conflict is herself. Phoenix Jackson begins to hallucinate. She sees a young child (possibly her grandson) handing a plate of cake to her. She soon realizes that she is fantasizing when she tries to reach for ...
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