...In Twenty-First Century, modern America one can trace the effects of various actions and decisions of past government leaders and ordinary citizens in the shaping of the America we see today. Throughout human society, the conflicts, issues, and divisions among peoples, which one observes at any point in time, are not matters of chance, but are products of history, and forces of human undertaking. Today, American society is faced with a residential, geographic phenomenon among urban and suburban communities that disadvantages African American citizens through the discriminatory denial of residential and economic freedom, a Constitutional promise that is guaranteed to all Americans. Modern America is confronted with a socially and geographically segregated society structured on the hierarchies of race, having the greatest consequences for African American communities, the most segregated racial group in American society. The Great Migration of the early twentieth century was a symbolic beacon of hope for African Americans leaving their homes in the rural South to a new land of promise in the urban North. While this migration created vast amounts of opportunity for African Americans that could have not existed in the Jim Crow-era South, the movements of these people would carry the racial divisions and hostilities of society to the level of a national plight. Northern whites implemented various practices in order to manipulate urban housing markets in the effect of restricting...
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...“America preaches integration and practices segregation” Malcom X his quote is reflected in Langston Hughes’ poem “I Too Sing America” however Walt Whitman’s poem does not mention the segregation issues X and Hughes do. Both of these poems reflect America’s proletariat; however Hughes brings up the uncomfortable issue of racial inequality. Hughes poem focuses on the injustice suffered by African American workers, line 2” They send me to eat in the kitchen/when company comes,” This metaphor reveals in a symbolic way the racism in American society. Whitman’s poem seems to forget the race issue because the poem celebrates each workers individualism. For example, each line begins with a worker’s title: “Mechanics,” “Carpenters” and “Masons”...
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...Race in the Turn of the Century America After the Civil War, America had entered the Reconstruction phase, and there were many issues within the nation that continued and further developed due simply to race. During this time, “the color line was firmly established in American culture, and there was infrequent crossing of the divide” (Bowles, 2011, section 2.3, para 17). There was unquestionable detriment to the growth of the African American community, as well as increased timidity for basic African American rights. The issues of segregation and racism that were so prominent during this era in America were one of the ways that Black Americans remained almost invisible in a white society. Despite the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves, race continued to be a problem in early twentieth century America. One of the most critical issues surrounding the further entrenchment of racial segregation within the early twentieth century was the development of 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...
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...1863, a law which would see the release of all slaves in America. * Belief that the slaves should be freed was a key factor in sparking the American civil war. 1861: The American Civil War begins at fort Sumter. * Fought between the United States of America, who opposed slavery, and the Confederate States of America, a new nation established by seven slave states in the south. * Not the only reason for the civil war, slavery was a key issue being fought over. 1865: The 13th amendment is passed, permanently outlawing slavery. * Shortly after the surrender of all confederate forces, ending the civil war. 1866: The civil rights act is passed by Congress. * The first to define US citizenship as well as state that all citizens were protected by the law. * It is expected that the act was passed, despite being vetoed repeatedly by President Andrew Johnson, in order to protect the rights of African-Americans. 1870: The 15th amendment is passed, giving the black man the right to vote. 1875: A bi-racial senate and House of Representatives passes the civil rights act. * Designed to protect all Americans in their access to accommodations and facilities such as restaurants. * Never enforced and was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme court in 1883 1896: The Supreme Court introduces a “separate but equal” doctrine. This allows for the expansion of racial segregation across America. 1915: The film “birth of a nation” glorifies the KKK and...
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...On August 28, 1963 American Baptist and civil rights movement activist Martin Luther King Jr gave a speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Not for the beautiful viewing but for the remembrance of the President who tried to end segregation. Dr. King spoke in front of hundreds of thousands of colored and white people from across the nation, informing them about the change against segregation. As a writer Dr. King knows how to grab his followers attention. Dr. King used allusions, pathos, parallel structure, alliteration, juxtaposition, and imagery to not only show the future when segregation ends but to grab people attention and open their ears to faith and change. Dr. King uses allusions to show credibility of past and how people...
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...1865 Leonard Stinson HIS204: American History Since 1865 Instructor John Durr December 5th, 2011 The African Americans: The Birth of Equality after 1865 This was a time when America was trying to find herself. These were the years known as the Reconstruction Period from 1865-1877. During this time period, the African-American people became free from slavery but one can only imagine what free really is. While the nation search for ways to establish true meaning of equality, African-American people continued to struggle to find out just what equality means and to have the same rights and freedom as the white people in the nation. Whether as slaves or free people, the political and social status of African Americans has always been to obtain the ability to participate in the nation’s economy. While many historians believe that slavery and politics can be attributed to the Civil War, more than 600,000 Americans died and with the help of the Emancipation Proclamation to start the motion to free the slaves, America became even more a divided country in 1865 than the previous earlier years (Bowles, 2011). Although freedom in the post-Civil War years did not guarantee equality, African Americans continued to struggle from racism, segregation and discrimination for many years, but the birth of equality is beginning to grow and show that all men and women are created equal. The effort to integrate African Americans (ex-slaves) in the American society...
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...DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE Civil Rights Movement Deyana Faraj On the 4th of July 1776, 56 delegates to the Continental Congress signed a document that would not only declare independence of America from British colonial power but less than 200 years later, become the backbone of a new established America where the walls of discrimination and segregation would finally begin to deteriorate. The Declaration of Independence is a powerful document that has led to the development of equal rights and social justice within societies on a world context. More specifically, principles in this document were instrumental when argued by African American Civil Rights leaders in achieving equality and abolishing racial segregation and discrimination against African- Americans in the United States, during the African American Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968). Before the American Civil Rights Movement, laws known as Jim Crow laws had forced racial segregation of facilities and the prohibition of intermarriage. These laws were similar to the apartheid legislation and it became the law mainly in the south of America. Where there is inequality and injustice within a government, the people of the nation demand change. Since the Jim Crow laws were enacted, the laws that mandated racial segregation in public areas and the prohibition of intermarriage in the Southern United States were socially and morally unjust and this fuelled the American civil rights movement as the African-American’s were...
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...Harry Racial Segregation Socy 305 - 5/27/15 The Civil Rights Act was passed to end racial discrimination in America. And later on the 24th Amendment to poll taxes, then the Voting Rights Act to allow every man to vote and not be discriminated against. Black Power, the Nation of Islam, and the Southern Christian Leadership conference were just some of the groups that tried to end segregation and promote the African American race. Although these groups did help end it, it still exists in today’s world and many studies have been done to prove it in the past couple of years. Although racial discrimination and segregation is not as bad as it use to be, it’s unfortunate we still have it going on in many different cases and many different areas. Many people across the world still judge based on color. They have also seen racial segregation on college campuses over the past few years, they have seen students of different racial backgrounds attending the same classes, but more so socializing with the same race and not having diversity within their friend groups. This is called self-segregation, while some people view it as an okay thing, since the students are just simply looking for others who understand their culture and have common beliefs. Others don’t agree with it saying that it is just encouraging racism within the campus. They aren’t intentionally trying to segregate the campus...
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...Civil disobedience is the act of refusal against laws, taxes, or demands by a government usually staying peaceful in nature. Martin Luther King Jr. and Antigone implement civil disobedience to defy unjust law; however, both approaches used to go against the wrong laws are different. Martin Luther King Jr. became the leader for the civil rights movement to put an end to segregation through civil disobedience by stressing the importance of peacefully protesting; while Antigone purposely went against the law, knowing the consequences, to follow God’s law instead of man-made law in a holy effort to bury her late brother Polyneices. Martin Luther King Jr. goes against unjust laws through civil disobedience by initiating peaceful protests. He believed that using nonviolent tactics are better at showing the immorality the unjust laws’ and calls for black people to fight the long battle against segregation. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, he reveals the unjust treatment going on in Birmingham and why it is important for him to be there helping, “Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already...
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.... Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools Part one “Savage Inequalities: children in America’s Schools” was written by Jonathan Kozol in the year 1991. Jonathan was born in the year 1936 in the United States of America and he is a renowned educator, activist and a writer. During his teaching career, he was able to study the lives of students, parents and teachers. He has written many books, including “Rachael and her child: homeless families in America,” “Shame of the nation” and many more. His books mainly focused on the social life experienced in schools. In the book “Savage inequality”, the writer argues that segregation is the main challenge facing American schools today. He believes students are facing segregation more than it was in the year 1954. The issues that Kozol discussed are from interviews and observation with students, parents and teachers during his teaching career. These observations showed how the urban schools were different from the private schools in terms of resources and methods of teaching (Kozol, 196). In the books, he tells his story as a teacher. He explains all the school he taught and the challenges he observed. In the year 1964 he began his teaching career in segregated public institution in Boston. The institution faced some challenges; the school lacked enough classrooms, and teachers were not permanent and would leave any time of the year. Students had never experienced a chance to be taught...
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...that helped end segregation in America. The Brown versus Board of Education case got started in a little town in Topeka, Kansas in 1951 because of black students not being allowed to enroll in a white school. Brown versus The Board of Education was one of the five cases that the NAACP picked out to help fight for segregation in schools to come to an end. The case was fought first against the Topeka,Kansas school board with the sole purpose of ending segregation in the local schools. It was represented by Oliver Brown,a parent of one of the black students not allowed into white schools,who argued to the school board “Topeka’s racial segregation violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause because the city’s black and white schools were not equal to each other and never could be.” Oliver Brown thought he had brought a strong case to the Topeka, Kansas school board, but they dismissed his claim by saying “Segregated public schools are substantially equal enough...
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...their skin but the content of their character”. Martin Luther King Jr inspired the human race to strive for harmony among all people. Martin Luther King Jr has influenced America to change from what it was to a better place. Marches Martin Luther King Jr used Marches to helped bring the people to fight for equality For blacks. During the years Martin Luther King Jr was alive, he had brought non-violent Marches to helped fight for African-Americans.”Martin Luther King Jr with a number of civil rights and religious groups to organize the ‘ March On Washington’ for jobs and freedom”(Martin Luther ). Martin Luther King Jr, religious groups and other civil leaders used this March to show how African-American injustices that they face around the United States. The issue with segregation in alabama came to supreme court and later segregation became ban.“in 1956, he helped to organize a bus boycott in montgomery, after...
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...of the border states of the United States and enforced between 1876 and 1965, slightly less than a hundred years (wikipedia). These laws mandated "separate but equal" status for black Americans. “In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were almost always inferior to those provided to white Americans. The most important laws required that public schools, public places and public transportation, like trains and buses, have separate facilities for whites and blacks” (wikipedia). In the Progressive Era the restrictions were formalized, and segregation was extended to the federal government by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913 (wikipedia).To discuss the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education, a brief history of the major case that had to be overturned to achieve the desired goal of Brown v. Board of Education. After the Civil War, America, especially the South was plunged into a racist spurred segregation. The South had lost the Civil War, but they were not ready to let African Americans simply assimilate into polite society...
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...Ever since the Reconstruction era after the Civil War there has been the issue of race and equality and rights. A movement occurred and two men gained power and influence the African American community. Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X two men having experienced different things in their lives held different beliefs and morals and influenced people based upon those things. Martin Luther King Jr., came from a Baptist home with a fairly easy childhood, he was educated when he was younger and attended Morehouse College, an all black college, where he had several role models that shaped his beliefs. Malcolm X, on the other hand, experienced a hard childhood and used drugs and committed other crimes in his early adult years. While in prison he found a father figure in Elijah Muhammad and joined the Nation of Islam. There are many differences between Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X in the way they acted and influenced the African American community. This paper will look to describe their differing views and analyze their actions and their lives. In most cases a person’s childhood has a lasting affect on the rest of a person’s life. In comparing Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X this seems to be the case. Martin Luther King Jr., was born January 19, 1929 and was raised by a strong supportive family. He had a somewhat privileged life and “never experienced the feeling of not having the basic necessities of life.”[1] His father “was a community leader in Atlanta...
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...The Black or African American ethnic group was the aim of segregation in the 20th century. Blacks had to go to different schools, eat in different restaurants, use different restrooms, and many other things. While the law said that segregation was ok if it all was equal, many times it was not equal. The segregation of African Americans can be attributed to the heritage of the United States. Since the very discovery of the Americas, blacks have been treated differently than whites. Blacks were even slaves to whites for hundreds of years. Black Americans have been slaves to white Americans ever since the discovery of the America. The reason African Americans even came here is because Europeans captured them for the slave trade. As the country...
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