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Cons of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Effects of the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement effects on today's society
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The Declaration of Independence states that “All men are created equal,” but is it really true? Sadly, the United States has not always honored this quote, and many people have worked hard to change that. Had it not been for civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, America would not be the melting pot it is today. These people worked hard to have equality for all, and their wishes were granted in the amends of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a result of this act, segregation was outlawed and for the first time every citizen of the United States had equal opportunities. My life, in addition to the lives of all Americans, has been greatly impacted by the act’s contents. There are no more segregated schools, and students of different races, religions, and national origins are allowed to mix. Many of my friends are of different races and religions, and my school treats everyone as equals. My morals have also changed upon reading the Act; I knew that judging people by their race was frowned upon, yet I never took it so seriously until now. It is fair to say that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has changed people in more ways than one. I participate in numerous extracurricular activities all over Columbus, and as a result know countless people. My circle of friends is now multifarious and has become a huge part of my life. A good portion are of different races or religions than I, but I couldn’t have asked for better. Those kinds of details never bother me, and if anything, bring us closer together. If it wasn't for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, I would not be as active in the community and my group of friends would be depleted. Desegregated schools or desegregated movie theaters would not be a... ... middle of paper ... ... Civil Rights Act of 1964 has made an obvious impact on the United States of America. All races, religions, and sexes have an equal opportunity to hold a job, can go places in public without being restricted by segregation, and can attend public schools of their choice. My life has been forever changed by the Act, and I cannot imagine what life would be like without it and how people would act. Friends I have made and places I have been just add to the proof of the Act’s deeds, and I know people, both black and white, are finding the same thing. By learning more about the Act, I started to live it, and I think that has caused one of the greatest changes in my life. Though people have their differences, and trust me, I have mine, America, along with the Act’s assistance, was able to look past that. I now truly know what it means to not judge a book by its cover.
“There must be the position of superior and inferior” was a statement by Lincoln which formed the basis of discrimination towards black Americans as it highlighted the attitudes of white Americans. Although civil rights for black people eventually improved through the years both socially and politically, it was difficult to change the white American view that black people are inferior to white people as the view was always enforced by the favour of having “the superior position assigned to the white race”. The period between 1880 and 1990 can be seen as a period of civil strife. The civil rights movement had little impact, with few significant improvements towards the overall goal of equality. Despite the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteen amendments had been set up acting as a baseline of change as it liberated black Americans from slavery and made them freedmen.
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first serious attempt by the United States government in 75 years to address the racial divide which had consumed the nation. At its core the Act was an attempt to address the suppression of Black American voting rights in southern states. The Act...
Although many laws were passed that recognized African Americans as equals, the liberties they had been promised were not being upheld. Hoffman, Blum, and Gjerde state that “Union League members in a North Carolina county, upon learning of three or four black men who ‘didn’t mean to vote,’ threatened to ‘whip them’ and ‘made them go.’ In another country, ‘some few colored men who declined voting’ were, in the words of a white conservative, ‘bitterly persecute[ed]” (22). Black codes were also made to control African Americans. Norton et al. states that “the new black codes compelled former slaves to carry passes, observe a curfew, live in housing provided by a landowner, and give up hope of entering many desirable occupations” (476). The discrimination and violence towards African Americans during this era and the laws passed that were not being enforced were very disgraceful. However, Reconstruction was a huge stepping stone for the way our nation is shaped today. It wasn’t pretty but it was the step our nation needed to take. We now live in a country where no matter the race, everyone is considered equal. Reconstruction was a success. Without it, who knows where our nation would be today. African American may have never gained the freedoms they have today without the
Few things have impacted the United States throughout its history like the fight for racial equality. It has caused divisions between the American people, and many name it as the root of the Civil War. This issue also sparked the Civil Rights Movement, leading to advancements towards true equality among all Americans. When speaking of racial inequality and America’s struggle against it, people forget some of the key turning points in it’s history. Some of the more obvious ones are the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in the North, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s march on Washington D.C. in 1963. However, people fail to recount a prominent legal matter that paved the way for further strides towards equality.
In 1964, Linda Brown along with the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) challenged the Separate but Equal doctrine, and won (Askew). Discriminatory laws that lasted for 99 years, starting with the Black Codes, moving to the Louisiana Separate Car Act and Plessy v. Ferguson, to everyday laws, finally became overturned. They permanently hindered a large group of people as seen by literacy rates, household income, and household ownership, but those numbers became more equal as time went on. Unfortunately, due to humanities extreme ignorance, we don’t see these issues recurring today. People discriminate against homosexuals, for example, and they don’t get equal rights. People must look to the past and use the knowledge of their mistakes to never make those same mistakes again.
...of religion, the freedom to assemble and civil rights such as the right to be free from discrimination such as gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation. Throughout history, African Americans have endured discrimination, segregation, and racism and have progressively gained rights and freedoms by pushing civil rights movement across America. This paper addressed several African American racial events that took place in our nation’s history. These events were pivotal and ultimately led to the establishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Civil Rights Act paved the way for future legislation that was not limited to African American civil rights and is considered a landmark piece of legislation that ending racism, segregation and discrimination throughout the United States.
the civil rights movement dramatically changed the face of the nation and gave a sense of dignity and power to black Americans. Most of all, the millions of Americans who participated in the movement brought about changes that reinforced our nation’s basic constitutional rights for all Americans- black and white, men and women, young and old.
The image that is usually placed with feminism is that of a rabid, bra-burning, lesbian running around disclaiming the patriarchy. It could be that of a mid-century housewife complaining about how her only career choices are between teacher and secretary, or even of a woman with a sash and banner walking in front of the White House; preaching about her right to vote. However, this isn't necessarily the case. Ever since the rise of the internet, in the late 20th Century, feminism has had a revival causing it to grow in popularity and spread across forums everywhere. Women are joining this “third wave” movement to bring an end to the societal injustices that still plague the gender today (qtd. in Haslanger et al.). Feminism currently represents much more than it did in its infantile stage, having evolved to include relevant issues that affect every woman in today’s subordinating world. Issues such as rape culture, slut shaming, abortion and the wage gap have all been adapted into the feminist agenda with the hope that, as a united force, women could bring change to a misogynist society. The bra burning days are over, and feminism is on a rise, bringing light to issues that need to be addressed.
This sentence, written in the Declaration of Independence, contains some of the most powerful words ever written. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” (US 1776). They invoke feelings of pride and integrity in the hearts and minds of most Americans. However, these magnificent, well-intentioned words that were written in 1776 are over-shadowed by feelings of shame, sorrow and betrayal for how men, women and children were rejected as human beings worthy of equality simply because of the color of their skin. While things have improved for African Americans in the past two hundred years, we still have not gotten it exactly right. The treatment of African Americans is still a source of frustration for those who truly want to believe in the power of the words “all men are created equal”.
As a reader, my mind was most affected, not by the struggle of the civil rights movement, but by the determination of the editors to assist in putting an end to segregation in the United States. This changed my mind about some of what I was taught about the civil rights movement and how big of an impact it had on not just African Americans, but everyone as a whole.
Before the Civil Rights Movement, which took place from 1955-1968, African-Americans had a difficult time establishing an identity and their rights. However, for many African-Americans, the Civil Rights Movement developed a purpose for one’s life and progressed African-Americans’ status and rights in society. Although some people may argue that the Civil Rights Movement was not productive and only caused conflict and havoc, due to the majority of African-Americans still employed in low-level jobs and many towns affected by the Civil Rights Movement being torn apart and degraded, those effects were only temporary and tangible to others. The Movement had a much more profound effect of giving one a purpose or “spark” in life, which later led to African-Americans demanding more rights and equal status in society.
Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation in the United States was commonly practiced in many of the Southern and Border States. This segregation while supposed to be separate but equal, was hardly that. Blacks in the South were discriminated against repeatedly while laws did nothing to protect their individual rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ridded the nation of this legal segregation and cleared a path towards equality and integration. The passage of this Act, while forever altering the relationship between blacks and whites, remains as one of history’s greatest political battles.
Today, not many people realize how lucky we are, but not long ago African Americans and other minorities were not equal to whites. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted that to change. In August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King gave a speech that’s changed us today. The speech was about how all people are equal and his dreams for others equality. In the “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr. it states “This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality”(King). This quote means that Martin Luther King
Diversity, we define this term today as one of our nation’s most dynamic characteristics in American history. The United States thrives through the means of diversity. However, diversity has not always been a positive component in America; in fact, it took many years for our nation to become accustomed to this broad variety of mixed cultures and social groups. One of the leading groups that were most commonly affected by this, were African American citizens, who were victimized because of their color and race. It wasn’t easy being an African American, back then they had to fight in order to achieve where they are today, from slavery and discrimination, there was a very slim chance of hope for freedom or even citizenship. This longing for hope began to shift around the 1950’s during the Civil Rights Movement, where discrimination still took place yet, it is the time when African Americans started to defend their rights and honor to become freemen like every other citizen of the United States. African Americans were beginning to gain recognition after the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, which declared all people born natural in the United States and included the slaves that were previously declared free. However, this didn’t prevent the people from disputing against the constitutional law, especially the people in the South who continued to retaliate against African Americans and the idea of integration in white schools. Integration in white schools played a major role in the battle for Civil Rights in the South, upon the coming of independence for all African American people in the United States after a series of tribulations and loss of hope.
... middle of paper ... ... The American Civil Rights Movement has had a massive effect on our history and how our country is today.