Civil Rights Dbq

The fight for equality and Civil rights was long, difficult, but a somewhat successful movement that opened up new doors. For many years leading up the Civil Rights movement, people of color had a tough time living on a “White Man’s Land.” They were seen as inferior to whites, as well as abused for free labor for nothing other than selfish reasons to make money. Although there were many attempts to raise awareness and fight back against the prejudices and unfair treatment of the Black’s, the most effective and controversial movements was the Civil Rights Era. Some important activists included Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Muhammad Ali, and many more. There was one activist set apart from the rest because of his tactics to gain freedom

King was one of the many people at this time to stir up the feelings of his supporters and enemies to get his point across. This is especially seen in his “ I Have a Dream Speech” which was given on August 28, 1963 in front of a group of civil rights activists in Washington DC. His speech mentioned equality, job opportunities, slavery, and children which spoke directly to those suffering from the inequality and racism towards Black. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, he mentions “5 score years ago” which refers to the fact that White’s and Black’s have not been equal for years, even after the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation which ended slavery (King 2). Although Black’s couldn’t be owned, they were treated as if they were nothing. They were segregated in public and both physically and verbally abused for their difference in skin tone. His speech also brought up feelings of hope and willpower to continue the fight for freedom, because the rain doesn’t last forever. As for the Whites that supported Black Right’s, Dr. King evoked feelings of guilt due to the lack of support from those who had rights to stand up and say something about the ongoing problem. The government follows the Constitution and Declaration of Independence which says man is born with natural born rights which includes life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but that is denied to the Blacks. As generations have gone by being born into slavery, many Blacks were born within the

Kings peace marches and “I Have a Dream” speech led to the passing of laws that allowed Black’s the right to vote and outlawed discrimination/segregation in public places against gender, race, and religion. His actions continue to impact the people of color today. Black’s are allowed to attend any school, have the opportunity to get jobs, and be in public areas without being forced to be separated from the whites. According to U.S Census Bureau, as of 2013, about 85.1% of African-Americans have completed high school and 2.9 Million attend college. The number of African-Americans completing higher educations and getting jobs has gone up 9 times since 1964. The states that had the biggest problems with slavery and racism such as Alabama and Mississippi are now populated with about 50% Blacks (US Census Bureau). The over all percentage of voters has gone up from 1964 as more people are being educated and made aware of their rights as a citizen and a voter. Although there is still racism and prejudice against people of color, these are big steps in the right direction which opened up doors for the minorities which would not have been available if it wasn’t for the hard work of Dr. Martin Luther King. He continues to be the face of equality, freedom, and the face of Civil