Civil rights programs were originally enacted to give rights to African Americans to become full citizens of America. Slavery was later made illegal in the thirteenth amendment. In the fourteenth amendment, citizens were ensured equal protection under the law. This amendment allowed all citizens regardless of the race to participate in voting. The blacks and all the citizens were ensured same rights in making and enforcing contracts by the civil right act of 1866, (Edley, 1996).
In 1865 the 13th amendment was added to the constitution and it abolished slavery in every state. The next legal change that gave African Americans more rights was in June of 1866 when the 14th amendment was ratified. The 14th amendment expressed citizenship to include African Americans, guaranteed equal protection under the law, and recognized the government as an advocate of individual civil rights. Also, Congress guaranteeing black suffrage passed the 15th amendment in 1869. Besides the many legal change there were several social changes that made African American free and gave them individual rights.
This amendment granted African-Americans the status of citizenship. The fifteenth amendment established that no citizen may be denied the right to vote. The Civil Rights Act was a law that gave citizenship rights to freed slaves. This act was veto by Andrew Johnson but was override by Congress. The Radical Republican’s opinion on political power was to have the North benefit from the South.
Struggles of Minority Groups On July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence was issued, it stated “we hold these truths to be self_evident: That all men are created equal...” But our new nation still participated In the practice of slavery - of african-americans. until the conclusion of the Civil War in the 1860s, after their was much work to make the rights and privileges of citizens. Then America was welcoming immigrants from the World, problems of racial segregation for multiple minority groups. Women and people with disabilities, also fought for fairness and to be equal. Minority groups in America faced discrimination, and racism.
The federal nature of the US government shifted its focus to the role and significance of states in protecting the rights of its citizens and safeguarding the laws for effective implementation of equal disposition of legal rights to all citizens. Prior to the 14th Amendment the Bill of Rights held the federal courts responsible for safeguarding laws at both federal and state level. With the passing of the 14th Amendment, the state courts were made responsible for ensuring that all citizens received equal rights (NALEO, 2). The key clauses of the ... ... middle of paper ... ...yed by the citizens of the country. It marked the end of a period of oppression faced by the black community and laid the foundations for a society that preserved and upheld the values of individual rights and the responsibility of the state in conserving the legal and civil rights of its citizens.
In addition, the Voting Rights Act protected all voting rights for American individuals of all races, not just African-Americans. However, prejudice was still alive and present, especially in the south. Not everyone agreed with the new laws that were being made, but nevertheless blacks didn’t give up hope. They continued to preserve and fight for their rights in hopes that a change wou... ... middle of paper ... ...in color. It was because of this that it’s the most important event in African-American history and culture due to its great accomplishment in giving blacks liberty and putting an end to all discrimination for everyone.
Although anti-miscegenation laws were present in early colonial societies, the legacies have continued in the contemporary period. For example, Alabama amended its constitution in 2000 to acknowledge interracial marriages as valid and legal. For over 300 years, anti-miscegenation laws have remained generally the same, outlawing marriages between people of different races. Overtime, however, definitions of who is Black have drastically changed, reflecting the status of Blacks’ in society. Anti-miscegenation laws during the era of slavery defined Blacks as having at least one Black grandparent, or one quarter “Black blood”.
ACLU is “America’s nation's guardian of liberty”, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in America. Freedom of speech is a gift to human beings, without this right the people couldn’t express themselves or even worst, to say what they feel or want for a better life. United States is one of the countries that protect this right, but in the world there are governments that do not respect and do not know that this right exists. The relation between democratic government and freedom of speech is that they both depend in each other. If democracy wasn’t a type of government, and the first amendment wouldn’t exist, what will be happening today?
What are rights? Rights are things that a person is or should be morally or legally allowed to have, get, or do; we know a lot about rights in the United States. For many centuries Americans have felt strongly about their rights and we have spent centuries fighting for them. An example of this would be the African Americans in America; brought to the United States as slaves to mend the fields of southern farmers, African Americans had little to no rights in the still newly formed country. Yet, after the United States Civil War blacks would gain there freedom with the adding of the 13th amendment, which officially abolished slavery, the 14th amendment, which declared all persons born in the United States or naturalized in the United States are American citizens including African Americans and the 15th Amendments, which allows all males 21 and over to vote regardless of race.
Along with the gaining of Blacks rights and the abolishment of slavery came the granted right of voting. Black citizens were bared from voting until late eighteen seventies. The fifteenth amendment offically proctected the Black man right to vote and also allowed congress to "pass laws needed to enforce this amendment." Clearly one is able to view the Constitutions ability to mend the Bill of rights with amendments to grant a viable form of justice. Blod manuvers from the governmnet, has displayed to the society as well as the nation, protection is granted to where is most important.