America the Racist Tyrant In "The Declaration of Independence," Thomas Jefferson shows the King of Great Britain acting as a tyrant to the colonies, and Jefferson declared America to be free from Britain. In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. writes to a clergyman logically analyzing criticisms while communicating to the public his arguments. Jefferson fought for freedom and right for America. King also fought for better civil rights for his black people. They both fought for their people, King however fought peacefully with white people, who in return were cruel. This comparing Jefferson's and King's fought for freedom, different skin color demonstrates racism causing unfairness to this day still exists because the fight for justice and rights still exist which calls for a social contract. Every single human being has a right to life, civil rights, and freedom. This is a right that Americans base their government on. Jefferson states that "all men are created equal" and man should naturally stand for every single person, no matter what color or sex they are. (53) Equality in all men however is untrue. Different race, religion or gender often causes conflicts between people. Conflicts results in discrimination against groups. This can be shown through King's fight for black's civil rights. Americans already have freedom and rights, however, the black people are still being looked down. For King and his people, they were treated without respect. The black people "have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights."(217) The black people have waited silently while everyone else received their God-given rights. They are rights that everyone should possess; however, the black Americans did not because of their color. People are often judged according to the color of their skin. This judging of another person is often negative and is known as racism. America is known as the melting pot with all kinds of race living there. It is clear that no matter how big a melting pot, it can not contain all race mixed together. As a black man, King witnessed and experienced racism during the segregation period. People were "haunted by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro" shows that black people were being discriminated.(218) This judging and disrespe... ... middle of paper ... ...or poor, strong or weak in rights to have freedom and justice. Just as Jefferson "has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of Government" (54). The colonies have also found equality between them and Britain by becoming an independent government. As King puts it "oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever" (222) people are forever fighting and yearning for freedom from justice. In conclusion, Jefferson demonstrates that by declaring independence, thirteen colonies have given themselves their rightful freedom. However, these freedoms were given mainly to the white. The black, like King, fights nonviolently hard to change the society and government slowly to receive the same justice and freedoms as the whites. When comparing the people in Jefferson's time and the people in King's time, it is surprising to see that they are both fighting for similar rights on the same grounds, yet King is fighting for it later when America already have the rights. This concludes that racism indeed plays an important role in our past and present as we try to be free from other judges.
Thomas Jefferson, an educated, well respected career man, served as governor of Virginia, secretary of state, and president of the United States. The Revolutionary era, during the 1770's, proved to be one of America's most victorious times. Despite the casualties the American colonies suffered, they proved to be stronger than their ruling land, Britain, and won the right to be a free land, becoming the United States of America. Living through this difficult turning point in history inspired Jefferson to write "The Declaration of Independence." Once again, nearly two hundred years later, America faced yet another turning point in history. Watching America struggle through racial integration in the 1960's, King was outraged by how Blacks were being treated, not only by citizens, but by law enforcement. Police brutality became increasingly prevalent, especially in the South, during riots and protests. As a revered clergyman, civil rights leader, and Nobel Prize winner, King's writings sprung from a passion to help America become the land Jefferson, among many people, had promised it to be. ...
These particular journeys would be featured as a two part series on the victims of manifest destiny. The beginning part of the first episode should discuss the theory of manifest destiny, opening with George Berkeley’s “Verses on the Prospect of Planting Arts and Learning in America.” The last two lines of the poem should be emphasized as it discusses “…Westward the course of empire takes its way. The first four Acts already past, a fifth shall close the Drama with the day; time 's noblest offspring is the last.” This particular poem inspired Americans to claim land westward, as well as different painters to depict such action such as: Thomas Cole and Emmanuel Leutze. Leutze painted a picture with the title “Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way.” This poem also depicts America as the last great civilization. It also reflects the ideas of the people during this time period. This idea Americans starting to move westward was depicted in the painting by Leutze. The painting ...
This concept was later expanded upon in the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson and became the motto of American democracy: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. However, the founding fathers and their influential Enlightenment Era philosophers often referred to blacks as “savages” and “inferior humans”, denying them these “inalienable” rights. It is through this manipulation of language and human understanding that African Americans were denied the most basic elements of freedom. The Constitution itself is highly influenced by Enlightenment thought and meant to serve as the mark of an egalitarian republic. However, it includes no mention of the word “slave”, yet directly condones the foreign importation of slaves for at least 20 years after its ratification. This is evidence that African Americans were marginalized in their aspirations for freedom, strictly because their subjugated position in society benefited
Since this test has been devised, the number one question everybody is asking is, “ isn’t it unfair to base a student’s entire future on one test, when he or she simply could have had a bad day when taking the test”? The president Kirk T. Schroder of the Virginia Board of Education, answer this question by saying, “First of all, these tests are untimed, so no student is under arbitrary time pressure in taking the test.
Before the Civil War, the black man was thought to be inferior to the white man. He was susceptible to diseases that did not affect the white man. Diseases like drapetomania “that induces the negro to run away from service” reduced the black man to a biped animal, incapable of thinking for himself. His decisions were based solely on animalistic instincts and influences such as disease and misleading temptations. In the Dred Scott case of 1857, blacks were decided to not be citizens of the United States of America. Consequently, they were not entitled to any more protection than a cow and could not sue for their freedom. They were not able to dispute the issue. They had no identity outside of their master, they were entirely tied in every legal way to that person’s decisions. Even when a man might admit that blacks are indeed human, blacks would still be looked upon as inferior. Abraham Lincoln, acclaimed liberator, declared tha...
High school students face a stressful and strenuous time and are challenged by the vigorous preparation for VCE exams. The ‘do or die’ VCE exams that student face is a crisis time for them, instead of thinking about their graduation. Expecting students to take these exams is unfair due to its numerous reasons of unfairness and should not take place. The Victoria school board should repeal these exams.
In addressing and confronting the problem of injustices among the black Americans in the American society, particularly the violence that had happened in Birmingham, and generally, the inequality and racial prejudice happening in his American society, King argues his position by using both moral, social, and political references and logic for his arguments to be considered valid and agreeable.
Hesiod’s Theogony has transcended generations, delivering to vast audiences the traditional stories of the Greek gods as well as ancient Greek conceptions of the world. One particularly well known aspect of the Theogony, the section that tells the tale of Prometheus, is unique in that it has little intrinsic worth; its value is in its ability to enhance other stories and conceptions. Across the globe, people know well the story of the one who deceived Zeus and stole fire for man, but few recognize its role in Hesiod’s work as a whole. The story of Prometheus serves two primary purposes for Hesiod and his audience. First, it solidifies Zeus’s position as king of the gods, providing one of the first characterizations of his temperament, and second, it serves as a mode of explanation for those evils in the world which plague mankind.
The American Declaration of Independence is perhaps the most meaningful and important document in the history of America. The main section of this document which is incompatible with the concept of slavery and shows a falsity is during the discussion of human rights and liberties. The Declaration stated ‘that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ this statement iterates that under legal rule all men were to obtain uniform freedom, the fact that the word ‘unalienable’ was used is a major contradiction to slavery, ‘unalienable rights are incapable of being lost or sold’ they are ultimately undeniable, yet these rights were denied to the black slaves. These entitlements were supposedly ubiquitous to every human being, however human beings in this sense were ‘all free, white, property-owning males’ black slaves were not observed as human ...
We believe that the congress of the United States should pass a Civil Right's Legislation for Black Rights. We have been freed from our slavery but that is not enough. The congress has passed the right to free us from slavery; why shouldn't they go the rest of the way and grant us all of our rights as a U.S Citizen? Currently, we are in limbo. We do not have the right to own property, to vote, or to become educated or any of the natural rights given to a citizen. We are free men and it means nothing. We are not protected from the Black Codes that the Southerners have made against us. Because of the Black Codes we can not enjoy the freedom we have been graciously granted. We need help in overcoming these new codes. President Lincoln has said on this topic: "And I do further proclaim, declare, and make known that any provision which may be adopted by such state government in relation to the freed people of such state, which shall recognize and declare their permanent freedom, provide for their education, and which may yet be consistent as a temporary arrangement with their present condition as a laboring, landless, and homeless class, will not be objected to by the National Executive" (Lincoln, 19). The African-American race is no less qualified as a person than anyone else. We can do jobs just as well as the whites, if not better, since we have been doing their dirty work for years. The Freedmen's says "His personal rights as a freedman once recognized in law and assured in practice, there is little reason to doubt that he will become a useful member of the great industrial family of nations. Once released from the disabilities of bondage, he will somewhere find, and will maintain, his own appropriate social position" (Final, 26).
While the government the founding fathers established had a purpose of protecting the divine rights granted to man, more issues arose due to the inability of the government to fully protect all human rights. Jefferson stated in The Declaration of Independence “that all men are created equal,” (Jefferson, 2014, p. 108). However, the government did not uphold this ideal. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the leaders of the civil rights movement, encouraged Americans to practice civil disobedience to attempt to make a change in the treatment the African-American people endured under the ideals of the government. Segregation laws were considered unjust under the divine law. They encouraged the unfair treatment of American citizens based solely on the color of their skin. A portion of the American identity established by the revolution, was an intolerance to unjust laws and actions. King explains in his Letter from Birmingham Jail that “injustice anywhere is a treat to justice everywhere,” (King, 2014b, p. 141). Therefore, the citizens had a duty to disobey injustice to achieve justice. However, disobedience only applies with unjust laws. According to King, “an unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law,” (King, 2014b, p. 144). Kings considers any law that does not align with the teachings of the Lord or the natural rights that all men possess as unjust. This echoes the ideas of the Founding Fathers that the British government defied the rights of the colonists. The American identity established during the founding of the nation, seems to accept the use of disobedience of unjust laws as a method of improving the American state. Without this disobedience, American citizens would lack an effective way to establish their dissatisfaction with the state of the
I recommend an alternative to all these issues that puts an end to these unfair exams. We must remember that teachers observe daily student accomplishments. They are the ones who are trained to determine whether a student should pass or fail, repeat or graduate. I can attest that these VCE exams cause stress that no high school student should have to face. I call upon the Victorian school board officials and policy-makers to repeal the VCE exams and the rules that hold significant consequences to Atar scores and allow teachers to take on the responsibility of continual grading throughout the year.
College education essentially is the key to success in the future. It opens many doors of opportunity and allows us to explore every option available. College education can provide a student with new exciting opportunities that they would never had if they drop out of at high school. I would like to share some of the benefits that furthering your education can provide, and as well as the joy it can bring to each and every one of us.
...hould not be punished for inaccurate assessments that are given with such high stakes. Teachers just teaching the test in order to carry a school rank will not help students develop their own thoughts and opinions. In the long run, high stakes exams have a negative influence on schools because of their inability to properly produce accurate performance of a student’s intelligence. Many factors can affect the way a student tests and test measurements should be as how Wood stated “to devise tests which look at the individual and find out how well rather than how many” (Danili, Eleni and Reid, Norman). A solution to this problem is to conduct performance-based assessments rather than relying solely on high stakes exams. "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid” -Unknown.
Examinations, as we know it, have emerged to be the main facet of modern education in the ever-changing landscape of academia. In an education infrastructure that is as unpredictable as the clouds, it is somewhat ironic that the system of examinations as a means of judging a student’s ability has prevailed through the years. Every person, in their quest for knowledge, would inevitably encounter numerous modes of examinations throughout the course of their academic journey. As much importance has been attached to it in virtually every academic institutions across the globe, the voices of those who lobby for its eradication are seldom heard, let alone be considered seriously. There are various reasons for policymakers to initiate a rethink of the much-vaunted examination system. I am of the opinion that the time has come for us to abolish this system, a system which has come under fire from multiple sections of the community, particularly the students.