Civil War Pros And Cons

The memory of incidents such as O. J. Simpson’s high profile criminal trial, the assault of Rodney King in Los Angeles in 1992, and the 2009 arrest and charging of Harvard Professor Henry Gates for racial profiling still freshly linger in the minds of many Americans. The people’s perceptions of justice in these situations continue to represent how the criminal justice system is viewed in present times, and continue defining racial disparity in America (Mauer, 2011).

The election of Barack Obama as the president of the United States surprised Americans as much as it did the world. The first African American and non-white to be in the White House, Barack Obama symbolized a major historical event, another step-forward toward racial equality in the history of America. Civil rights activists, experts in the racial conflict of the U.S., and many liberal citizens believed that Obama’s election means the realization of the ideas of black civil rights leaders, the completion of the Civil Rights Movement, the beginning of a post-racial society, and the downfall of

More and more cases of Officers killing unarmed citizens and getting no punishment is setting a dangerous precedence. In cases where you have video evidence to show deadly force protocol disregarded by an officer, they still receive no conviction. This makes the citizens less trusting of the people sworn to protect them. I have always had the highest respect for law enforcement. But with recent cases of killings, even my resolve and trust is shaken. The results have been disastrous for the Dallas Police Department loosing 5 brothers in blue to a very sick individual. My surprise is that it doesn’t happen more often, I hope it doesn’t. As more and more men and women are trained to fight and kill by the military as I was, officers will have to contend with highly trained individuals with superior weapons. To those on the fringes of society, the rule of law doesn’t matter. Human life is worthless to these sick individuals, and common ground has to be reached. So what will it take to change this snowball effect with the distrust of the community of

For generations, the saying has always been “winning is not everything.” For most cases, yes, winning is not what it is all about. There are, however, occasions when winning is a necessity. The American Civil War was a “brother against brother” fight over the issue of slavery in the South. Although allowed in the country farther back than the establishment of the nation, slavery was a part of the citizens of the United States’ lifestyle. Many Northerners felt that slavery was an abomination. The country had to come to an agreement on this issue. The only agreement they felt would resolve everything was going to war with one another. One might feel that the real winner was the Northern part of the country, the Union, and the real losers were

Over the years the rate of police brutality has increased in America. It has become one of the biggest headline in today’s news. Many African-Americans have become victims of police brutality. From young teenagers to mothers and daughters, even babies; whether the encounter was direct or indirect, all of which has encountered a form of police brutality. It’s not that the African-American community hates the police it’s their actions that we are upset and frustrated with. It’s their actions of beating, injustice shooting and killing of our brothers and sisters that have us protesting and rioting. How many more of our family members and loved ones must become a new hashtag or headline before the act of police brutality is a problem? Charles Dent argues that not all cops are bad and that we should support the police and not bash them. I agree with the point that not all cops are bad, but it’s not the police that are being bashed it’s the act of police brutality which they partake in that we don’t like and are protesting.

Race relations in the United States have never been perfect, and with the inauguration of the country’s first black president, most people believed that race relations would improve. Then came Ferguson. Then came Baltimore. Then came the murder of more than 350 unarmed blacks by police officers in 2015. 35% of Americans are “worried a great deal” about racial relations in the United States―double what it was in 2014 (Norman). Since information and breaking news is so easy to share with people in this age, news of these killings spread much faster. These problems have been around forever, but the issue has never been broadcasted on the scale it is now. US citizens, and blacks, in particular, are upset with the current criminal justice system;

It showed a sharp focus on the events in Ferguson less than two years ago. Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson police officer, shot the unarmed Michael Brown from a distance, but it was unclear whether Brown was surrendering or threatening Wilson. The unclear circumstances of Brown's death, the resulting nationwide protests, and police forces' perceived overreaction to the protests all led to a serious national debate about law enforcement's treatment of African-Americans in the United States. Such recent occasions of police brutality have brought the question of race into the picture as the public and media continue to evaluate the situation our country has found itself in, allowing this particular article to fulfill its purpose in fueling a discussion on race relations and the “colorblind” law. The Washington Post’s Christopher Ingraham, whose works center on politics, drug policy and data analysis, offers a candid and inquisitive tone in an article arranged in a sequence of data, statistics and information on the subject matter. The author’s use of straightforward language and extensive support from credible race-centered research and sources make the article instructive and indicative of the current status of race. In the novel, Mark Elliott held that, “...white skin is the greatest blessing that has been enjoyed on American soil.” This statement may ring true to some in

I am also deeply saddened by our selective moral outrage. Yes, I am angry that 17 wonderful people lost their lives, but let us not forget the over 17,000 murders we had last year. A white kid goes into a predominantly white school in a white community and commits a horrific act; why is it this the act that emboldens us to seek out change? What about the poor urban minority communities that are paralyzed by fear and grief on a weekly basis —why didn’t they provoke us to social change?

We have come to a time where laws are applied to all citizens, regardless of race. In this day and age, African Americans have the same positions and occupations as whites do. This is a breakthrough in history. “More than 20% of the Black working population over 16 years old are employees of the federal, state, or local government which is just over 5% higher than the national average” ("BlackDemographics”). African Americans are allowed to apply for jobs anywhere, and it is a crime to turn someone down because of their race. To prove the fact that they have the same just rights, our president since 2009 is an African American. On November 2, 2009, the day President Obama was elected president, so millions of people rallied to celebrate the occasion of the first black president. Among these people were Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians, all together. And on January 20, when President Obama and his family walked into the White House “it will mark an event that few, if any, Black American of the civil rights era thought possible” (Miah). Having an African American president contradicts the thought that Blacks are looked down upon in America. This is an example of a just society, because it shows fair rights being applied and shows that racial bias is fading. Other examples, such as a variety of races in law enforcement and government, show people that America allows everyone no matter what race to be treated justly and fairly. And it is this just society that each individual is seeking to ultimately live with a feeling of

“Hands up, don’t shoot!” These words have become a rallying cry heard across the nation. Recently, in November, when a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri failed to indict a white police officer, Darren Wilson, for fatally gunning Michael Brown, an unarmed African American teenager, protests erupted in cities throughout the country. Americans from all walks of life, from celebrities like Beyonce and Charles Barkley to normal citizens, have engaged in a national over the Ferguson decision. News about Ferguson has dominated social media and the whole nation has become involved in this conversation about race and justice. On December 13, 50,000 people participated in the Millions March in New York City to express their frustration about racial injustice and police violence, one of many protests to have taken place across the country since the decision was handed down in November. On the other side of the debate, many Americans argue that the police must be supported because they keep law and order. They point to the looting and violence that has broken out during many of the protests as evidence for the need to support the police. Even President Obama has gotten involved, announcing he will try to limit racial profiling by equipping local police with body cameras.

The Civil War is still to do this day the bloodiest battle the United States has been a part of. Over the period of the 4 years it was fought, more than 800,000 white men were killed. This number does not include the blacks, women or children that were killed or the number of men that were injured or were never recovered. This war between the Confederate Army and the Union had one cause, to keep slavery in the south. Although the Union eventually won this battle, it did not completely free and eliminate slavery because of Black Codes and the Sharecropping system being enacted as well as the formation of discriminatory groups like the KKK. It did, however, eliminate the Confederate states which were readmitted into the Union as free, and formed the Freedman's Bureau which helped freedmen ease into society.

We support each other and encourage each other to always reach higher, but society seemingly is unwilling to let that diamond shine brightly. Instead we are paraded and insulted on the news. For decades now we have heard the underlying chants of ‘Black Lives Matter’ seemingly on repeat; a record engrained in us. From Rodney King in Los Angeles and the acquittal of the four offices accused of beating him in March 1991, to fifteen years later — more recently, Akai Gurley in New York City and the guilty verdict of the Rookie Police Officer convicted of manslaughter and official misconduct, but recommended by the District Attorney his killer does not deserve jail time. Black lives has been a household topic for decades now. Living in a time with no shortage of crime television, we have all become private detectives. Our youth plastered on the news for crimes unbeknownst to most, innocent until proven guilty is a human decency most conveniently fail to

America stands for something that no other country has secured as much as we. We do not negotiate with terrorists. The terrorists first asked for the freedom of suspected muslims from a government prison in exchange for Jim’s freedom. I believe that it was moral for the government to have not complied from Syria for the trade off. This will show that America is weak and gullible and will set us back decades. In this certain case, the cons overpower the pros. The government knew that the cost was very important, but they must put national security then personal issues.

In 2017, US President Donald Trump seemed to imply that former president Andrew Jackson could have prevented the Civil War from happening. (https://i.redd.it/b7sh27h5kzuy.jpg) The backlash from the media was harsh and immediate, questioning whether or not Trump understood the causes of the Civil War, or that Andrew Jackson died decades before the war began. This is a yes or no question. Both sides can’t be correct, so which side needs to go back to school to relearn their history? That’s not a question I plan on answering today, but it does highlight a major problem among the US population: people don’t know their history. Imagine buying a house and not knowing it has a history of leaks, rat infestations, and overall poor structural integrity. Imagine having a

“Racial minorities, particularly Black Americans, have had a long and troubling history of disparate treatment by U.S criminal justice authorities.” (Birzer, 23) I am not here to give you another lesson on slavery, Jim Crow laws, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s or any other struggle we faced in our history, but I do want you to keep it in mind as you read about the current struggle we still face in 2017. You would think that America would give us a break since we’ve been fighting for equality for centuries, but they are not simply because of the color of our skin. When I say “they” I mean White America. Now, don’t get me