Cold War Equality

Race is still an open topic in America and in the world, as it has always implied differentiation, inequalities and division among human beings, and has been the basis for some of the most tragic events in history.

It is evident that no matter how hard we try to avoid it race plays a major role in today’s society. Your race and/or nationality and skin color plays a lot in how you are seen and perceived by the world. The first thing you see when you look at a person is their skin color, which just

The social construction of race is a topic that is worth discussing. In the United States the black/white color line has historically been rigidly defined and enforced. People have been stereotypical and afraid as long as I can remember. Labeling people as we think they should be based on the color of their skin or just thinking it’s in their biology so they must be this or they must be that. Race is socially constructed and is not a biological construct.

Kennedy and later signed by president Lyndon Johnson ended segregation. History.com staff agrees, “The Civil Rights Act, ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement.” The decision to approve this act was a long process lasting 22 days. Congress voted 71 in favor 29 against; thus, the act has passed into law (Civil Rights Act of 1964); the law is considered one of the greatest advancement in the civil rights

In Spite of the devastating history of segregation in the United States. A lot has changed in the past fifty years since segregation ended. The United States shifted from arresting African Americans for using “white only” facilities to integrated schools all over the country. Influential individuals such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr helped pave the way for African Americans to live as equals to along with their white counterparts in the United States of America.

There are man people that think this book is amazing and there are people that think this book is just not educational they say it brings back the past of things that don't happen any more. I think this book is a good book and explains the things that matter. The book basically show how blacks were treated back in the bay. It gives great examples of how life was back then and on how many people view black not just one opinion.

The reason I chose this book was because the title jumped up at me and my curiosity was aroused. I wanted to find out more about it. I was also drawn to the fact that the book was based on a true story. True stories interest me a lot and I instantly knew that I wanted to read this book. I also noticed that the book was a best seller and sold thousands of copies. As I read this book I’m glad that I choose it because it broadened my perspective on racism and the lengths that an individual is willing to go to in order to personally experience or understand a situation. This book has clearly

Reconstruction era was a period of extraordinary changes for African Americans. However, few of these changes lasted long enough for blacks to engage in the freedom they earned. During the reconstruction era man new acts and laws came into place, unfortunately these were not acknowledged, this caused for discrimination to prevail. The Civil Rights Movement provided mass movement to end the racial segregation and discrimination. Countless black youth and adults risked their lives to address the reconstruction failure of promoting education and economic quality, and create an end for unfair voting.

By the 1950’s and 1960’s, a breaking point was reached and blacks were tired of being mistreated. Many Civil Rights groups began to form, like the SNCC, and leaders, like Martin Luther King Jr., began to rise. As document 5 shows, these groups goals were to use peaceful protest and civil disobedience to demonstrate the societal unrest that is occurring and the need for political action. Upset at the racial injustice instigated by “Jim Crow Laws” and racism, these groups, through demonstrations such as the Greensboro Sit-ins, the Montgomery Bus Boycotts and the March on Washington, brought to public attention to the African Americans’ dreams of to finally getting the rights they were promised with emancipation. This could be further demonstrated by the “I Have a Dream” Speech. In this speech, given in March of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. discusses a future for America that lives by the standard that all men are created equal. This outside resource, along with various other movements, lead to further public outcry. As document 6 shows this grew to a point to where political action needed to be done. To Kennedy and his successor (Lyndon B. Johnson), this was a huge moral issue that couldn’t be ignored or else the nation would tear itself apart. This ultimately lead to the passing of the acts like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act. These acts were a major victory and largely paved the way to future equality for African

President Lyndon Baines Johnson was revered for signing the civil rights Act bill of 1964. The act gave equal voting rights, equal employment opportunity, and banned segregation in public places, such as schools, restaurants, and swimming pools. L.B.J was the type of president that did what was best for the country under any and all circumstances. He was also the type of man that would get what he wanted no matter what.Passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 improved the lives of minorities in America by leaps and bounds, but there was, and still is, some speculation as to why Johnson signed off on the bill. Some think that it was an act based purely on Johnson selfishly wanting more votes when the next election came around, while others believe that the president made his choice based on his morals and the fact that it was the right thing to do.

A 1963 NOCR or National Opinion Research Center survey found that 85% of whites endorsed the view that “Negroes should have as good a chance to get any kind of job”. This progressive opinion contrasts the 1940 NOCR survey in which 55% of whites said that “white people should have the first chance”. The shift from believing that whites should always get “first pick” to equal opportunity for all demonstrates the enormous liberation in white opinions on race from 1940 to 1960. Another question on the 1963 NOCR survey found that 73% of whites believed that “Negroes should have the right to use the same parks, restaurants, and hotels as white people”. National white opinion in 1963, a year before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, was highly favorable of integration and equality with blacks. These changing opinions are highly due to the the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Junior which implemented a number of strategies including using religion as an instrument for social change as well as fighting for basic rights by making laws seem illogical. MLK’s campaign for a more equal world rang true in the ears of many Americans, helping the general positive sentiment for black rights to rise. A year after the NOCR survey, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act, outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities as well as women. By passing the Civil Rights Act, the government was facilitating the movement of black people to the center of American life. This act also banned racial segregation in schools, at workplaces and at facilities that served the general public. Although the banning of racial segregation was already supported by the majority of American people, the government’s role in writing equality into formal

Lyndon Johnson saw civil rights act as part of a range of measures collectively known as the ‘great society’ which were designed to make America a fairer place. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Fair Housing Act of 1968. Johnson’s early measures on civil rights were highly effective, however the Vietnam War dominated Johnson’s attention and claimed a growing proportion of government resources. Additionally, Martin Luther Kings “King” public criticisms of the war drove a wedge between the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership conference) and the Johnson government. As a result Civil Rights were less of a priority in the second half of Johnson’s period in office.

They struggled for equality and took part in some of the greatest civil rights movements ever known. Although the civil rights revolution came as a surprise, the causes fought for were necessary. According to Foner, “the United States in the 1950s was still a segregated, unequal society with half of the nation’s black families living in poverty.” (902) Many whites paid little attention to segregation because they felt it had no impact on their everyday lives. Segregation impacted blacks, especially in the South, on a daily basis. They had separate restrooms, drinking fountains, schools, entrances to public places, and were unable to enter many public institutions altogether. (902) The arrest of Rosa Parks sparked a year-long bus boycott and marked the beginning of the civil rights movement in the South. (904) With Martin Luther King Jr. leading the movement, the freedom of justice and equality finally seemed within reach. According to the text, “King was a master of appealing to the deep sense of injustice among blacks and to the conscience of white America. He presented the case for black rights in a vocabulary that emerged the black experience with that of the nation.” (906)

Many are unaware of the effects that race has played in their lives over the years. Some may not understand its implications, but are very oblivious to it. Race can influence such things like attitude and behavior. Nowadays being white or black means something more than just a Crayola color. No longer are they just colors, they are races with their own rules and regulations. People of color have been inferior to the white race for centuries. In their own way Zora Neale Hurston shows this concept in her story “How it feels to be Colored Me” as does Richard Wright in his autobiographical sketch “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow”.

Ever since the beginning of early human civilizations, there has always been the presence of superiority over one another in regards to the pigmentation of one's skin color. Racial discrimination has plagued society through the centuries of the ancient Romans to the middle ages, towards the industrial era and the modern era in which we live now. However, have we sincerely progressed in terms of how we treat and view the people around us? Or have we been stuck with the perceptions of our ancestors that knew no better than to think better of themselves above other races? Putting into consideration the questions that berate our modern day lives of post segregation America, the ways of fixing the detrimental societal contagion need to involve psychologically altering people's minds from the ways of old, changing how we treat the American education system in regards to the children, and conforming the different socio-economic varieties into a system the equalizes the individual despite where they come from.