In order for justice to prevail there must be a realization that there are unjust occurrences that need to be dealt with, there must be action taken to show how immense the situation is and how rapidly it should be dealt with, and there must be nonviolent demonstrations for superb end conclusions. There are 3 steps in order for justice to prevail which were ideas derived from Martin Luther King Jr., Lenard Pitts, Henry David Thoreau, and Harper Lee. Those three steps will be explained and discussed throughout this thesis paper. The first step is realizing or “Bearing Witness” as Lenard Pitts would say, as stated in his speech Bearing Witness “We must claim our remembered passages.” In this quote Lenard was referring to realizing the …show more content…
Step one is all about realizing what the extensive situation is to have a respite. The second step is to take action. When people don’t do the just thing there’s no other choice but to be the crisis solver, as stated in Martin’s letter titled Letter From Birmingham Jail, “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” The people denying others justice are the ones putting murderers in jail when denial of ones justice is all the same. Having to wait when knowing there won’t be order is impossible to do if knowing something can be done. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter From Birmingham Jail is a great example because the people in Selma had to take matters into their own hands since the justice system was being unjust as stated, “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’.” In order for justice to prevail people had to take action since their government wouldn’t adhere to ones pleads for justice. Doing so people are able to open the eyes of others to show how unjust things are. Action is without a doubt one of the steps needed for justice to prevail. The third and final step is to take action, but take it peacefully as sated by Martin Luther King Jr. in December of 1964, “World peace through nonviolent means is neither absurd nor unattainable. All other methods have failed. Thus we must begin anew. Nonviolence is a better starting point. Those of us who believe in this method can be voices of reason, sanity, and understanding amid the voices of violence, hatred, and
Leaders, Achievers, Courage are only a few words that describe Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Abraham Lincoln and what they achieved. Frederick Douglass was a very courageous man and leader because he stood up for what was right and he escaped slavery, For Example in the text it says “ The more I read , the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers”. What that sentence means is that he was reading a book about a slave and his master and the more he read the more he wanted to enslave all slaves. Sojourner Truth was a courageous leader. She stood up for what she thought was right and for her that was women rights and ending slavery. In fact, in the text is says “ Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much right as men, cause christ wasn't a women! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a women! Man had nothing to do with him. ANother sentence was “ Then they talk about this thing in the head;what’s this they call it? [Members of audience whispers “ Intellect”] That's it honey. What's that got to f with women rights or negroes rights. She would always stand up for what was right. Abraham Lincoln was a Achiever and a Courageous leader. He was the man that stopped slavery. It's Important to realize, that in the text it said “ My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will, The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and
After abolition of slavery, new challenges became present; one of them, the readmission of the Southern states was required into the Union. " The goal of Reconstruction was to readmit the South on terms that were acceptable to the North-full political and civil equality for blacks and denial of the political rights of whites who were the leaders of the secession movement" (Wormser, 2002). Easier said than done, reconstruction, in the sense originally though by President Lincoln took many years to become a reality due to a series of issues. The "Black codes" permitted, although dubious, displayed the resistance of the South, this and the lack of opportunities for blacks to owe land, as well as the obstacles they encountered to vote
Injustice brings anger and fear to everyone. It could cause someone to act unconsciously or hide to wait for an end. Injustice shapes our history, proven by the French Revolution, the Holocaust, and 9/11. Yet these events are history, what is the right way to respond and end injustice? Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and writer, wrote many forms of literacy including Night that shares his experiences and actions during the Holocaust and “We Choose Honor” an article that features 9/11 and the United States’s response to it. Similarly, Maurice Ogden’s poem “The Hangman” demonstrates the flaws that occur when a population refuses to confront authority or injustice. Wiesel argues that the right way to respond to an act of injustice is to work as a group with your peers to solve the situation. Wiesel is correct in his belief of solving injustice because humans, at their core, are social beings that are more likely to succeed helping each other, and a group of humans is more intimidating and have more power to overcome injustice.
The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” (Jefferson). As the United States was built with an emphasis on equality for all citizens, it is increasingly pertinent to ensure that these values are retained. Throughout this country’s history, many conflicts regarding the ultimate equality of all citizens have resulted in the people themselves resisting restrictive laws. Protests, when peaceful, have always had a positive effect on retaining the freedoms promised by the Declaration of Independence. In order to pass on these values, American children are taught about those who chose to resist. Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Susan B. Anthony are only a few of
King wrote them. Gathering facts is the first step because it is necessary to gain support through real evidence and prevent misunderstandings. The information from the first step could be used in the second step of negotiations, which may be the solution to the problem. If no solution can be reached then the opponent should realize that the next step to be taken against them is direct action. The option of negotiation should always be kept open so that the minimum amount of casualties takes place. Self-purification must come before direct action so that the group fighting for justice does not participate in the same type of violence used against them creating mass chaos and more problems. Fighting violence with more violence does not solve problems. Direct action is necessary as the last step to bring even more attention to the issue and create just enough tension so that leaders have to take action to achieve a sense of peace in
Frederick Douglass was an American slave. Henry David Thoreau was a writer from the 17th century. The narrative read about Frederick Douglass was about his life as a slave, and how it changed as time went on, including his eventual release from enslavement. The article about Henry Thoreau was in regards to the theory of Civil Disobedience, and his role in the creation of that theory.
We all hope to have, and understand, the characteristics that an amazing leader possesses. There are many great leaders, spread throughout our history. Malcolm X, George Washington, and Martin Luther King Jr. are just a few people who were blessed with what it takes to step up and become true leaders. By example, some of the other fantastic qualities of leadership also make up two remarkable people: Nelson Mandela and Suleiman the Magnificent. They exhibited many leadership-like characteristics, like them being feared yet admired by their people, or people from other countries, or the fact that they were also very intelligent, and tactical.
When a group of people get together, with the same wants and needs, they become so motivated that they will not be stopped by anyone to change what must be changed. Throughout the mid 1800’s, to the mid 1900’s, black men and women, along with white women, were all struggling to change what they believed was wrong. While white women and African Americans both struggled to have equality with white men. Historic leaders like Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglass, are only three people, but influenced an entire nation to help make a great changes.
We are all pretty familiar with Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr., both being significant historical figures, fighting for different ideas. During the 1700s’, Jefferson was growing up in a rich white environment and privileged to the extent where he is later classified as an American founding father. A very different background compared to the majority of the colonies’ population at that time and two distinct relations shared between them. Unlike Jefferson, Dr. King was raised by a faithful family and a religious environment while being targeted in a discriminative and racist atmosphere, resembling the expected stereotypical lifestyle of an African American male during the 1900s’. Unlike many other African Americans, King achieved the near impossible in getting as far as an education; the pressure in even attending a segregated school was overwhelming for a lot of African American individuals. Since we looked at both very distinct lifestyles, we can probably guess how and where the motives behind Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” and Dr. King’s I Have A Dream” came about. Comparison and contrast wise, what are the propositions Jefferson and King have for the topic of equality? Does Jefferson’s perspective on equality contradict or corroborate with Dr. Kings’? But when you really get down to it, do either ones’ perspective have similar traits to what kind of society we are living in or is it too irrational to justify?
Women’s Rights was and still is a major issue throughout the entire world, but more specifically, in the United States of America. Women have been treated unjustly for awhile. From being beaten by their husbands, to not being able to own property if they were married, women have been through it all. Many of these situations started to change because of a group of women that decided to stand up for what they believe in. A few activists that helped improve the rights of women are Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott.
The speaker of the first speech is John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States. President Kennedy was instrumental in improving relations with the USSR and improving civil rights in the US. He is seen as one of the greatest presidents America has ever had.
Both authors Frederick Douglass and Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels focus on the topic of freedom. Both authors argue that they are being oppressed. However, this is where the similarities end. Engels and Marx believed that capitalism was a social system used by the proletariats to oppress the bourgeoisie, and that the only way to be free was to fight back against the system. On the other hand, Frederick Douglass focuses more on his individual story and his struggle for freedom, while he tries to appeal to his audience from an ethical point of view.
1. The main purpose of this article is to argue that advocates of the civil rights movement are only doing what is necessary to create positive change. Since all other means of progress have been exhausted, the supporters of the civil rights movement are forced to use peaceful protests. King argues that punishing these protesters is unjust, and the protests themselves only occurred due to the negligence of the law. King is seeking proper treatment and the abolishment of unjust laws.
King had identified a way to campaign nonviolently with four basic steps “collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action” (MLK). King had called Birmingham the most segregated city in the country. The black community have been treated poorly, had been faced with legal and economic disparities. Collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist, by injustices, King Jr.
What does it take to change an unjust law? There are plenty of times where a law that has been imposed on society is less than just, or set up by those with a specific agenda to hinder a certain group of people. When confronted with an unjust law, there is only one real means of protest that is effective: To do whatever it takes in other words “any mean necessary.” Therefore, I believe that Malcolm’s X’s theory is the most appropriate and effective mean because it requires a greater and more focused response than other means. It allows a group of individuals to become noticed, and their demands will no longer be ignored. This makes the people deal with the issue immediately then ignore it. Martin Luther King Jr as well as Socrates, both