Amanda Kahlowsky Mrs. Tacher Composition and Grammar Period 6 20 November 2017 Muhammad Ali and the Draft Cassius Clay, now known as Muhammad Ali, stated, “If I thought going to war would bring freedom, justice, and equality to the 22 million African Americans they wouldn't have to draft me, I would join tomorrow (Dellinger)” It is clear in this quote that Ali wanted nothing more than to avoid war unless it meant something important to him. At that time in history there was a lot going on in the world, and one of those things was Muhammad Ali refusing to go to the draft. Cassius Clay (now known as Muhammad Ali), an African American boxing champion who lived most of his young life during the Civil Rights movement, refused to join the …show more content…
One source quoted, “The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which 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 (Civil Rights Act).” This act proves that the government was trying to make America a place of equality to all human beings. From this background comes an amazing story about how Ali has fought for his religion. Moving on, Muhammad Ali was drafted to the Vietnam war. As quoted by one source, “On April 28, 1967, boxing champion Muhammad Ali refuses to be inducted into the U.S. Army and is immediately stripped of his heavyweight title (Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction)”. The reason why he refused to go was because of his religion. Because of his actions he went to prison for five years, he had a 10,000 dollar fee, and his boxing career was slowly stripped away from him. In those years in prison he was fighting for his rights of religion in court. Hampton Dellinger reported, “On April 19, 1971, Chauncey Eskridge argued before the Supreme Court that Muhammad Ali was a legitimate conscientious objector, forbidden to fight by a religion in which he fervently believed (Dellinger).” This shows that Chauncey Eskridge was supporting Muhammad Ali’s right of religion by helping him in court to prove that religion was an important part of life. From this conflict involving Ali comes a great
Another important turning point in Lewis life was when he decided not to go to college. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go to college, but that Lewis felt that helping others were more important. On his application for the freedom riders, he wrote, “I know that education is important and I hope to get one, but human dignity is the most important thing in my life.” (Lewis 30) In other words, Lewis was willing to put his entire life on hold in able to help others and stand up for what he believed in. After being told no by his parents, he said, “In Nashville I’d meet people who opened my eyes to a sense of values that would forever dominate my moral philosophy—the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence.” (Lewis 70) So although Lewis didn’t get to
Above all, Muhammad Ali stood up for what he believed in. As a matter of fact, Muhammad stood up against the Vietnam War. The New York Daily News insinuates that, “why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negros
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., embodied many of the attributes that we look for in Army leaders today. Dr. King lived a life characterized by moral courage, selfless service, respect for everybody, honor, and integrity. During his time as the de facto leader of the civil rights movement, he was motivated by the plight of blacks throughout the South, both during his own time and for generations before him. Dr. King writes in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (1963) of his frustration over a gamut of issues: simple but persistent issues like the constant disrespect and taunting that black people faced on a daily basis; issues that affected his own family, like having to explain to his young daughter why he couldn 't take her to a local amusement park; and darker issues like vicious beatings and unprovoked lynchings and murder. His sense of empathy ran deep, for their struggle was his own.
In a nation with a rich history of racism and inequality projected towards minority groups, many minorities were opposed to serving in any capacity during the Civil War. There were a few, however, that maintained an openness to the idea of aiding the Northern Union’s cause. Their willingness to fight for a shared dream, though, was not enough to put them on the frontlines. In fact, many willing African Americans were not permitted to join the ranks solely due to the color of their skin. This in and of itself was a discouraging reality for many African Americans of the time. The common question rang out: If they could not be accepted even as a soldier, how could they possibly be accepted as anything more later on? Advocate Alfred M. Green, however, had a different outlook. In short, Green decided that it was too soon to be giving up on the future. In his speech delivered to African Americans in Philadelphia, he hopes to inspire many to maintain their passion and join the Union forces. Primarily through emotional and logical appeal, Green constructs a persuasive case enticing many African Americans to continue fighting for the opportunity to join the Union army.
Muhammad Ali once said, "Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.” Muhammad Ali stood for the common black man, so did Jackie Robinson. Both of these men were professional athletes, two different sports, baseball and boxing, were changed forever because of these men. They both broke segregation barriers not only in their profession but also outside the field and ring. Both these men had some similarities but overall had more differences whether it was their profession, who they were influenced by, or their involvement with war.
Civil disobedience as identified by Martin Luther King is a form of direct action, and an outright refusal to conform to laws as a form of protest. Martin Luther King addresses this method of resistance in his text, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Martin Luther King Jr personally drafted the text as a response to criticisms made in a statement by clergymen whom apposed King’s nonviolent methods of resistance to continuous issues of racism occurring in Birmingham, Alabama. As expressed by King and described in his text, civil disobedience should meet certain criteria to be considered so. One of these criteria is that the law being disobeyed should be unjust. Also, according to King, this direct action should be non-violent, as this was the basis of his teachings. Furthermore, the individual should be aware of consequences, and willingly accept them as he/she performs this act of civil disobedience. Finally, there must be no alternative to this act, meaning that some form of protest must have been attempted in the past, to no avail. Consequently, the only alternative would be to break the unjust law at hand. Martin Luther King executed this form of action in his efforts to challenge racism in Birmingham Alabama. Similarly, famous fighter Muhammad Ali used the same tactic in order to achieve justice decades later. Muhammad Ali bravely refused to be drafted during the Vietnam war because of his religious beliefs and was therefore convicted of violating the selective service laws.
Many people think that Martin Luther King, Jr. is a great warrior because no one stood up against the government, but he stood up against oppression against his race. Even when, threatened he kept fighting : “On September 30, 1956, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s house was bombed by segregationists in retaliation for the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott”. He didn’t run when he got attacked; He tried to save everyone. For example, when he experienced terrorism by a bad squad, he didn’t run away. I might be very scared, but Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t run away and he tried to protect people from terror. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew many people thought oppression against race has to be changed : “ When he was a young man, Martin Luther King wanted a career helping people. He felt that as a minister, he could speak out “against racial injustice”. Following the example of the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King chose nonviolence as the keystone of his fight for civil rights”.
Army after the end of World War II. Their dissatisfaction with the treatment of blacks in the South led to major acts of resistance, such as attempting registering to vote, and these actions eventually “led Amize Moore, Medgar Evers, and other World War II veterans to become civil rights leaders in the decades following the war” (91). This portion of the book leads back to Cobb’s arguments on violence during the movement because the chapter shows how Evers’ story led numerous WWII veterans to become leaders in the CRM and even “show their defiance – such as James Stephenson and Jackie Robinson did -- on a personal level, instead of organized political actions or events”
In 1967, 64 percent of all eligible African-Americans were drafted versus only 31 percent of eligible whites (Black 2009). This fact testifies to only a small portion of why nearly all African-Americans found themselves protesting against the Vietnam War. The lack of civil rights in the U.S deterred many blacks from supporting Vietnam, a conflict aimed at liberating the rights of another people. African Americans were frustrated with a country who fought for other citizens and saw no purpose in fighting for a peoples’ freedom but their own. Although African-Americans were specifically discriminated against both in Vietnam and America, they were not alone in their anti-war position. The majority of the American public opposed the Vietnam War. As the war dragged on, people found no reason to fight in Vietnam and believed that the United States should prioritize their own citizens first. Many public figures, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Muhammad Ali, held similar claims. Their opinions aligned with the public’s concern and suggested that the U.S withdraw troops and focus resources on the civil rights issues at home. These public figures fought for a specific minority, but, in light of the entire American population, the majority of people opposed the war.
Throughout history there have been many influential people who have lived in this country. Some were politicians, some were actors, and some were even athletes. One such man was a gifted boxer named Muhammad Ali. He made his mark as an amateur, then as a professional. "The Greatest" was the self-proclaimed nickname of Ali, but so many people agreed that it stuck. He went through trials and tribulations in his life, which make him a historic icon. Muhammad Ali is known for being "The Greatest" boxer of all time, but unlike other athletes he is remembered for his out of the ring actions as well as his athletic accomplishments.
Muhammad Ali had an outstanding record of 56 wins, 5 loses, and had 37 knockouts even to some opponents treat people thought he would never beat like the big bear AKA Sunny Liston.
Muhammad Ali was an American boxer and activist. He was born in Kentucky on 17 January 1967, and died on 3 June 2016. Muhammad Ali started taking boxing lessons after his bicycle was stolen when he was 12 years old. At the age of 18, he won the gold medal in the light heavyweight division. He won three world-cup heavyweight championships. He fought sixty-one times and only lost five times. He followed that dream for 30 years, and became one of the greatest boxers of all time, and Muhammad Ali was active in the civil rights movement in many ways. For instance, in the civil rights movement, Muhammad Ali changed his name because he thought that Cassius Clay was a “Slave name,” and he changed his name to Muhammad Ali. In 1960, shortly after winning the heavy weight title, he changed his religion, and converted to Islam. Muhammad Ali joined other leaders in the civil rights movement, such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King to help in the Black Community. Muhammad Ali fought for what he believed in and impacted the civil rights movement such as changed his name, religion, drafted into the Vietnam war and he tried to make the black community equal to the white
Muhammad Ali did a lot of important things in American History. He was a famous boxer also a arch believer of religious freedom and racial justice. Ali’s original name was Cassius Clay. He was born January 17,1942 in Louisville, KY. Muhammad Ali devoted his life to humanitarian in work, putting his name to many initiatives for peace and humanitarian aid. Ali was also a part of Black History.
The 1960s were a time of revolutionary ideas and new modes of expression. These new ways of thinking and speaking opened the door to major reforms of American society and culture. People were now standing up for what they believed in, for example, protesting against the mistreatment of African-Americans and refusing to follow the Military Selective Service Act, a law which forced men between the ages 18-26 to fight in the controversial Vietnam War (Youth Movement). Not everyone embraced this new attitude that contained a challenge to existing governmental authority. As an expert on the draft, Phillip MacFarlane wrote, “ Some critics decry the loss of the citizen-soldier as a threat to democracy”(MacFarlane). One prominent anti-war figure
It's much harder to fight for a country [that] doesn't see you as a human being," "These men are patriots." And civil rights pioneers: Soldiers in the 92nd