Persuasive Essay On Civil Rights

Unfortunately, as the rights of African Americans have came such a long way since the times of activists like Martin Luther and Malcolm X, we are starting to see a reemergence of this hate in our society. America has been shaped into the “Land of the free and the home of the brave” and continues to be driven by this myth that America is a place where equality is never challenged and peace is a constant. This myth couldn't be farther from the truth. It is proven by the controversies surrounding modern day protests, which of course include the protests by many of the NFL players.

In 1892, Homer Plessy rode in a “white’s only” car on a train on the East Louisiana Railroad and would not move to the colored car. He was then arrested. Although he was seven-eighths white and could pass as such, Louisiana law still considered him to be “colored”. Louisiana, a few years previously, had created the Separate Cars Act, making it legal to separate whites and blacks in railroad cars. Plessy sat in the white section as defiance to such act through a civil rights organization.

he basis of most Republican opposition to the 1964 law, even from GOP members of Congress who backed the 1957 and 1960 Civil Rights bills signed by President Dwight Eisenhower, was discomfort about forcing private business to comply with public accommodation laws. Few Republicans expressed any qualms about requiring things like public busses and government buildings to integrate. Because Republicans had been the party of civil rights and liked more in it than they didn’t, they voted for it. Democrats were split. It was Democrats that used a herculean effort to block it through filibusters. Some local municipalities and governments in the South had laws prohibiting private business owners from serving black customers. Goldwater wanted to end

The civil rights of African Americans were a concern among the majority of Americans before the Civil War. During the war, it became evident that this was the primary cause of the war. The North reigned victor, and with the Emancipation Proclamation, all the former slaves were set free in the South. This was the first step for African Americans to achieve permanent civil rights, but the effort was temporarily put at rest when Reconstruction ended. Ultimately, it was the opposition in the South, and the changing mindset of northern Republicans that made Reconstruction a failure in achieving permanent African American civil rights.

The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, states that all citizens have certain unalienable rights which are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. Over the next 250 years, these “unalienable rights” have been deteriorating in our country and the amount of them that everyone has slowly gone away. This led to civil liberty issues arising from race, sex, and wealth classes. Civil liberties are rights that governments can’t take away from the people and everyone has. Civil liberty issues of the American past have not been resolved because the deliberate murder of people is still prominent in America, women in society are controlled by men, and the discrimination of blacks and whites continues to exist.

Homer Plessy, a white man living in Louisiana, was the subject of an important court case that set the stage for years of struggle over “Separate but Equal.” His great grandmother was African-American, therefore, even though he looked white, he was classified as black. The Separate Car Act, enacted in 1890, stated that whites and blacks had to be separated in different railroad cars. Plessy bought a ticket from Press Street Depot in New Orleans to travel to Covington, Louisiana. Once he bought his ticket, he got into the whites only railroad car. A railroad employee asked him to move to the “blacks only” cars, but Plessy refused. A private detective, working at the railroad station, took Plessy off the train and arrested him. Plessy was charged twenty-five dollars for breaking the law, and “was brought before Judge John H. Ferguson of the Criminal Court for New Orleans, who upheld the state law. The law was challenged in the Supreme Court on the grounds that it conflicted with the 13th and 14th Amendments” (history.com). After the

Trayvon Martin. Michael Brown. Donald Trump. Tomi Lahren. Colin Kaepernick. What do all these people have in common? Massive divides in the America today. America, dubbed the land of the free, does do a lot for its citizens. American citizens are able to speak up against authority without being hauled away and killed like in the Russian Revolution. People can be whatever sexually they are without it being a crime. But just because these are not against the law does not mean that other citizens will respect them. Every day, people are racially and sexually discriminated against. Michael Brown was an unarmed black teen who lost his life to a police officer, who practically got off with little to no punishment. Colin Kaepernick was not drafted in the NFL because of his flag protesting against the treatment of African Americans in America. Kaepernick’s actions are the first step to making America into a better society. He did not sit back and allow abuse to continue. He took a stand for what he believed in knowing there would be lots of sacrifice for doing what he is doing. Our first step to making America a better society would be also taking a stand for our beliefs. Adding onto that, we must be open to more opinions and options.

Ferguson. During this time, state laws required racial segregation in public places. This was under the idea of "separate but equal". Plessy, a man classified as colored by Louisiana law, was required to sit in the "colored" railway car. Nevertheless, he purchased a ticket and went onto the "whites only" car, not out of ignorance. He was asked to move to the "colored" car, but he refused, and a private detective arrested him, even though Plessy did not harm anyone, nor harass anyone. In court, Plessy made a petition declaring that "segregation stigmatized blacks and stamped them with a badge of inferiority in violation of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments." ("Plessy v. Ferguson – Case Brief Summary" lawnix.com). Even then, his argument was rejected by the majority vote. Later, it was decided that the Louisiana statute did not interfere with the Fourteenth Amendment, proving that freedom wasn't guaranteed under certain

Most of us today cannot say we’ve experience the horror of war. I infact have never. I’m ignorant to the subject, while others can say they’ve stared death in the face. We fought for slave rights, for equal rights, and allowed people to immigrate here believing America was a peaceful place. I infact am honored to be an American. I have rights, I do not serve under a dictator, but most countries aren't as lucky as I. Unfortunately, tragedy is the only magnet that pulls us together. We have not learned from the sacrifices of our own sons and daughters. It is my hope that America can move on from its childish antics and turn away from all the violence.

What does it mean to achieve equality? A person may be granted all the same rights as another but it goes beyond that. Martin Luther King Jr. says, “We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools.” (Martin Luther King Jr, The American Dream) He suggests that we cannot just say someone is equal but must be achieved with a much deeper bond, like that of brothers. The United States is well on it’s way there but it has been a long and hard struggle for African Americans. From 1619 when the first slaves came to the then 13 United Colonies to present day African Americans have been fighting for their rights and their true equality. Every single person in this country that is Black has experienced racism in some form. The Civil Rights movement was an umbrella which covered an array of movements that sought to rid the United States of racism and achieve the equality of all men no matter their skin color. This movement and its organizations have evolved as time and ideals have changed. They ranged to non-violent marches, sit-ins, mass boycotts and self defense. After slavery was abolished they continued to face lynching, violent race riots, the inability to vote, blatant racism and segregation for years. Many organizations and leaders led this ongoing movement and continue to today. The Civil Rights movement will continue to point out and protest the racial inequalities of society by any means necessary and will until all man, woman, and

Civil rights have been argued over for years and years. White supremacists claim to be “better” than black people in every shape or form. However, all humans are truly the same inside. These judgemental ways of thinking have been passed down from beliefs that originated in the 1600’s, that black people have no purpose other than to serve whites. Tradition, whether it is positive or negative, does have an influence on cultural beliefs in society.

“It have been a couple hundred years; now let’s do what The Declaration of Independence actually said,” (Powell). In regards to the mandate of freedom, does freedom come through peace or violence? In reflection of history, some citizens of a free country believe a brick flying into a church window during a service halts religious or political oppression for their cause. Other community members think that sitting at a diner that they are not welcome at creates a dialogue that changes laws for equality. History has shown that both of these means have proven a method for liberty for the masses at various times throughout generations. The Revolutionary War was a violent period where man took up arms for equality. The civil war also marked the same outcome. Yet other moments, such as The Civil Rights Movement of 1960’s was lead through positive resistance for success. Middle Eastern countries are finding momentum also through peace. Perhaps it was the day in which young preacher stood up and declared a dream that changed our country to look at a dream for humanity and tranquility that made all the

The Reconstruction after the Civil War was meant to rebuild Southern government and society, but failed to bring equality to African Americans. The civil rights movement after World War II worked to bring this necessary justice to all men. The civil rights movement worked to fix America’s problem of inequality based on race, and succeeded where the Reconstruction had failed.

Do you think our rights are guaranteed? Well, they’re not the constitution does not guarantee equal rights to everyone but says that we have them. In this essay I will explain all of my main points and give reasons of why we have had to fight repeatedly for our rights over the years. In this essay I will argue that our freedom has been repeatedly fought for, such as: The Civil rights movement, women’s rights, and racism.

Executive Order 10925 may be unknown to many of you. This executive order was issued by John F. Kennedy on March 6, 1961, and it has changed the way we define “racial equality” forever.