Persuasive Essay On Civil Rights

Throughout America’s history, we have believed that humans have individual rights that should be protected and supported by the rulers of our country. The Constitution’s Bill of Rights was created to protect these rights, and the Declaration of Independence even proclaims that “all men are created equal”. However, there were hundreds of people scattered throughout the colonies, and then states, in America who did not have these same rights and were not always seen as human, such as African Americans, women, and Native Americans.

Throughout history, there has been discrimination against race, religion, gender, orientation, age, among many other things. From the British preventing the colonists’ rights to the “separate but equal” doctrine people used to justify discrimination against African Americans, America has had its fair share of it. After years of the mockery of equality that African Americans had, change was needed. Out of the thousands of voices who brought the winds of change, that were heard the most were: Martin Luther King Jr., for convincing people to join their cause; Thurgood Marshall, who used the law to get people to listen to their voices; and the Silent Majority, for without them, freedom would never truly ring from every mountainside.

The Civil Rights Movement from the mid 1950’s to late 1960’s fought for equal rights of People of color in this nation. That movement was successful in pushing for an end to racial segregation and discrimination in the country. Decades later, a new movement is beginning to gain traction in the fights against excess police brutality against People of Color. “Since the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's killer in 2013 and the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, the phrase "black lives matter" has become a rallying cry for a new chapter in the long black freedom struggle” ( Cooper 2017). The movement has been growing since and more and more after every new case of a person of color being killed by police enforcement. Contemporary anti-racist social movements like Black Lives Matter have had a definitive impact in changing the way people of color are treated, by creating the very important conversation of police brutality against people of color. In order to keep the movement growing, it have has to keep expanding its message of excessive police violence and push for policies that would create better training for law enforcement.

“All men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights,” writes Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. However, as the infant nation developed, a 21st Century critique of American history displays strife between these famous words penned to paper and the actions of various people throughout hundreds of years. What began as international trade evolved into a robust economy slaves, the South’s Atlas, stabilizing and serving as the foundational support of the region. As war broke out and quashed the validity of humanity serving as property, the newly freedmen assumed a new role as ex-slaves. Their legal standing continually harassed by caucasian lawmakers and continual abuse from those

Caroline Chastant Sherry Sharifian GOVT. 2305 71433 18 September 2017 Civil Liberties & Civil Rights: Fundamentals for US Government Our forefathers established the United States of America as a country where democracy reigns supreme and the ideals of freedom and equality lead society. Now more than ever, the beliefs of our young country are being called into question in the midst of controversial situations and changing times. Despite the struggles of sticking to age old beliefs, civil liberties and civil rights help stabilize our government.

The Fifth Amendment of the Bill of Rights (1791) included in the Constitution of the Unites States (US) declares that “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” Later, President Roosevelt during his campaign address of October 13, 1932, certainly stated that the “government is responsible for its citizens ' welfare.” Recently, Rabbi Greg Harris in a recent lecture at the National Defense University declared that “the majorities should protect the rights of minorities.” Based on these assertions, it is possible to infer that historically, since the birth of

During the mid 20th century, citizens all over America were fighting for their rights, especially including women and those of color. This period marked the beginning of a long road of reconciliation and reconstruction, but now citizens have been able to cross the finish line in establishing equal rights for all of the United States citizens. Over time, American’s former issues regarding the civil liberties of citizens have slowly resolved such as the rights of equality for citizens of color, the repercussions of citizens voicing their opinions, and acquiring rights for women.

In the late eighteenth century, Thomas Jefferson penned one of the most well-known documents in the history of the United States, The Declaration of Independence. Officially completed and signed in 1776, this document is one of the foundations that America builds its rich history on today. Jefferson borrowed English political philosopher John Locke’s philosophy when he wrote the line, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Many Americans today still base theories of American Exceptionalism on this idea of liberty and equality for “all men”, but a look back at United States history show that political and social policy hasn’t always reflect this sentiment. The main problem with the statement is the vague phrase “all men”. One needs to be able to define that phrase and the standards of humanity themselves to understand the history and policies of human rights in America. In early America, standards of humanity were based on religious standards adapted from John Locke’s writing molded to fit societal hierarchy by Jefferson and the founding fathers in their vision of the country. African Americans worked hard to fight the hypocrisy of these claims, but it would take more than a century for changes to be made for the good of “all men”. In this paper, I will work to find the

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 difference in today’s society to that of hundreds of years ago, can be seen in the advancements of technology, but sadly, the same cannot be said for dealing with social issues and the rights of all people. This has particularly been present in our time today, with many issues dealing with blacks that have dated to the establishment of the United States. Similar issues have been seen with with all minorities, while it may be not be as clear to see as the period before the civil war, it’s still prevalent in the world around us, it just takes a different approach. It is seen with the exclusion of opportunities for minorities, the treatment of African-Americans with the criminal justice system, and recently, with the 2016 presidential election.

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.

In this paper we are looking at two philosophers and how they treat the down and out. The first philosopher that will be discussed is Fredrick Nietzsche. Nietzsche is a late 19th century, German, atheist philosopher. Some issues involving this issue are quite common from Fredrick Nietzsche. The second philosopher is Martin Luther King Jr. The explanations from King are expected simply because of the person he is. King was a 20th century, African American, civil rights activist, as well as a Baptist minister philosopher. From their backgrounds and century their perspective are noticeably different.

Three years after BLM launched a nationwide uprising against police violence, what's next for the movement? In this special section, a leading African American historian explores how the group is forging a powerful new form of civil rights activism. Plus: How police in 1970s Detroit unleashed an undercover execution squad, and the modern-day rise of "warrior policing."

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed-we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” This was a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. He believed in the idea of equality for all men, in a world where a black man and a white man can walk together side by side, a world without segregation, jobs and equal pay for the people. Martin Luther led one of the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of the United States. As a civil right activist, he stood for equal rights for all people and he led a great march of over two hundred and fifty thousand civil right supporters for quality and the end of racism in the United States. His speech “I have a dream” paved the way in setting a decisive moment for the American civil rights movement in the country.