Persuasive Essay On The Civil Rights Movement

Civil Disobedience has been around for hundreds of years. This a practice first put into play by a man by the name of Henry David Thoreau who believed that if you didn’t agree with a rule then you should act against it in a nonviolent way, and be willing to accept any punishment that comes with it. His teachings were followed by famous activists such as Ghandi, and Martin Luther King Jr., and many others.

For decades black Americans have been treated as animals, looked at as if they are monsters, and killed like bugs. Actions like Police brutality and racism is what caused Black Lives Matter. The creation of the Black Lives Matter was a response by the black community to give a voice to black Americans affected by the increase of wrongful deaths due to the law enforcements and vigilantes across the country. This has been going on for so long that it seems like we are stuck in the past. For years, even decades black Americans have had to live the struggle of being equal. Even when things are going good and we think we finally have the same rights, something happened to change that. It is time to shed a light on the real purpose of Black Lives Matter and why they are important to today's society.

The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013 after George Zimmerman was found not guilty of the murder of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin. About a year after Martin’s death, an 18 year-old unarmed male, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. That sparked weeks of protests. Years later, Asians, Latinos, and some whites joined in and realized how big of a problem this was becoming. As the years go by, the BLM Movement will keep growing and will not go

Civil disobedience is the active refusal to comply with laws that is thought to be unfair or inequitable. Civil disobedience typically is a peaceful form of protest by the people, to force concessions from the government. Throughout the United States history, civil disobedience has played a significant role in many of the social reforms that helped frame our country today. Several famous American activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. risked punishment, such as violent retaliatory acts or imprisonment, to attempt to bring about changes in the law. Civil disobedience has forced our government to recognize and talk through social problems to find solutions that worked for everyone, although in some instances it has deemed illegal, resulting in prosecution.

Personally, I believe it is difficult to place ourselves in the shoes of the senators that were faced with these decisions. Looking back at these speeches now, I can truly see the hard work and mental strain that these men went through in order to place this bill. When using these speeches as historical sources, I think we should consider several things. The time period in which they were given, the position each Senator stood for, and the general purpose behind it. For example, when looking at most filibusters we would not consider them as credible sources mostly because they are used to “drag out the debate and exhaust their opponents by simply reading from the newspaper or telephone book.” (pg.248) However, this was certainly not the case when regarding the Civil Rights Bill.

Throughout American history are many examples of civil disobedience, and when we analyze the meaning of civil disobedience we realize that without this America would be a very different place. The Boston Tea Party, The Revolutionary War, The Civil Rights Movement are all a few major examples of civil disobedience that have shaped America into the world it is today. Civil disobedience, in a sense, is taking the law into ones own hands when they feel that the laws in place are unjust or unethical and want to change these laws to better ones own life and those of others. Sadly though, there are many lives on this Earth that cannot take the law into their hands, stand up for their rights, and change things for the better, and those lives are the

In the mid-1960s, Malcolm X said, "If you stick a knife nine inches into my back and pull it out three inches, that it not progress. Even if you pull it all the way out, that is not progress. Progress is healing the wound, and America hasn't even begun to pull out the knife." And, to this day, Malcolm X's words are just as salient and prophetic as they were during the Civil Rights Era. The exigent problem that American society recognizes but refuses to acknowledge is that black people have and continue to be excluded from the so-called white American humanity. Some Americans could argue that the 13th amendment left an encouraging and indelible impression on the racial fabric of American society. There is a historical and prevalent notion that America prides and extols herself in her pursuit for equality and justice. Furthermore, America worships herself on the altars of democracy, justice and equality. American patriots said that black people should be grateful for the 13th amendment. But, the problem, like an ominous shadow, remains. American patriots said that they acknowledged the error of their ways and consequently conferred former black slaves with the 14th and 15th amendments; yet, the exigent issue remains. American patriots told black people to show some gratitude for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and yet, the problem akin to an individual who tirelessly struggles to extricate himself from the invisible shackles, remains. Though some could argue that the passing

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 Disobedience To Free Society Civil disobedience is a natural right Americans were born with. It allows the people to have a voice in the national and local discussion, and in decisions that affects the future. The first and fourteenth amendment were established by the nation's framers to protect that natural right for the future to come. Having a voice is peaceful, caused by no harm, but a lovely push towards the opinion and action against one’s belief. The Women March is a great example, the main idea of the march is to let women's voices be heard, for their rights in reproductive freedom, their rights in religion, racial justices, including immigrant policies.

Throughout the history of America, immigrants have been arriving and searching for a better life in this country. America is perceived as the land were endless opportunities are available for anyone who wishes to come and live there. The utmost enlightenment of the American Dream and civil rights movement is the civil-rights activist name Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who vow to help make a dramatic change against racial segregation and social discrimination in America. During the time of his speech, African Americans were not free which contradicted the Declaration of Independence. According to the “Declaration of Independence”, the diploma states that “all men are created equal” (“The Declaration of Independence: Full text”). However, this act did not give equality to women, religions, and ethics. Dr. King’s movement established a path that led everyone to believe they can have opportunities for freedom and equality in American. His idea was anybody can be anything that they would like to be, which is still relevant in America now. Every American has been pursuing their dream every day by having an opportunity to work, attend to an academy, or even joining the workforce to achieve their owned goal. Although America is the land of endless opportunities, Dr. King sacrifices so much social justice to inspired his knowledge and voices out the burden to all people, since the birth he was born to the death of his assassination.

In 2013 of July, George Zimmerman was acquitted for the murder of Treyvon Martin. Soon After on July 13, 2013; the mother of Treyvon made a hashtag stating #BlackLivesMatter. At the time, it did not mean a lot, but the hashtag exploded after two killings of two African Americans teens in different areas of the U.S. Soon after two white police officers were shot in Ferguson. This began the counter movement which said All Lives Matter, trying to bring the attention off the Black Lives Matter. When they did this, they missed the point of the Black Lives Matter Movement. The Black Lives Matter movement has been misinterpreted, having people believe that the Black Lives Matter are saying the all lives don't matter. The Black Lives Matter is not saying that all lives don't matter, but because all lives matter, the racial inequality towards most African Americans is unacceptable. Therefore, all lives matter and Black Lives Matter are different because it is trying to prove that All Lives Matter

"If a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, then he hasn't got a reason to live." These were famous words of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spoken June 23, 1963 in Detroit, Michigan.

As a second-generation immigrant from Africa, the civil right movement video interests me because I believe America is moving back to the way blacks were treated over 100 years ago. Even before watching the video, I was thought in my history classes in high school and college that the American civil right movement was a mass protest against racial segregation and discrimination mostly in the southern United States which captured national heights during the mid-1950s. In my opinion, racism is genetically inherited or it’s a nurtured attribute that is passed from generation to generation. Even with the end of the civil war in 1868 that led to the end of slavery, the eligibility of black male citizens in 1870 to vote in an election were still discouraged. This in turn, lead to violence and eventually legal stimulation. Does this not remind you of the 2016 general election that took place in the United States? The additional detriment is that the poor were also intimidated and denied their voting rights by not allowing them to register to vote, or closing the polling stations early. Projections from the United States show that there were over 231 million Americans eligible to vote, but a little over 138 million voted. That means 40 percent did not vote (Levine, 2016).

In Dr. King’s “I have dream” speech, he emphasized the idea that the founding of the United States entailed a promise of equal justice for all citizens. The institutions of Government have certainly fell short of providing this promise for equal justice of all citizens both prior and after Dr. King's speech and the civil rights movement. There is little doubt good progress has been made in reaching Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech however, ongoing efforts need to continue to ensure equal justice for all citizens. Given the recent political changes and the passing of Justice Scalia, there is a bit of uncertainty if our promise of equal justice for all citizens will continue to be pursued and upheld.

American history is full of triumph, but it also has its fair share of low moments. The United States system of law is based on a Constitution that begins with an all encompassing statement. However, liberties were not always had by anyone and everyone; there’s been many problems that continue into today. American citizens’ civil liberty issues have improved, but they have not been resolved because people continue to hinder the less fortunate, the process by which people gain civil liberties is different for each person, and the American government will never cease to discriminate against minorities.