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Pre Civil War Economic Changes

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To say the United States has changed since the conclusion of the Civil War is a major understatement. One could spend hours just discussing and analyzing the economic changes that have taken place and then some more connecting those to the social and political modifications. If one could invent a time machine and bring back a person from the Pre-Civil War Era, he or she would not be able to begin to comprehend the changes that have taken place. In other words, the United States has changed to the point of being unrecognizable but only in certain areas and slightly changed in others. Yet, these national historical episodes are different for every individual and social group. For some, the changes have been largely beneficial from the very beginning …show more content…

As mentioned before, the judicial system was taken by force within this movement by making discrimination in certain areas unconstitutional. Yet, those court cases only took up one of three political branches and so many began to protest Washington and more explicitly the president, in order to involve the Legislative and Executive branches of government. The famous March on Washington comes to mind with the giving of one of the most recognized speeches titled I have a Dream spoken on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. With millions of people joining the ranks of the Civil Rights Movement from all walks of life and ethnic groups, Congress began to take notice. With the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, a domino effect took place with more and more laws being made and changed. These legal act reinforced the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments which guaranteed human and voting rights to all people regardless of skin color (it was later extended with the passage of the nineteenth amendment in 1917 which gave woman of all races the right to vote). In spite of the initial weak execution of the aforementioned law, the momentum began to pick up alongside the already started Civil Rights Movement. Coupled with the assassinations of political and religious leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Robert Kennedy, the movement and law gained even more of a backbone. Though the influences would take decades to see, they were still there. The Civil Rights Movement led to the formation of political groups like the Black Panther Party who fought against racial injustice while promoting Black Excellence. Looking for a personal perspective, the political changes allowed me to have the opportunity to vote without persecution while maintaining my dignity as a woman and an African

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