The Orangeburg Massacre Analysis

In 1964, Malcolm X gave a speech entitled “The Ballot or the Bullet” which described how African Americans should fight for civil-rights in America. Malcolm X emphasizes the importance of voting as a solution to ending discrimination against African Americans. He addresses both the poor voting decisions and also the denial of legitimate voting rights to African Americans. Because elections had been so narrowly decided in recent elections, the Black vote is the deciding factor in elections. Whites also have prevented African Americans in the electoral process. Malcolm X says that either "the ballot or the bullet" will come next in the civil rights struggle. This meant that government must allow African Americans to legitimately vote or

On March 15, 1965, Lyndon Baines Johnson delivered “We Shall Overcome” in Washington, D.C. (Kreitner, Richard.). According to the words in the speech, in certain parts of the country African Americans did not have an equal right to vote. They would be informed that it was the incorrect day or ridiculed with impossible questions, solely because they were black. Johnson spoke this speech with integrity trying to conquer these racial discriminations and get the Voting Rights Act passed. He stressed that accomplishing equal citizenship takes more than just legal right. He wanted to ensure everyone that they were given an opportunity to escape poverty.

Malcom X delivered his speech on April 3, 1964. By it being the year of a presidential election, X anticipated his speech would encourage politicians to support black rights. In addition to wanting to build up the Black Nationalism by encouraging blacks to exercise their Fifteenth Amendment by voting, Malcom X argued that the African American community also needed to become more politically mature and understand what the ballot is for, and what is intended to do.

The Jamestown massacre was a huge mass “suicide” in the United States. The people involved were in the religious group, led by Jim Jones. Jims Jones was a charismatic leader. This man was very influential and knew how to persuasive people. His following grew and that made his religious movement grow.

“I gave a little blood on that bridge in Selma, Alabama for the right to vote. I’m not going to stand by and let the Supreme Court take the right to vote away from us [African Americans]” –John Lewis. Within 100 years, African Americans overcame many obstacles such as paying poll taxes, passing multiple tests, and violence to be able to vote. They had to pay taxes, such as poll taxes. They also had to pass multiple tests, such as the Property and Literacy tests. Violence was also an obstacle African Americans had to face in order to vote.

On February 8, there was a protest against a white-only bowling alley. It was the “All-Star Bowling Lane” in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and led to the death of 3 college students. One of the most significant civil rights movements would be what dealt with housing issues. Protests about fair housing led to the Fair Housing Act of 1968 that allowed open housing for people of all races. The Black Panthers were also making headway in civil rights on February 17th, 1968. On April 11, 1968, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act; This Act prohibited the discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of houses. This act also reinstated and reinvigorated the African Americans' right to full citizenship.

One peaceful day of a voting rights march turned into a day of outrage from white people, on March 7th, 1965 Alabama State Troopers attacking the African-Americans with nightsticks, tear gas, and whips after refusing to turn back. Many African-Americans were severely beaten or injured and many ran for their lives. This incident was captured on national television and many citizens disagreed what happened. After the whole incident happened President Johnson called for a comprehensive voting rights legislation. In a speech to congress on March 15th, 1965, President Johnson stated the many ways election officials were denying African-Americans citizens to vote; also telling congress in mainly southern states they would make the African-Americans recite the Constitution or explain the most complex provisions or state laws.

the speech “With Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer,” Malcolm affirms that because the black man is denied the right to vote in the south of the forty-six committees that had control the foreign and domestic direction of the country in 1964 twenty-three were in the hands of Southern racists. Another account concerning voting in the south, Malcolm

“Between the hours of nine and ten o’clock, being in my master’s house, was alarmed by the cry of fire, I ran down as far as the town-house, and then heard that the soldiers and the inhabitants were fighting in the alley… I then left them and went to King street. I then saw a party of soldiers loading their muskets about the Custom house door, after which they all shouldered. I heard some of the inhabitants cry out, “heave no snow balls”, others cried “they dare not fire”. The Boston massacre has been no massacre it was propaganda. The incident that happened March 5th, 1770 in the streets of Boston only killed five people and had six people with non fatal injuries. There were

Ironically, many Americans fought for equal rights but practiced slavery which took away from the progression of our society as a whole. The intersectionality of race, class, and gender prevented many people from voting even though there were laws stating equal voting rights for all citizens. Race should not forbid African Americans from voting. To remedy injustice, Johnson says that our society as a whole needs to be more open-minded about these social issues to evolve as a progressive country. The Voting Rights Act was intended to end discrimination but since the states each had their own pre-clearance requirements, it undermined the entire reasoning and promise of equality to African Americans. The unfair treatment towards African Americans is embedded in the social system that even though they are given the right to vote, institutional racism comes into play which wholly prevents them from being able to cast their votes.

The history of United State has shown many racial discriminations since colonists arrived America. African Americans have suffered unequal treatments and punishments in comparison to white people and European immigrants. Even when slavery was abolished in 1865, African Americans were still victims of many inequalities like employment, rights, housing, and transportation. However, due to these inequalities and mistreatments like the Jim Crow Laws, many African Americans started to make a change during the 1950’s, also called the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks, that was arrested for sitting in the front of a bus in Alabama. Rosa Parks case made the supreme court to ban segregation in public transportation. The social difference during the 1950’s was very notable and obvious, and voting was a big example of the huge discrimination suffered by African Americans and minorities. In the south, white people would take away minorities’ right to vote by making them take a test that would decide if they were or not capable to make a political decision. Fortunately, big characters like Martin Luther King vouched for the end of this inequalities. Martin Luther King played a big role in the 1960’s making everyone aware about the change that was about to come.

Malcolm X delivered “The Ballot or the Bullet,” one of the most inspiring and empowering speeches to ever be spoken on American soil, on April 3, 1964. Two thousand people, including his friends as well as his enemies, came to watch the black civil rights activist speak about black nationalism during the election year. He stressed individual uplift, moral reform, and entrepreneurship. He used this speech as a call to action. He wanted to inspire every member of the black population to be their own person.

Toombs was known for his unfair practices to the African races, and usually if a white person could not afford to pay their poll tax, he was also known to “buy their vote” and pay the tax for them. Months after the Civil War ended, some Constitutional amendments were passed helping black rights and giving them the freedom to vote. Southerners were afraid of all this new political power towards the Negroes, so they did whatever they could to limit that power, and made it nearly impossible for Negroes to vote with the new laws they passed. With the Ku Klux Klan being formed and more discriminatory acts to interfere with black voting rights, it was not until the civil rights movements of the 1950’s and 1960’s until the amendment was finally brought up, almost a century later. During the Ku Klux Klan era, southerners passed laws to limit the power of African Americans, otherwise known as black codes. They did whatever they could to limit the black’s freedom, even with such small things like requiring them to use a different water fountain or, even bigger, forcing them to pay an unreasonable poll tax to vote. With the rise of civil rights acts though, it became harder and harder to limit their power, and in the middle of 1962 when Congress proposed the amendment to require no fee to vote, southerners knew that this was more of the beginning of racial movements and equal rights to all.

The Jonestown Massacre is one of the most horrific massacres of 1978 leading close to 1,000 deaths. I found this story to be very disturbing and at times I found myself thinking how can one person have so much power over so many minds. This massacre leads many people being manipulated by a psychopath by the name of Reverend Jim Jones who would set the stage of a mass suicide. Many questions were needing to be answered after this tragic event in history, what methods were used to get so many people to do what he said, the state of mind the Jones and others were in, what environmental factors played a role in this situation, what was the purpose, so many of these same questions I asked myself as I got future in the story. Nonetheless, psychological factors for sure played a part, power, and manipulation for ones gain all were contributors here.

The Massacre of the innocents gives the viewer a glimpse into the life and artistic journey of Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens. When one looks at the painting, it is as if they are reading the journal of the artist. The artist’s personal style, which was developed through inspiration from great artists such as Caravaggio, Michelangelo and Raphael, stands out in this painting. One can clearly see elements of the painting which have been influenced by the works of the artists that he carefully studied. (Jaffe,10)