The Pursuit Of Freedom : Equal Rights And Human Rights

Freedom is something that many people take for granted. Having freedom allows you to make your own decisions. Many people abuse their rights by making bad choices. It is important to appreciate the rights you have because not everyone around the world has freedom.

In 1960-1980, many new advancements were out in the world. Still women were expected to stay home. Women were frowned upon when they got jobs or didn’t marry. African Americans were the poorest living in slums. Other races were treated the same. This was the time of the Civil Rights movement. Whites killed African Americans for doing what they considered wrong in the south. African Americans earned the rights they wanted, to the dismay of the whites.

The people of this generation may not be aware of the things that assisted in shaping today’s society that we live in. There were movements, organizations and personal leaders whom paved the way of African Americans to live a life of equality in today’s world. Many people are confused or mislead on how, when and where the curing of segregation and unlawful treatment toward blacks started and ended. One of the largest epidemics in history that impacted the lives of blacks was the 1950 and 60’s Civil Rights Movement. Historically, many would say and have others to believe that Rosa Parks an African American woman from Montgomery, Alabama started the Civil Rights Movement When she was prosecuted for not getting up and moving to the back of the bus one afternoon. Although she did drive the Movement into exceptional highs, the real foundation of the movement started with the Brown vs. board of education of Topeka case. This case was the backbone for Africans American History in one piece. Even before that there was the Plessey V. Ferguson case in 1896 that basically stated that if you were to separate students and put them into different education programs rather black or white, you would be denying them of equal educational opportunities. Although there were minor issues socially and politically that the Civil Rights movement didn’t overcome, overall it was a success in the major improvement in the lives of blacks.

For over a century, the topic of racial equality has been one that has resulted in much discord, and even a war. The African Americans, one of the most persecuted races in America, were forced to work as slaves and were repeatedly separated from the white people because they had a different skin color. After much effort, slavery was outlawed after the Civil War by the Emancipation Proclamation, but segregation still lived on. Blacks continued to be singled out and given unequal rights, such as not being allowed to attend the same school or drink from the same water fountain as a white person. This was soon prohibited, but not completely abolished, after Martin Luther King Jr. led non violent direct action, such as marches and protests, to demonstrate to the government

Around the fall of 1966, the black civil rights movement was changing its strategies and goals all overnight. Many white Americans wanted to know what was the sudden change in the blacks because they haven’t been use to seeing such a proud race that was demanding equal rights. The black movement shift became obvious to the public in August of 1965, when President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act that caused all the blacks to have pep in their step. After the signing there was many chaotic events that was occurring. Just one week after the of there was an explosion of ghetto violence that resulted in35 dead, over 900 injured, more than 3,900 arrested and over $46 million in property damage. The riots and damaging didn’t just

Civil rights have always been an issue in the American society, which has been proven over the years by all of the prejudice comments made by white people. Negros were forced to drink out of different water fountains, use different bathrooms, and were overall treated as lesser people. Since the creation of the United States negros have either been slaves or segregated throughout our country's history, even today at some places people don't treat African Americans with the respect that they should receive. Even though the change has exceeded tremendously it is still far from perfect. Martin Luther King Junior was a key aspect to our society in pushing towards equality. During the civil rights movement there were many individuals who also helped the cause such as Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, and other significant figures that are well known today. There is a wide variety of feats that our nation as one, needs to surpass in order to be equal.

Many African Americans began to lose hope that racial equality would never find its way into our segregated country; especially after the death of John F. Kennedy, who supported Civil Rights and wanted racial segregation terminated. People started to believe that the physical and verbal violence was something they were going to have to cope and live with. Finally, after many years of protesting, speaking, and marching, justice prevails on July 2, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which states outlaw all discrimination based on race, color, religion, or natural origin. Now, African Americans possess the same rights as their white counterpart after years of fighting continuously. At the time the deaths of innocent African Americans seemed like a lost cause, but now, African Americans memorialize their deaths because the Civil Rights Movement served its purpose in which African Americans retain the same civil and human rights as white people. These results of the Civil Rights Movement allow all racial walls to fall while creating a country that focuses on equality.

Almost century later, African Americans are still being discriminated. They got jobs and their kids go to school, but more notice that it wasn 't right because they don 't interact with white people. Like in school they have different schools for colored students and in the colored schools don 't have the same supplies as the white schools and then started. Students in Virginia stared protesting against the school system because they weren 't given the same opportunities as white students. One Famous case on this is Brown V. Broad of Education, 1954. There are a lot of cases that African Americans didn 't felt equal in society because it wasn 't just in schools that they are being separated, They can 't go to the same public place as white people. More and more people are aware that this is happening also other stuff around the world is happening that most people don 't even realize it. The cold war was going on for a while and then Vietnam war beginning that most people are being drafted.

From the beginning, African Americans were always treated differently from others whether it was equal pay or going to designated place just because of their skin color; the Civil Rights Movement changed all of that to where they are as equal as white Americans. “At that time, there had never been a black presidential cabinet officer or a black Supreme Court Justice” (Kennedy). Because of the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans attained more civil rights and have even become president which is a very impressive accomplishment in terms of race equality. This mere fact is quite stunning since Barack Obama is now the president of The United States and has powerful political authority. Likewise, the Civil Rights Movement has also caused America to have more of an equal point of view when it comes to making political and national decisions. As these decisions are made, America’s wholeness, in most communities, has become more evident and prominent ever so. The country known as the United States has become more nation-widely accepting and

Over the course of American history, from the time of the American Revolution to today, there have been countless fights for rights waged by different groups of individuals. From racial rights, to gender rights, to rights of opinion, life styles, or religion, every century has been marked by a variety of prejudices, injustices, and inequalities. People who have been deprived of their basic rights as citizens and treated unfairly have to stand up to opposing voices, cruel actions, and humiliation time and again, in order to gain equal rights. Though some fights are lost, at least at first, the fact that some are won show that our country will listen to people’s voices and are willing to change.

Mother Jones, Cesar Chavez, and Malala Yousafzai all fought for the rights that they believed in. They all were leaders part of a big picture. Although these three individuals used different methods to get their point across, they all had courage to speak out about injustice and improve human rights.

The notion that this country was founded on the values of freedom and equality while simultaneously enslaving over 500,000 African Americans is the ultimate oxymoron. This paper will examine the complex question of why the institution of slavery seemed to be so imperative to the Framers of the Constitution that it was able to slip under the surface of what was considered free and equal. It would take some time for the liberties expressed in the Declaration of Independence to be executed for every citizen in America. We will explore the Founders response to the profoundly important question of the legitimacy of human bondage. The Framers, when constructing the Constitution, had the decision to either confront the ongoing problem of slavery or to ignore it completely. In the end, they found a solution somewhere in the middle. The Framers created compromises such as the Three-Fifths compromise and the Missouri Compromise in an attempt to appease the nations growing disparate views on slavery, along with controversial acts and court cases that would forever change the nation. These provisions all point to the Framers’ true intentions in the creation of the Constitution. Based on the language of the Constitution, one can see that it neither expressly authorized nor outright prohibited slavery.

Many times people say, “I wish I lived in the 50’s or 60’s” because they seemed like interesting or fun decades. On the surface the decades looked pleasant and peaceful, but the overall experiences included many groups such as the Native Americans fighting for equality in the Civil Rights Movements.The Native Americans, Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans had to participate in the Civil Rights Movements in order to prevent their cultures from being taken away. Equal pay, equal education, and different types of natural born rights are still being addressed today, and overtime advocacy groups have been working to achieve equal rights.“We are confronted primarily with a moral issue… whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated”(King). People like Martin Luther King were leaders in these Civil Rights Movements, and was time for a change. America needed change, and there would be many marches and boycotts to come.

In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville’s memorable claim that there is an incredible tension between liberty and equality in America is certainly true. His secondary argument is equally justifiable—that Democratic nations, especially American, will grow to love equality more “ardently and enduringly” than liberty (Tocqueville, 202), and can be proved by observing current American political patterns and events.

Liberty, equality and justice. Those three words are the values the United States was founded on. Over time the United States has struggled to abide by these values. However they try to promote them in schools, in court and in work. An African American and women do not have the same treatment as a Caucasian. In 1955, there was a trial for the murder of Emmett Till. The United States highlights these values but, fail to follow through with them.