This month has been designated "Black History Month" and in this week's assignment we will investigate some of the interesting facts about African-Americans in US history. When I was in school (not too long ago, I'd like to point out), especially in younger grades, the history of black Americans was largely overlooked in many textbooks. For instance, slavery was hardly mentioned in chapters dealing with life in the early years of the US. Today historians are quick to point out that in order to understand the past we must learn about the lives of all parts of historical society - the rich and poor, the notable individuals as well as those who lived in obscurity. This assignment is meant to give you an opportunity to research some of the important contributions made by African-Americans and help you better understand the complicated history of the US.
Start by going to the link http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/teachers.html . Under the tab labelled "National Archives" choose a lesson to read and review. Summarize your findings IN YOUR OWN WORDS and explain what can be understood about the history of the US from those documents.
I hope you enjoy this assignment. The documents are made available by the US government's Library of Congress. Remember to meet the requirements of all history assignments.
well i decided this week to so my essay on rosa parks aka "mother of the civil rights movement". im sure all of you are either extreme familiar with her name or at least you have heard of her. rosa parks's attempt to change certain laws directed towards african americans began on one calm evening on the date of december 1, 1955, when she sat in the part of a bus that was designated for white people only. as the bus began to fill rosa was asked to move to the back of the bus and give her seat up to a white person. rosa refused and was later arreasted by reason of "refusing to obey orders of the bus driver." that in it self ticks me off... clearly thats not even a legit law it was made up on the spot for the convieniance of the police officers... but thats just my opinion. on the bright side she was only held for a short time but no one should serve anytime for something so rediculous. now at this time rosa was an active member of national association for the advancement of colored people or the NAACP for short so mainly because of this her arrest led to a huge rally that included people boycotting the bus system this lasted for 381 days which obviously pretty much caught the nations attention and to top it off martin luther king jr got his start in fame during this boycott.
ReplyDeletelater after rosa was convicted under city law her lawyer called up an appeal... while her appeal was set on hold another case of racial segregation was ruled unconstitutional by a panel of three district court judges on june 4, 1956 and upheld by the us supreme court on november 13, 1956. by the way this case was named browder v. gayle.
now because of rosa parks's settle, simple defiance of the law she is known world wide as "mother of the civil rights movement."
information sited on: http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/teachers.html.... Bredhoff Stacey Wynell Schamel and Lee Ann Potter. "The Arrest Records of Rosa Parks." Social Education 63, 4 (May/June 1999): 207-211.
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ReplyDeleteOn July 17 1862, a paper was signed that freed slaves with masters in the Confederate army and on Jully 22, Abraham Lincoln presented the Emancipation Proclamation to his Cabinet. There are debates about the effectvness of this proclamation, in fact, there are debates about how right it was. Because the Union and Confederacy were different nations, President Lincoln had no authority in the Confederacy, and therefor could not free the slaves in that nation. Put this fact aside (as many now-a-days do) the Emancipation Proclamation opened the doors for blacks to enlist in the army.
ReplyDeleteBlack soldiers in the army had a hard time of it. They were not permitted to fight very often, being that white soldiers--yes, even the northerners, the ones who freed the slaves, looked down on black people as being inferior--treated them horribly because of skin color. Black soldiers oftener then not were asigned duties such as digging ditches and hard work such as that. However, they did fight and gain glory on the battlefield. At places such as Fort Wagner and Petersburg. At places such as Fort Pillow, black Union soldiers were brutally massacred. When captured by the Confederacy, black soldiers and their white officers were treated harsher then white soldiers.
But black soldiers did not serve solely in the Union army. Yes, blacks also served in the Confederate army, a little known fact in today's history books. Many blacks, slaves and even free, often served around the camps as cooks, aides, and so on. Some, however, did shoulder a musket and fight for the Confederacy. Don't believe me? Take Levi Miller who joined the Confederacy with his master to serve as a servent. However, the regiment voted and decided to make him a full soldier. Miller fought bravely in battles in Virginia, Maryland, Georgia and even Pennslyvania. Ex-Confederate Captain J.E. Anderson, who served with Miller, said “Levi Miller stoodby my side and no man fought harder and better than he did when the enemy tried to cross our little breastworks and we clubbed and bayoneted them off, no one used his bayonet with more skill and effect than Levi Miller." When Miller died, the Stars and Bars (Confederate flag ) was draped over his coffin. Although the Confederacy legally did not allow blacks to serve until March of 1865, a month before the fall of the Confederacy, many served as early as 1861.
Black soldiers on both sides suffered racial prejudice. In both the North and the South blacks were considered inferior beings who were just around to take "decent white folks" jobs. Whether African-American's chose to fight for the North or South, they all faced battle the same as any white soldier did. They enlisted, the fought, they died, they survived. Skin color didn't make a difference in battle, it only made a difference in camp and how they were treated. Neither side treated black soldiers kindly, but there were always the few people who saw past skin color, such as Captain Anderson, and accepted the soldier as a soldier.
This time period is a dark era in our nation's history, but whenever I hear stories like that of Levi Miller, I am reminded that what we learn in history classes isn't all there is to the story. In history classes we often times only learn about African-American's who fought for the Union, but that doesn't mean that African-American's didn't fight for the Confederacy. There's always more to the story then you first think, even when it involves something as simple as who fought for who.
Works Cited: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/ and http://www.scv357.org/blkconf/pdf/RoleofBlacksConfederateArmy.pdf
A big issue during the Civil Rights Movement was the desegregation in the public school system, which took place during the early 1950s.
ReplyDeleteThe article talks about Moton High School in Prince Edward County, Virginia. It was a school for only blacks, and there were twice as many students enrolled than the school had actually been built for.
The building was poorly equipped. There was no gymnasium, cafeteria, or auditorium with fixed seats.
In April 1951, the students decided to go on a strike because they wanted to have a new school building. They also asked for help from NAACP, a group set up to establish equal rights for the both blacks and whites. According to NAACP, the students first had to sue for the end of the segregation. Only then the organization was able to get involved in the case. The students agreed, and with their parents’ permission went to the court in Richmond, VA, to ask for the annihilation of the law requiring segregated schools in Virginia. About a year later, in Spring 1952, the court had decided in favor of the students and the case was passed to the Supreme Court of the United States, where it was discussed along with three other school segregation cases.
The court came to the realization that school segregation violated the Fourteenth Amendment that focuses on the equal treatment of the races. Therefore, the school board achieved its goal and won the case, setting an end to the desegregation in public schools.
Unfortunately, Prince Edward County didn’t like the Supreme Court’s decision, and, in order to avoid desegregation, closed all public schools for five years, from 1959 to 1964.
Jess_megs15,
ReplyDeleteI've always liked the story of Rosa Parks. It amazes me how brave she was to refuse to give up her seat, even though she knew it would bring trouble to her. Had I been in her position, I'd like to think I would do what she did, but I know I probably would have just gave up my seat. But that story always brings up a question in my mind: Why was she sitting where she knew she wasn't suppose to be in the first place? Their might be an actual answer to that question, but I'm not aware of it. I like to think she was there showing how unfair segregation was and that makes her even braver then she already was in my mind. Good essay!!
Stella,
I enjoyed your essay a lot. I love how a group of students stood up for what they believed, showing that kids can make a difference in the world around us. It's an awesome story, even if the county was stupid and didn't want to abide by the Supreme Court's decision. Five years without school, that's a very long snow day!! And all over something as stupid as segregation. It amazes me how different times were just a few decades ago! Good essay!!!
As we all know, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the main propelling force behind the Civil Rights Movement, and without him it is very likely that the Movement would not have had the success that it did. Towards the end of the Civil Rights Movement, King focused less on the political inequalities (segregation, etc.) and more on the inequalities of living situations such as the poverty and education issues. King ALWAYS stood by his conviction that violence WAS NOT the answer. His last protest before his death, however, proved to test him on that belief.
ReplyDeleteOn Feb. 1, 1968, in Memphis, two black sanitation workers were killed in an accident on the job. On the same day, 22 black workers were sent home without pay due to weather, while their white coworkers were sent home WITH pay. All this eventually amounted to a strike consisting of 1,100 sanitation workers demanding more safety and job benefits.
King agreed to lead a peaceful parade through the streets as the demonstrators grew in numbers. Unfortunately, one protester used his sign to break a window of one of the local businesses and everything snowballed from there. People ransacked the streets and King had to be escorted out.
King wanted to try a peaceful protest again though and one of King’s advisor informed him that a Memphis judge had given permission for the protest to occur on April 4-just four days later. Soon after, King stepped out of his hotel to meet his friends for dinner and was assassinated.
As the first shots were fired in the Civil War young black men were anxious to do their part in the war to end slavery. In Ohio young black men were told "This is a white man's war and the Negro has nothing to do with this."
ReplyDeleteTwo different things happened. As the war continued, many black men decided to form their own regiment to fight for the Union. In 1862 Congress agreed to their enlistment. More than 186,000 African American signed up. One month after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, recruitment began. The recruits came from twenty-four states, one quarter of them slave states. Among the recruits were a dentist, druggist, barbers, boatmen, laborer's,cabinetmakers.
A young white 2nd lieutenant abolitionist, Robert Gould Shaw was approached by his father to take command of a new All Black Regiment. At first he declined, but after careful consideration he accepted. The dedication of his men deeply impressed him, he grew to respect them as a fine fighting force. When he found out that the black soldiers would get less pay than their counterparts he inspired his unit to conduct a boycott until this inequality was made right.
Congress agreed to give them full back pay at the white pay rate in August 1864.
Shaw died in battle a hero in the eyes of his men. He was buried with his men in a mass grave.
source cit: http://www.africanamericcanhistorymonth.gov/teachers.html/.wikipedia
biggin,
ReplyDeletei really liked your essay. it really inspired me and made me think really hard about alot of things. in todays world people would never dream of standing up so strongly for something, i mean yes people have this organization or that foundation that they support but when it all comes down to it do you really think they would stand up and pysically fight for it... i dont i think we as americans are too pleased with living our comfortable lives never spending one day actually fighting for something with meaning. what those men did was courageous and very respectable. so great job on your essay!
guffey,
great job on your essay i liked how you emphasized on the fact that martin luther king jr was all about peace and keeping things calm and fair for all. and i respect him for that as well as the fact that he didnt glue himself to just the "political" side of things he also cared about people as individuals and he had concerns with the poverty level and things that most people these days dont give a second look at. so great essay! :)
So how many of you guys have ever ridden on a public bus? Probably not a lot of you, and if so not many times, since our little town of Somerset doesn’t have buses. Instead however imagine that you have to ride a bus every single day just to get around your city, to get to soccer practice, and even just to get groceries from Wal-Mart. Sounds fun doesn’t it? Now imagine these same things, but you’re black and you are required by law not to sit in the first ten rows on the bus. Depending on how long these buses were it doesn’t sound like there will be much room for you especially since there are hundreds of you along with the whites that have to use the buses. Well one typical day on December 1, 1955 a black woman named Rosa Parks was sitting in the 11th row on a bus. Now the bus started to run out of room for the whites and the bus driver went to Rosa along with some others sitting at the beginning of the “black seats” and ordered them to move back to make room for the whites. The others moved reluctantly but however Rosa remained seated and would not move. The driver called the police and she was promptly arrested.
ReplyDeleteNow Rosa was a respected member of the black community, and the blacks took great offense to this. They even instituted a bus boycott that lasted 381 days. This started the Civil rights movement, and Martin Luther King Jr. took charge and achieved national fame. To this day Rosa Parks is known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”
As this month is black history month, we tend to look at the most popular aspects of the Civil Rights movement and happenings. I wanted to point out something I found interesting, but had not been brought as much attention or fame as the other important occurrences happening for this purpose. With all of segregation going on in the American country, the military was segregated into the black and white halves. We were sending the military into Europe to help with the Great War. On April 2, 1917, President Wilson declared war on Germany. The 369th infantry were some of the first to reach France. They were an all black group with all white commanders. They were called the “Harlem Hellfighters” and were very much rewarded when they returned. They were a brave and strong group. They fought longer than any other American unit in the war. After 191 days of fighting, Colonel Hayward said, “My men never retire, they go forward or they die.” Some did not agree with or were dogmatic about blacks fighting with the segregated army. Philip Randolph had said that Negroes had fought for America in the wars since the Revolution and had remained in segregation and captivity. Through all of the struggle and trials that had faced the African American population, examples like the 369th infantry demonstrated the power that they held within themselves.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/369th-infantry/
Paco, often times we do not think about or look at the fact that we do not have to go through what Rosa Parks had to go through. She had to spend so much time on this bus and technically was doing the right thing. Her stand was often looked at as a sign or movement of rebellion, but she was doing everything legally. She was standing for her rights. If we had to ride a bus everywhere we went and were exhausted, what would we do? Would you stand up for your rights or give in to the pressures of social indifferences?
ReplyDeleteBiggin, it is hard to believe so much segregation existed in America. We are so used to the level of equality we have achieved as Americans. Even in the governmental areas of the United States Army, the separation of African Americans and whites was enforced. We have come so far in our social view of equality.
Im doing my report this week on Mr. Jack Roosevelt Robinson. Talk about being a leader, this man was the first black man to officially play in the major leagues. Eventually someone would have to step up and be the first and in this sport it was Robinson. Think about all the black men who play in the major leagues today, and it all goes back to this man. He had extreme talent and determination which led to success. His determination payed off with six National League titles and one World Series, all in the course of 10 years. Thats pretty awesome. More importantly, when Robinson retired, he went on to stand up for Civil Rights. As a matter of fact he wrote a letter to a Presidential assistant in August 1957. That same year in September some racism took place at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas when Governor Orval Faubus was trying to gain favoritism. Faubus had guards stand at the school enterance to keep nine black students from entering. He said he was afraid if he didn't do this then violence would have broken out. They may be so but I sure hope he didn't get any extra votes because of this action. After Faubus did this, President Eisenhower provided troops to guard and protect each student and make sure their right to go to that high school was openly enforeced. This made Robinson rather content and happy although he believed this should have been done long ago. Better late than never, right? Robinson wanted to take it a step further. Although the Federal Government guaranteed to support African American attempts to exercise freedoms and rights that were already given to them in the Constitution, it didn't help much because white people still resisted and denied black's rights. Stuff similar to this kept happening. He sent many letters and telegrams to respected people. If you would like to read more about his different letters and more about his fight for rights you can go to http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/jackie-robinson/letter-1958.html. Now, Robinson sadly passed away when he was 53, only 6 months after sending a letter to Roland L. Elliot. That shows that he fought for his rights and rights for his people his whole life. From the time he was a young boy to the time he died. When he was a boy in would fight with his neighbors using rocks. As a young adult he even went to jail for a dispute in traffic. This man was stubborn and determined but eventually it payed off, too bad Robinson didnt live to see it.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I can very blantly understand about the US is that in this instance and situation, weve obviously changed so much. Not that people dont get made fun of for there race, because they sadly still do, but things have still radically changed because of influences such as Robinson. All men were created equally and its sad that not all people understand that.
This week i will be writing my essay on ‘The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,’ known as
ReplyDeleteRosa Parks. Mrs. Parks made a bold decision on 1 December 1955 by her refusal of moving seats
to make room for a white passenger. This small act of courage would be seen even today as a
great contribution for the civil rights movement. It honestly doesn’t seem like much: just refusing to give your seat up in a bus, but at the time there were so many laws and regulations the black people had to follow it was seen as pure rebellion. After Rosa refused to move, the police were called and she was charged with ‘refusing to follow orders of bus driver’ and was taken to jail.
What i find so sad is that how fearful her family was for her when she was in custody. The fact if she was beaten, it wouldn’t the first for the officers. In fact, the first thing that her mother asked when on the phone was, ‘Did they beat you?’ The risk was so high for her to be beaten.
Rosa Parks was not the first to refuse moving for a white passenger, but through the NAACP and
the court case that took place, this helped abolish the unconstitutional law that separate black and white seats on busses.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteGreat essay. I like how you chose a topic that isn't brought to our attention often. Great job!
Jess,
Great job! I too wrote on Rosa Parks. I've heard this story many times, but every single time i do hear it something new is called to my attention, and makes me mad. Something you pointed out in your essay was: how they didn't have a genuin reason for arresting her. 'Refusing to follow orders of the bus driver?' as you mentioned, you can tell that was made up on the spot. Anyway, Great essay! Jolly Good!
For this weeks assignment, i have chosen to do my summarization about the teachings with documents: court documents related to Martin Luther King , Jr. , and Memphis Sanitation workers. We all have heard about Martin Luther King Jr. , and know a little bit about him, such as he was one of the main people in the civil rights movement, there is a day named after him, he is one of the main reason that black people are free today, and he gave a speech that started with " i have a dream... " Kings focus was less on the legal and political obstacles to the excercise of the civil rights by the blacks, unemployment, lack of education, and segregation and other every day obstacles and living predicaments that confronted opposed the blacks from economic success and prosperity. Kings veiws, that had been the foundation of his career, of non violence did not change any, but he stayed firm in keeping him. Those veiws of his were severely tested in his support of a strike of sanitation workers in Memphis Tenneessee , Which was Kings final campaign before his death. Martin Luther was a very influencial figure in those days, and i believe he had a great impact on the people around him.
ReplyDeleteMy essay is about Rosa Parks. I chose her because she is a very famous person, but I still don’t know a lot about her.
ReplyDeleteRosa Parks was a 42-year old African American woman who rode in a public bus home after a normal work day. In that time there was a separation between white and black people. So the first 10 seat were reserved for white people and black weren’t allowed to sit there. On December 1, 1955 she entered the bus and sat down on one of the seats reserved for the white people. Then a white person came and wanted to sit there. She refused to get up and to give the seat free. So the bus driver asked her to get up but she refused. Then the bus driver called the police station and two officers came and arrested her. At the police station they took her fingerprints and then incarcerated. The official charge against her was “refusing to obey a bus driver”. Rosa Parks was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Her arrest caused a bus boycott by African Americans lead by Martin Luther King Jr. During that boycott he got famous for the first time.
Works cited:
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/rosa-parks/index.html
We all know the famous story of Rosa Parks and how one act on her part started a revolution that would forever change our nation. On December 1, 1955, Rosa and three others African American friends were siting together on one of the public buses that drive all throughout Montgomery. These buses were segregated, for what reason is completely asinine. These buses aloud the white Americans to sit in the front ten seats and ten the rest were left for the African Americans. Rosa and the three others were sitting in the eleventh row from the front, the one rift behind the last row reserved for the whites. As the ride went along through the city the bus continued to fill with more and more people. More white than black. When there wasn't any seats left in the white section the driver of the bus made the four including Rosa to move back and even stand up. Our Rosa Parks refused to move. And thus he non comfority made our whole nation move in the wake of this. Rosa ended up being arrested and found guilty even after her lawyer appealed twice. Though this woman didn't back down, she still showed that segregation was not for our country an was something that needed to be abolished. In the result of this, Martin Luther King Jr. rose up, (at this time he was only 26!) and his voice washboard by many, resulting in one of the most influential leaders of this time. People started boycotting buses just like the one that Rosa and the three others had ridden that day. Three judges took a deeper look into Rosa Park'S trial and the busing system and declared it unconstitutional to have segregated buses. We call that a revolutionary.
ReplyDeleteBlack history is a very interesting topic. There are so many things that most people never get to hear about. The topic that I chose for my essay is the 369th Infantry, nicknamed the “Harlem Hellfighters.” In 1917 President Woodrow Wilson asked that war be declared on Germany. The congress also passed the Selective Service Act, also known as the draft, in order to raise an army to support the war effort. The 369th was among the earliest to be sent to France. During this time blacks were not allowed to serve in the same units as whites. The fact that blacks were not given equal treatment in the army gained a lot of attention from some very important people. One such person was W.E.B. DuBois. He said that "while the war lasts [we should] forget our special grievances and close our ranks shoulder to shoulder with our white fellow citizens and allied nations that are fighting for democracy." Even though the 369th was a black unit and not given equal rights as other units they saw the most combat of any unit. This is very strange because only about 42,000 of the 200,000 black soldiers sent to Europe actually saw battle. Most were sent over to build roads and fortifications. Even though black soldiers were not given the credit that they deserve they have been an important part of every war since the Revolutionary War.
ReplyDeleteThis week I will tell you something about Martin Luther King, who was involved in the civil rights for Black people. He himself was black too, and that was probably the reason for him to fight, to get treated like everyone else. He was also involved in the Montgomery bus boycott, the freedom rides, the Birmingham campain, the March on Washington, the Selma march and a lot more battlefields where he and his followers fought for eqaul rights between white and black people and also for equal justice in the US. He also waged a war of nonviolent direct action against racism,prejudice, mayors, governors, angry citizens and night riders of the Ku Klux Klan.
ReplyDeleteLater on he despite increasing militancy in the movement for black power, he was for the principles of nonviolence, which was also the foundation of his own career. Those kinds of principles were put to severe test in his support of a strike by workers in Tennessee.
This was his last and finall campain before his death. He died on April 1968, when he got shot, standing on the balancony of his hotel room in Memphis. His death was a big thing in the News, and erupted all over the country, but especially in the black urban areas.
It was Nineteen Fifty- Four, about fifty six years ago when the Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren announced the unanimous descision that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. Though Brown v Board of Education was a huge step towards racial desegregation and less rascism in general it would be years before blacks wouldnt be looked at with such contempt and distrust as well as be treated much less inferiority. Though to ignore the ruling would be against the law because of a majority against the descision it was widely ignored.
ReplyDeleteBefore Brown v. Board of Education most of the blacks society was separated from the whites society. Their transportation, schools, eating, living, restroom, voting accomodations and rights were highly segregated and. Most everything the blacks were given was unequal. Slowly though people began to become braver and step away from the boundries and face the consequenses so that they, their family and fellow man would be able to like a better life. We all owe a lot to these people. It is awful that the rasicism was allowed to coninue unchecked for so long and it is still quite terrible that it still exists today though on a much lower scale.
Brown v. Board of Education though not the first case to fight racial segregation was a very important one. It brought many cases waiting to be heard all together into one case. It proved that not only the South struggled with allowing blacks to have equal rights but the U.S in general making it a much bigger and urgent case than thought. The ruling that separation was unconstitutional had a major impact.
It was a widely held belief that if the could slowly integrate the elementary schools and do it slow and cautiously that it would be for the best. Being that highschool would be much more violent and less likely to accept the desegreagation. They thought that if they would learn to interact while young it would be a much easier transition which was probably true.
Slowly the transition has been made though it has taken much more than this single ruling and a lot of time. Now it isn't likely even thought of when someone white or black is seen working together, going to school together, being friends, and such. I am glad this transition has been made. It was such a horrible unfair thing. I only hope that as time goes by people will just completely quit being racist at all and in any way. Thanks to the people who took the incentive and fight against the wrongs equality for all can be enjoyed by all or hopefully all.
My sources:
ReplyDeletewww.oyez.org/cases/1950-1959/1952/1952_1
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/brown-v-board/
I decided to do my essay on Rosa Parks. It seems like this woman had a lot of courage since the article is title An act of courage […].
ReplyDeleteRosa Parks was a Afro-American woman of 42 years old when she was first arrested, on December 1st 1955, for violating a city law requiring racial segregation of public buses. At that time, black people were considered as slaves. They had no rights in the society. They were an inferior race. Like all black people Rosa Parks wanted it to change. She knew every body should be able to have the same rights than any other human being. She knew that every body was equal.
The law about moving the line separating black and white passengers wasn’t really clear. The driver of the bus in which Mrs Parks was decided that he could change it. So he called the police and Mrs Parks was arrested.
The police report shows that she was charged with "refusing to obey orders of bus driver." For openly challenging the racial laws of her city, she remained at great physical risk while held by the police, and her family was terrified for her. When she called home, she spoke to her mother, whose first question was "Did they beat you?"
Mrs. Parks was not the first person to be prosecuted for violating the segregation laws on the city buses.
There are so many stories like this showing how African Americans people were treated.
The African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights in Southern states.By 1966, the emergence of the Black Power Movement.Enlarged the aims of the Civil Rights Movement to include racial dignity, economic and political self-sufficiency, and freedom from oppression by white Americans. In Brown v. Board of Education, 1954 . On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision regarding the case called Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, in which the plaintiffs charged that the education of black children in separate public schools from their white counterparts was unconstitutional. The Court ruled that both Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which had established the segregationist, "separate but equal" standard in general, and Cumming v. Richmond County Board of Education (1899), which had applied that standard to schools, were unconstitutional. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks (the "mother of the Civil Rights Movement") refused to give up her seat on a public bus to make room for a white passenger .A Baptist minister named Martin Luther King, Jr. was president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization that directed the boycott.. His eloquent appeals to Christian brotherhood and American idealism created a positive impression on people both inside and outside the South.That was a couple of the interested events that happened and showed us about the African-American Civil Right.
ReplyDeleteCamden,
ReplyDeleteIt’s so true how you said there are so many things people never get to hear about Black history. I don’t really know hardly anything about it but I’d like to learn more. Anyways, your report very informative. Your statement “Even though black soldiers were not given the credit that they deserve they have been an important part of every war since the Revolutionary War” is so true. I agree with DuBois. I mean you’re supposed to be fighting against your enemies, not with your enemies. Good Job Camden.
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteYour report is very informative and long haha. Good job. I didn’t know hardly any of this stuff. I think it’s so sad how back in those days segregation was just normal. How every single part of their day and every facility was effected by segregation. You are very true, it is very unfair that racism was allowed for so long. And it’s still sadly going on today.
Guffey, I also wrote about Martin Luther King Jr., but what I really liked about your essay was, that you wrote a lot about this demonstration. It was planed to be peaceful, the way King prefered it, like you said he knew that fights and violent were not the right thing to solve a problem. But in the end it did not really work out the way he hoped. I personally think that this is really sad, because he tried to get further with the movements of civil rights and people could just not demonstrate without completly violent.
ReplyDeleteGood job. Keep up your good work!!!
Simon, your essay was good and described one of probably thousands of those terrible situations, where white people get treated better than black people. I think what Rosa Parks did was good, I mean she knew that the seats were only for white people but she just ignored that.
to jess megs 15, Great choice of picking to do your article on rosa parks, the mother of the civil rights movement. I really enjoyed reading your essay, it was very informative and i learned several new things about rosa parks from reading it. Im sure evryone has heard the story of how she refused to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus, but refused to do so, and was arrested. But this also caused a chain of events, like the start of boycotting of the buses and even led to start of Martin Luther King jr. 's new start on fame and his leading role of the civil rights movement. I think it was extremely brave what she did, and it took a whole lot of guts for her, or anyone for that matter to do some thing like that. She was a very influencial and person of that day, and the new sign of a start in rebeliion. But great job on your essay jess megs 15, i really liked it, and really enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteto guffey, great job on your essay.
Guffey,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your essay! I didn’t know a lot of Martin Luther King before, but I knew that he was assassinated. Now I also know the reason for it. In my opinion King was a great person, and I think that we need more people like him. He was a brave man. And I liked how he always said that violence is not the answer, although it is not always true. Sometimes you just have to fight, because not all people you talk you, necessarily listen to what you say.
Biggin,
I found your essay was very interesting. I didn’t know that blacks were even forbidden to fight in the Civil War. Shaw was a thoughtful man, and he obviously wanted to make sure that both blacks and whites were treated equally, which was probably rare during that time. His actions show that when you try something you don’t necessarily want to do, or something that you have prejudices against, it can turn out to be something good. Like when he first didn’t want to lead the black’s regiment, but then he grew to respect them.
Stella, I loved your essay, it was very well written and thoroughly overall informative. Segregation in schools was completely idiotic and came from a burning pridefulness. Great essay.
ReplyDeleteGuffey, Dr. Martin Luther king is a classic thing to talk about pertaining to the civil rights movement. Without him, your right, things wouldn’t have happened the way that it did then. I respect the fact that Martin Luther was not a man of violence. I thought your essay was very good Goof Ball.(:
Biggin(: Your essay was also very good. Robert Gould Shaw should be an example of what true heroes are. No matter what color or race that you are. Good job Michael Bradley Harrell. I Loveddd it!
Robert Joshua Parker, I also wrote about Rosa Parks, and I think you did great job on your essay. It was very thoroughly written and intellectual. My favorite part of the essay is how you gave us a picture of how it would be in our own shoes. Good job Joshua!(:
Alex
ReplyDeleteI love what you said about Mr. Jack Roosevelt Robinson. He had extreme talent and determination which led to success. His determination payed off with six National League titles and one World Series, all in the course of 10 years. I cant imagine how much courage it took.
For my essay this week i choose to wright about Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January fifteenth 1929. His grandfather was the one who started the family tradition of the men being a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. His grandfather pastored from 1914 to 1931. Then his father then eventually him. Martin Luther King attented a segregated school in Georgia. After graduated highschool he went onto collage and soon met a woman by the name of Coretta Scott they soon married and had two sons and two daughters. In 1945 Martin Luther King became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr. stood up for what he belived was right and so on December 21, 1956, the Supreme Court of the United States declared unconstitutional the laws requiring segregation on buses, Negroes and whites rode the buses as equals. But sadly during that time Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and his house was bombed. Even thou he was put threw all that she still stood strong in what he belived and he emerged as a Nergro leader of the first rank. I choose Martin Luther King Jr. because he was very smart in what he did and never gave up no matter what.
ReplyDeleteEmily Lynn I really enjoyed reading your essay on Rosa Parks it was well worded and i agree with it all. I also think she was a very brave woman. What she did took more guts then some of the other stuff other people do now days. She was a very smart woman who made a really good choice and it turned out to benefit more people then just her. All in all your essay was very good and i loved it!
ReplyDeleteStella i really like the topic you choose for your essay that was one of the maine problems back then. It was brave what the students did that went on strike and it ended up for the good. You wrote your essay very well and i enjoyed reading it very much. It was a very interesting topic. You did a really good job writing it and i loved reading it :) Good job.
ReplyDeleteEssay from Jerome,
ReplyDeleteFor this weeks essay, Im going to summarize the article "The Many Faces of Paul Robeson". I'm very interested in people
to know more about them.His childhood was not the best. He was a son of a former slave. I assume that he was poor.
Paul was born and raised during the segregation, lynching, and open racism. But he was very smart and tried his best.
He won four-year scholarship to Rutgers University.He played baseball, football, basketball, and track which were varsity.
He won several prices in speech and debate tournamenys.After his graduation he tried to go into professional,
but then he earned a law degree. But later on a secretary reject him,
because of his skin color. After this he went back to his childhood and dedicated to his love and music.
He was one of the best performers of his time. Sometimes he got more money than many white entertainers. His
His concert career spanned the globe: Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Moscow, New York, and Nairobi.
Through speeches he tried to get his attentionfor independence, freedom, and equality for all people.
This person impressed me very much that he was so prosperous during this bad time period for black people.
Sources: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/robeson/
Rosa Parks’ story is very widely known among Americans. She took her seat on a bus and was then instructed to move toward the back because it was segregated. Because of her refusal to move when she was instructed, she was arrested. The fact is, she was allowed to sit in that seat. The first 10 seats where reserved for the white people and she was sitting in the row behind it. When the bus got crowded, she would not move as instructed because, technically, she was allowed to sit there.
ReplyDeleteRosa seemed to have a good reputation and nobody thought of her as one who would be arrested. Friends and family were all concerned for her well-being. African Americans started a rally against bus segregation. This was ignited because of her arrest. Her arrest brought up a court case that ruled segregation of buses to be unconstitutional.
I find Rosa to be a brave woman. Her silent speech spoke wonders to those around her and even influenced the renowned Martin Luther King Jr. From what I read, she was a very honorable woman. One thing the article mentioned about her was that she was an active in the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was a secretary for E.D. Nixon at the time of her arrest. I imagine she had a strong work ethic. While her actions might not seem too extraordinary today, they might have changed the course of African American history back then.
Dear megan_kiser13,
ReplyDeleteI'm reading over your summarization and I agree with everthing and I like it. I think it is never wrong to talk about Martin Luther king Jr.,
because he was a very influential man how lead to world very forward and fought for his righ and others.
I like your introduction but you should do some paragraphs. Good job.
Dear Nang,
I really like to read your essay, also because I'm very interested in the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968).
I always wanted to know something more about it, because I think it was a very important, scary, brutal and tough time period for
everyone. I also like that you put Martin Luther kind Jr, in your summarization. Good job.
Dear Alexandria Grace,
I really like it to read through yours. It is sooo long with so much information. It doesn't mean it is bad, it is very good. I also agree with everything. Good job.
Emily, great essay! I like how you described her refusal to change seats as an act of rebellion. In all honesty, it sort of was. I wouldn’t be the person to stand my ground in a situation like that. I wonder what else might have happened to Rosa after her trial. Perhaps she stood even stronger than before. Perhaps her strength crumbled. It seems there is so much more to her story.
ReplyDeleteCharity, I liked your essay a lot. It is very true that Rosa’s actions ignited quite a revolution amongst our society. I can’t help imaging Martin Luther King Jr. reading the paper or listening to gossip on the streets and shaking with anger inside because of the cruelty of segregation. I’m so glad there are people such as Rosa and King that are not ashamed to take a stand whether it be with silent defiance or a loud speech.
Linda Brown was an eight year old black child who had to cross Topeka, Kansas to attend school, while other white friends of hers were able to attend classes at a public school just a few blocks away. The Topeka School system was segregated on the basis of race. Linda's parents sued in federal district court on the basis that "separate facilities for blacks were inherently unequal."
ReplyDeleteThe Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case was the breakthrough decision in which the United States Supreme Court declared state laws that stationed separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 that allowed state-spnsored segregation was then disregarded. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren addressed the unanimous decision on May 17, 1954, that stated "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." As a result, by law, racial segregation was ruled a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. When the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution outlawed slavery, it was only three years later, in 1868, that guarantee to the rights of citizenship to all persons born in the United States was made by the 14th Amendment. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were all aimed at exterminating the last remains of slavery and segregation. Congress also passed the first Civil Rights Act in 1875; it consisted of "equality of all men before the law."
Stella: I LOVE the story you chose about the students standing up for their rights. Its amazing to me that they were so brave and willing to fight to get equal rights. I would hope that our student body would do the same if treated unfairly. What great accomplishments they achieved. Great job!
ReplyDeleteJessi: The story of Rosa Parks is one of my favorites. She is a such a hero in my mind and such a brave woman. Her story is a true example of bravery and passion to get what is equal for everyone. Awesome job!
Paul Robeson was an extremely successful and talented African-American man. He had natural talent at just about anything he did. He was the third African American to attend Rutgers University. He earned a 4 year scholarship to Rutgers and graduated as the valedictorian of his graduating class and graduated with a degree in Law. After earning his degree he was quickly discriminated against by a secretary who wouldn’t work with him only because he was black. Soon after, he perused his love of acting. After lots of traveling he began to realize how much discrimination was a problem in the world. He used his own talents to inform people that everyone was equal and deserved to be treated in such a way. He traveled all over the world encouraging people to stand up for what they believe in. He felt that in other countries he was treated much more fairly than he was in the United States where he endured life threatening comments and riots because of his outspoken voice about being equal. He was even being discriminated by his own government, not being allowed to use his passport to travel elsewhere. He fought for his rights for two years with no change ever occurring. Eventually it was declared unconstitutional to decline his request for travel because of his skin.
ReplyDeleteDear Guffey,
ReplyDeleteGreat essay! It was very informative. I not only agree that without Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. the Civil Rights Movement most likely wouldn’t have happened, but I think that without him the Movement most definitely would not have happened at that time. I’m sure that in later years there would have been another that would have taken his place, but without Rev. King Jr. there would have been nobody to organize and lead the people. His death was a very tragic thing indeed but I believe that it gave the people the burning determination that they would get what there fearless leader wanted to have for them.
Biggin,
Nice essay man! I had no idea that stories like this happened. When I think about it though, it’s pretty easy to believe that many of these situations did though. I see what 2nd Lieutenant Robert Gould Shaw did for not only his troops but for the black soldiers in general, and hold a great respect for the man.
I’ve decided to write my essay this week on Claudette Colvin. Ms. Colvin was 15, and lived in Alabama. In 1955 she refused to give up her seat, on a local Montgomery bus, to a black man. She was taken off of the bus in handcuffs to go to jail by two police officers. Ms. Colvin wasn’t given a fair chance to tell her reasoning, she was abused. She was kicked and had the textbooks from school taken right out of her hands! Ms. Colvin didn’t give her seat up because of articles she had read, she wanted to stand up in what she believed in like her hero had, Harriet Tubman. She was charged with two charges, disorderly conduct and violating segregation ordinance. After getting bailed out by her mother and the help of her minister, she went home where her father sat up all night watching with a gun to avoid any troubles that may cause.
ReplyDeleteTo make matters worse, everyone found out about Ms. Colvin’s pregnancy, she was impregnated by a married man. Money was raised by many to help with Ms. Colvin’s defense. She gave birth to her son, Raymond in 1965.
Even though many people stood up for what they believed in Rosa Parks got the majority of the credit, and Ms. Colvin was okay with that.
http://www.core-online.org/History/colvin.htm
ReplyDelete^^ work cited.