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 African-American History Month . 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.
For this week’s assignment I will be talking about when Rosa Parks got arrested. On December 1, 1995 started like a regular day for Mrs. Rosa, but little did she know that she was about to make history. Rosa worked as a seamstress. And before she had reached her house while riding on the bus she was asked to move so a white man could take her seat because the bus had got crowded and the row of seats reserved for the white people had filled up so the bus driver mad all the black people move back another row but Mrs. Parks refused cause she said that she was sitting where she was supposed to be. After trying to plead with her they had to call the cops and she was arrested. She was not the first person to challenge this but a woman of unchallenged character who was held in high esteem by all those who knew her. After her arrest this became kind the last straw, and became the rallying point and the African American community organized a bus boycott in protest of the discrimination they had endured for years. This peaceful boycott lasted 381 days and captured the world's attention. This is when Martin Luther really capitalized on his fame. Rosa Parks is known and revered as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." And for this I respect Rosa Parks immensely. For her courage, and boldness changed American.
ReplyDeleteAwesome essay this week Abby Sams! I love reading about Rosa Parks, I think that every one can learn something from her, she is such an inspiration! A lot of times it’s scary to have the courage and boldness that Rosa Parks had but she didn’t even worry about that. I wish there were a lot more people like Mrs. Parks in the world today. I think Rosa Parks is one very respectable lady.
DeleteYou did a great job!! Abby Sams on your essay, wow I am amazed at how courageous Rosa Parks was, I would not be able to have the courage she had! I cant imagine the magnitude of fear she mush have felt when she was about to be arrested, Rosa Parks was an amazing woman with will power unlike no other, she stood up and would not back down for something she believed in, she is a great example for not only the black woman but for all women of all races, she shows us that we can do anything we set are mind to, she is truly an amazing woman who deserves all the respect she can get!
DeleteFor this week assignment I am going to talk about an act of courage, The Arrest Records of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was just a normal African American who was trying to get to work, just like thousands of people every day; however because of her actions in that day, she started a revolution for civil rights for all African Americans who were suffering by the white people at this time.
ReplyDeleteThe day was December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama; a 42 years old woman took a seat on the bus to go to her job. Before reaching her destination the bus driver instructed her to move back, so the white people could sit, the other African Americans next to her moved however she didn`t. This simple action of not moving to another seat and refusing orders from the white people would cause a huge revolution on the future, in which the black people would have the same rights as the white people.
The city had a law in which the first 10 bus seats were reserved for white people, and Rosa was in the first seat after the 10 first seats, in other words in the 11th seat. However the bus was full and when the driver quit on trying to make her move he called the police and she was arrested and charged by refusing to obey orders of bus driver, she was booked, fingerprinted and incarcerated, in other words they treated her if she was a criminal person that committed a horrible crime.
Even though what they did to her was horrible and unjust it resulted in a revision of the civil rights, and now a day we can see that everybody is under the law and have the same rights. Even though this is not true in many cases.
Wow! That was a really great essay this week Eduardo Roston! I think the act act of courage by Rosa Parks was a great topic choose for this assignment. I think it is so amazing that just one random woman could cause such a great change and movment in history! Rosa parks is such a great inspiration and everyone can learn a thing or two from her.
DeleteFor this weeks assignment I am going to be talking about the fight for equal rights, black soldiers in the Civil War. In 1792 a federal law was passed that said Negroes could not bear arms. This meant tons of men were turned away when they came to help fight in the Civil War. The Lincoln administration thought hard about letting them fight for our country. In 1862 the amount of blacks willing to enlist began to grow larger and larger then the amount of whites willing to enlist. On July 17, 1862, Congress passed the Second Confiscation and Militia Act. This act freed slaves who had masters in the Confederate army. Two days after this slavery was no longer allowed in the United States. After July 22, the preliminary draft of the Emancipation Proclamation was presented by Lincoln. It wasn’t until Fredrick Douglas encouraged black recruiters to join that volunteers started flooding in. In May 1863 the government made Bureau of colored troops. At the end of the Civil War there was about 179,000 blacks served in the army that made up about 10% of the Union Army. 19,000 served in the navy, and almost 40,000 black soldiers died in the war and about 30,000 died in through course of the war. The recruitment of black soldiers significantly helped the United States in war, but there were still so many people against it, so they were not used in combat as much. In Fort Wagner SC 16 black soldiers were awarded medals of honors for their valor. The United States has come so far from where we were just a couple hundred years ago. We can all understand from this that everybody should be treated equally. There is only one race and that’s human. Skin color does not establish whether certain people are capable and able to fight or not.
ReplyDeleteFor this week's assignment I am going to be talking about Jackie Robinson-Civil Rights Advocate. Jack Roosevelt Robinson known as Jackie Robinson was born on January 31,1919, He had a dream of becoming a baseball player in the big leagues witch he achieved on April 15,1947, he played in the big leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers, He was the first black man to officially play in the big leagues. He was a young man with amazing drive and courage. After baseball Robinson joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and became the chairman of the Freedom Fund drive that would later raise more than a million dollars. In 1967, Robinson resigned from the national board of the NAACP.Robinson stood for his moral principles no matter what anyone said. He corresponded with many people, including Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon to try to further civil rights issues. He participated in many marches and protests including the Youth March for Integrated Schools in Washington in 1958 and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his "I Have a Dream" speech. With Robinson's help, the Freedom National Bank was created to help black business owners and other minority people to receive loans they normally wouldn't be able to acquire in a white run bank. Robinson died on October 24, 1972 from a heart attack at the age of 53. Robinson is highly respected in the black community as well as the white community. Jackie Robinson will never be forgotten he was an incredible person who had a dream for not only himself but for the black community as well, he stood up for his community and did his best to help them in every way possible, he is truly a incredible person and has all my respect, he understood and wanted everyone else to understand that color does not define a person it's whats inside that counts.
ReplyDeleteAwesome work Elizabeth! Your essay was outstanding. It was filled with facts and events that took place and were started by the work and efforts of Jackie Robinson. Not only was your essay every well-written, but it also taught me a lot about Jackie Robinson that I didn’t know. I didn’t know that with all these things he did and contributed to, he had only lived until the age of fifty-three. He is truly a remarkable man of history.
DeleteFor this weeks history assignment I will be talking about Jack Roosevelt Robinson. Other wise known as "Jackie". Jack Robinson lived in the years 1919-1972. He was the first black to officially play in the major leagues of baseball. Most commentators and sports writer wrote about Jackie as having a great physical talent but also a mental drive to be successful and achieve his goals. Jackie's career began in 1947, and ended 10 years later in 1957. Jackie led the Brooklyn Dodgers to 6 national league titles and also one World Series. After he retired he was known for championing The Cause Of Civil Rights. But, Jackie was not just known for his baseball accomplishments. No, he was known for his fight on civil rights and how strongly he stood for it. This man took a stand and was determined to make a difference. He changed America through the use of sports and through his words and efforts. Without Jackie the civil rights of blacks in major sports today would be very different. The man changed the way civil rights are today. His mark will be left on the United States forever.
ReplyDeleteFor this week’s assignment I chose to write about George Washington Carver. George Washington Carver was born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri, around 1864. After the Civil War ended and slavery was no longer allowed, George’s mother and father decided to keep him at home and educate him. At that time no local schools would accept black students so his mother taught him how to read and write. When he got older he attended a series of different high schools and finally got his diploma at Minneapolis High School in Minneapolis, Kansas. He then went on to college where he received a bachelor degree in science and went to finish his masters. His graduate studies included intense work in plant pathology. After college, he went on to be a professor and researcher at Tuskegee Institute. During his research at Tuskegee Institute, Carver founded many uses for the peanut, sweet potato, soy bean, and pecan. Some of the products he invented included plastic, paints, dyes, and even a kind of gasoline. Because of his great work, Carver became one of the most famous African-Americans of his time and one of the best known African-American intellectuals up to his point in time. He achieved a lot of international fame in political and professional circles. President Theodore Roosevelt asked for his advice on agricultural matters in the United States. In 1916, he was made a member of the British Royal Society of Arts, which was a rare honor for an American.
ReplyDeleteNice work on your essay this week, Summer! I have always admired George Washington Carver as an intelligent and godly person of our history. I could never imagine coming up with so many uses for a simple peanut. That just blows my mind. Your essay was very well written and it had facts in it that I didn’t know, like that Carver as an American citizen was honored with a membership of the British Royal Society of Arts. Keep up the good work!
DeleteFor this weeks assignment, I am going to talk about one of my favorite people in history that I actually like talking about, Mrs. Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was 42 years old at the time of her arrest. The story took place on December 1, 1955. Rosa worked as a seamstress and bordered the Montgomery City bus to go home from work. This was a time in America when blacks and whites were not treated equally. They were segregated in schools, restrooms, and even water fountains. So, Rosa took a seat in the middle of the bus that blacks were allowed in. But as the bus got more and more crowded, the black people had to get up so the whites could set down. A man told Rosa Parks she had to get up so he could set down. She refused. Everyone was angry at her holdup. The bus driver later had to call the police. The policeman was nice to her, asking her politely to move. He didn’t want to have to arrest her, but he had no choice. She really wasn’t moving. That day, Rosa Parks was not exactly considered a hero. Even other black folks were mad at her for holding up the bus, but despite the snood remarks, she stood her ground and was able to make a lasting impact for generations to come. She is even today known for her great bravery and courage she displayed that day. I greatly admire her for standing up for what she believed in… (or sitting down for what she believed in) ☺
ReplyDeleteRosa Parks, known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” is a very well-known figure of the Civil Rights Movement and American history. Her bravery and courage to stand up against authority for was right, even if it meant struggles and hardship would come her way, was absolutely incredible. Thanks to her and many others, people of all “races” and colors can be treated equally as Americans.
ReplyDeleteIn Montgomery, Alabama on December 1st, 1955, 42-year-old Rosa Parks was on her way home after a long day of work as a seamstress for the Montgomery Fair department store. Like on most busses during that time and day, the first ten seats where kept for whites and any other rows left behind them were designated for the black people. Mrs. Parks sat down behind the first ten seats, but when more white passengers began to aboard the bus she was asked by the driver to move back. After refusing to give up her seat, Joseph Blake, the bus driver, called the police. Rosa Parks was then there after taken to jail and treated like a prisoner who had committed some terrible crime.
Mrs. Parks was highly respected by everyone who knew her. Rosa Parks arrest was a rallying point for all the blacks in her area. During this time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the young pastor at the local Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, sprang up as the leader and voice of the organized African American community bus boycott.
As members of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, along with many others, rose up to create a powerful, national movement for equal justice among Americans that would shake the whole country. Without people like Rosa Parks or MLK taking a courageous stand against inequality of peoples, I think the US would be a very different place than it is today.
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Deletegood essay Sarah. I enjoyed reading your essay because it was well written and very informational. I Think it is awful how one group of people could treat an other group so unfairly. I also think it is awful how defying segregation laws were treated as such major crimes.
DeleteLast week, for our assignment on the history of a professional sports team, I wrote about the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. This week, I will write about one of the most famous players in Dodger history, Jackie Robinson. My essay will be based on the article “Beyond the Playing Field-Jackie Robinson, Civil Rights Advocate.”
ReplyDeleteJackie Robinson was the first African American Baseball player to ever play in the Major Leagues. Despite being abused and mistreated by other players, including some of his own teammates, Robinson showed that he was a player worthy of respect, leading the Dodgers to six National League pennants and one World Series. Robinson was called awful names, spiked, and intentionally hit by the ball, but he refused to fight back. Robinson was a big supporter of civil rights. On more than one occasion, Robinson wrote President Eisenhower encouraging him to push for civil rights, even one time writing him to encourage him to veto the 1957 version of the Civil Rights Act, considering to weak. In 1958, he wrote the President again, asking, in response to an incident at an Arkansas high school in which nine black children were blocked out of the school by National Guardsmen, that the Government would help enforce the African Americans constitutional rights. During the 1960 election, Robinson supported Richard Nixon over John F. Kennedy because he felt that Nixon’s civil rights policies were stronger than Kennedy’s. Robinson would latter praise Kennedy’s civil rights policies. Jackie Robinson stands out as one of the greatest men, not just I sports history or African American History, but also as one of the greatest men in all American history.
For this project on black history month I'm doing it on Paul Robeson.Paul Robeson was a born from a former slave so segregation and racism was a familar thing to him. He earned a four year scholarship to rugters university on athletic scholarship. He earned his scholarship in four varsity sports. This includes baseball ,basketball football, track. Not only was Paul a excellentl athlete he was a wizard when it came to the books. He was at the top of his skull honor society. After graduating robeson used is athletic ability to go to the pros, but this didn't last long as he wanted to look for other oppertunnitys. While at rugters Paul earned a law degree and that's were he wants to go next. He's legal career didn't not go very well because of the color of his skin. After this he traveled around slot and decided that he wanted to do something about desegregation and given the same freedoms to black people as white people. As his activist role increased so did the violenence towards him. There was one instant were white group ofnprotesters attacked the stage and destroyed it. This was just one of many instances were there were violent protests. Paul ropeson is just another example of strong black men and women who were inspired to beat the odds and change the way Americans see african Americans forever
ReplyDeleteGood essay, Hunter, I enjoyed your essay because you wrote about someone that no one else did. I think it is awful that Paul Robeson was not successful as a lawyer just because of the color of his skin. I also think it is awful that people performed so much violence against him.
DeleteOne of the most remarkable, famous people during the time of racial segregation would be Rosa Parks. Her courage changed the course of history forever. On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa boarded a the bus after a long day working as a seamstress at a Montgomery Fair department store. The bus driver asked her to move because of the segregation laws for the buses. However, her response was not pleasing to the driver. On the bus, there were 10 rows reserved for white people. Parks chose to sit right behind the 10th row. The bus began to fill up so she was asked to move, but didn't. Also, to add, Parks was not the only African American sitting in that row that was asked to leave. There were 3 others, but they made the choice to move. Rosa was charged with failing to obey a city bus driver. Because of her revolt, she established a boycott which lasted for 361 days in which Martin Luther King Jr. was involved in this also? After Parks was convicted, her lawyer filed an appeal. Three judges in the U.S. District Court for that region issued in another case for racial segregation of public buses that became unconstitutional. Browder v. Gayle, that case, was agreed on June 4, 1956. It was made possible by 3 judges such as Frank M. Johnson, Jr., and was officially adopted by the United States Supreme court on November 13, 1956. Rosa Parks truly made her mark on african american history.
ReplyDeleteGood essay, McKenzie. I enjoyed your essay because it was very informative and well written. I think that it is awful the way that buses were segregated like they were back then. i think it is great that Rosa Parks was able to stand up for what she believed in even if it meant going to jail
DeleteOn this week’s assignment I chose to research Brown vs. Board of Education. This was a court case against segregation of schools. On May 17, 1954, Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren ruled that segregating schools was in violation of the 14th Amendment. The full name for this case was Oliver Brown, et al v. Board of Education of Topeka, et al. It took place in the city Topeka, Kansas. The court was the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. The Topeka Board of Education operated two separate elementary schools for segregation reasons. The law that they used for this said that you could separate elementary schools, but it was not enforced. This was permitted in twelve communities with a population over 15,000. Oliver Brown was an African American, who was an assistant at his local church. He wanted to send his daughter to the closer “white” school because she had to walk six blocks and then take a bus to her school. The closer school was seven blocks away. The school would not enroll her, and sent her back to the segregated school. This convinced Oliver to join the case. Racial segregation was a huge deal in the sixty years before Brown vs. Board of Education. In 1896 the case Plessy vs. Ferguson stated that if the segregation facilities were equal for both, then it did not violate the fourteenth amendment. Of course Brown vs. Board of Ed. Was meant to challenge that. The 13th Amendment was meant to outlaw slavery, but it wasn’t until the 14th Am. That it promised equal rights. Later the 15th Amendment was made to finish off slavery.
ReplyDeleteFor this week's assignment I have decided to write on the infamous Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks might be one of the most recognizable figures from the Civil Rights movement under Martin Luther King, Jr. December 1, 1955, forty-two year old Rosa Parks made her stand. As we all know, Rosa Parks was getting on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama when Parks's name went down into the history books. Rosa Parks sat down near the front of the bus and it seemed to be just another regular day until some white passengers couldn't find a seat in the "white section." Rosa Parks decided that she wouldn't move. She was tired of being treated like she was a second rate being. Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in a "white mans seat." Rosa Parks's story is one of the many stories during this time period that moved the Civil Rights movement. Today, I don't believe any of us could imagine this occurring. Rosa Parks is not only a figure of the Civil Rights movement that can be admired, but she was also someone to be admired in everyday life. Rosa Parks started a boycott that lasted 381 days. Rosa Parks is a cherished figure of our nation's history. Today civil rights is a thing of the past. It is proven because we have an African American president.
ReplyDeleteRosa Parks's act of defiance has made her known as "The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." In conclusion, Rosa Parks is a memorable figure of our nation's history because of her bravery to stand up for what she believed in.
This week’s assignment I decided to do, probably one of the most famous, Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks first is remembered of her strength and courage that she showed. On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks was probably on her way home from a day of work. So like everyone did, she got on the bus, but sat in the wrong seats in that time. On the bus the first 10 seats were for white people and the back 10 seats were for the black people. Rosa Parks sat to sit in the first 10 seats. The bus driver asked her kindly to get out of the whit people’s section and go simply go back to the black section. Refusing to get up and move, the bus driver got a policeman to try to get Rosa Parks to move, but standing her ground she refused. Rosa Parks had something in her to go against authority and to stand up for what she thought was wrong. She made an impact in many lives including mine to stand up for what you think is right. On that same day she arrested for disobeying the segregation laws. Her court case was pretty impressive and it is called, “Browder vs. Gayle.” Through her denying the law and standing for what she thought was wrong she was called “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” Not many people would have done what she did. Just think, if she wouldn’t have done what she did how would today be like?
ReplyDeleteFor this week’s assignment, I chose to review and write on the court case Brown v. Board of Education. This important and unanimous decision on May 17, 1954 by the Supreme Court under Justice Earl Warren declared that,”… segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment,” and was unconstitutional. While this court case is more commonly known as simply Brown v. Board of Education, its official name is quite lengthy: Oliver Brown, et al v. Board of Education of Topeka. Brown v. Board of Education not only ended the de-segregation of schools in America, but also ended the idea of separate but equal and became an instrumental event in the coming Civil Rights Movement. In the court case, Brown v. Board of Education, the plaintiff, Oliver L. Brown(an African American, parent, and associate pastor), stated that while segregation was a mask of “separate but equal”, it was not fair and only ensured worse treatment for African Americans. He joined the court case after his childhood friend encouraged him to take action and when his third-grader daughter had to walk a mile to get to her school, even when the nearest school, a white one, was only seven blocks away. Overall, this court case is a very important part of our history. If not for Brown v. Board of Education, our nation’s schools today might not have been the same or maybe the Civil Rights Movement would have a different history: timeline.” This court case is a perfect example of how one thing can change the world.
ReplyDeleteResources: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/brown-v-board/
Patricia Smith- I really liked your essay for this week’s assignment! The court case, Brown v. Board of Education, was a decision that impacted so many and is full of history. I thought it was interesting that you gave some background on what had happened in the past to bring about such an important Supreme Court case. Overall, I thought your essay was very interesting; you did a great job on this week’s assignment!
ReplyDeleteSarah Flinchum- I also really enjoyed reading your essay for this week’s assignment (as usual!) Rosa Parks was an absolutely incredible person who was instrumental in not only the Civil Rights Movement, but also the history of our nation. The United States would definitely be a different place if people like Rosa Parks didn’t take a stand for what they believe in. Overall, your essay was easy to read, interesting, and full of information. Great job!
Rebecca Dunmore: Great Job on your essay!! It was very informative and well-written. It is always so interesting to me learning about Brown Vs. Board of Education just because I think of all the little kids and what was running through their heads. I wonder if it hurt them emotionally to be rejected by the courts and a lot more people. Great Job though on your essay!!
ReplyDeleteBobby Heckel: Great Job on your essay! I think if anyone stands up for what they believe in they are a great hero. Jackie Robinson was a great man to stand up for what he did. It truly had to be hard for not only him, but for every person who stood up for what they believed. Because these people stand up for what they believe, they show us a great example and a good way to be! Awesome Job on your essay!!
Great job on your essay, Bethany! It was full of information and written quite well. I also did my essay on Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was an amazing woman, I guess that's why she is known as "The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." Again, great job on your essay.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your essay, Rebecca! As always, you have composed an excellent essay. Brown v. Board of Education was a turning point in our Marion's history. Again, great job on your essay!
Great job on your essay, Patricia! As always, you have written an excellent essay. Rebecca also wrote about Brown v. Board of Education and you both brought up great points in your essays. Again, great job.
Great job on your essay, Sara! I also wrote my essay on Rosa Parks, "The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." Your essay was packed with information. Again, great job.
for this weeks assignment im going to talk about something almost everyone knows about and that is Rosa parks sitting on a bus and refusing to move to the back just because of her color. as mot of you know back in the day white people sat in the front and black in the back. that wasn't just how it happened that was the law in those days. and Rosa parks recognizing that black and whit people weren't any different except in skin color so she decided that one day she was going to try to change that. so as she had thought she bought a bus ticket and go on the bus and sat down just like a normal person but she sat in the front of the bus and a few minutes went by and a white person got on and told her to move she cant sit there and Rosa parks refused to move so the bus driver tried to nicely get her to move and she still wouldn't so then the police came and she still wouldn't move so then she was arrested and tried for sitting in the front of the bus. as stupid and un effective as this might sound to you and me im sure that Rosa parks didn't know that she would have effected the U.S nearly as much as she did either. but as a result of this there was a bus boycott started. and this was the roots of the civil right movement
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