Civil Rights and Discrimination
Rachel D
Racial inequality in America has existed since the Terrible
Transformation in which race was established as an identity with
African Americans as inferior and whites as superior. The Terrible
Transformation led to slavery which lasted two hundred forty-six years,
but was eventually abolished after the American Civil War. After the
Civil War Jim Crow Laws were passed to enforce racial segregation in
the South making it harder for colored people to find jobs, education,
and access public facilities. During this time the justice system was
skewed against blacks enabling unfair trials. A pseudoscience,
Eugenics, developed to create a “pure race” thrived while constructing
a culture that saw many traits associated with blacks and restricted
their rights even more. The lynching of a fourteen year old boy,
Emmett Till, showed the extent that blacks were silenced by the unfair
trial that took place. These events are considered failures in the United
State’s quest for racial equality.
Since the time of slavery the United States has been working
towards racial equality through laws, social activists, and
organizations. The effectiveness of these methods has been
substantial, but there is still room for improvement. Most of the steps
towards racial equality have been taken by the Civil Rights movement
which is still active today.
Upstanders of the Civil Rights movement are responsible for the
progress America has made. Civil Rights activists such as: Martin
Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Ruby Bridges have shaped
America through the Civil Rights movement and have greatly advanced
the quest for racial equality. Martin Luther King Jr. lead marches,
boycotts, and spoke in churches in the name of Civil Rights. He
Rachel D
Racial inequality in America has existed since the Terrible
Transformation in which race was established as an identity with
African Americans as inferior and whites as superior. The Terrible
Transformation led to slavery which lasted two hundred forty-six years,
but was eventually abolished after the American Civil War. After the
Civil War Jim Crow Laws were passed to enforce racial segregation in
the South making it harder for colored people to find jobs, education,
and access public facilities. During this time the justice system was
skewed against blacks enabling unfair trials. A pseudoscience,
Eugenics, developed to create a “pure race” thrived while constructing
a culture that saw many traits associated with blacks and restricted
their rights even more. The lynching of a fourteen year old boy,
Emmett Till, showed the extent that blacks were silenced by the unfair
trial that took place. These events are considered failures in the United
State’s quest for racial equality.
Since the time of slavery the United States has been working
towards racial equality through laws, social activists, and
organizations. The effectiveness of these methods has been
substantial, but there is still room for improvement. Most of the steps
towards racial equality have been taken by the Civil Rights movement
which is still active today.
Upstanders of the Civil Rights movement are responsible for the
progress America has made. Civil Rights activists such as: Martin
Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Ruby Bridges have shaped
America through the Civil Rights movement and have greatly advanced
the quest for racial equality. Martin Luther King Jr. lead marches,
boycotts, and spoke in churches in the name of Civil Rights. He
