Civil_Rights

Civil Rights have numerous beneficial attributes that seemingly go unnoticed by black-and-white thinkers; since to these individuals, Civil Rights are just Civil Rights. So, what is it about civil rights that gives it its power to stir one’s emotions, stimulate one’s thoughts, and incite one’s actions. How can civil rights be anything more than just simply rights of a person' Civil Rights have the powerful ability to impact human beings in countless ways. Civil rights are the freedoms and rights that a person has as a member of a community, state, or nation. In the U.S., these rights are guaranteed to all citizens by the Constitution and acts of Congress. In the past some people weren’t allowed to have there civil rights like the African Americans of the 1960s. During this time the White Americans didn’t believe that people that were not white deserved there rights. Many years have gone by since then and many things have changed. Although there have been many ups and downs between 1960-2010 all people now have there civil rights. Although there are still segregated schools in the deep south its not as bad as it was in the 1960s, but they have banished separate drinking fountains, and discrimination of any American. On August 28, 1993, more than 100,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. They went there to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington, led by Martin Luther King Jr (Kathy Wilmore 2010). Since the 1960s, many laws have been passed to guarantee civil rights to all Americans. Forty years after the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, it is hard to understand and even remember the furious battle over the passage of that law. Today, in 2010, with most of the nation made up of African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians, it seems as if the impassioned law passed by Congress took place in a different century and maybe on a different planet. At the start of the twenty-first century, most people accept the fact that all Americans, regardless of race, sex, or religion, have the right to eat in any restaurant and stay in any hotel (Juan Williams 2009). In 2010, it seems as though the days of denying blacks the right to have a hamburger or go to a movie theater took place many years ago and have ended (Juan Williams 2009). In the South, blacks gained the right to vote, and they now routinely elect mayors and Congressmen, Schools are no longer segregated by law, Toilets and waiting-room are no longer disfigured by 'white' and 'colored' signs, Everywhere, blacks have gained access to jobs that were previously closed to them; the black middle-class has grown in size and wealth, and blacks have reached positions of power and influence that would have been unthinkable 40 years ago (Professor Adam Fairclough 2003). The election of Barack Obama, the nation’s first African American president, has been hailed as a triumph of the civil rights movement. This election had record numbers of African American voters; in the 1960s African Americans weren’t even allowed to vote. The era of the civil rights movement is over and today everyone is treated equal. The theme of the 1963 March on Washington was "jobs, justice, and peace." The 1993 anniversary of the march on Washington had the same theme, although African-Americans have made great strides forward and are still moving forward today. Clarence Thomas sits on the Supreme Court; Colin Powell is Secretary of State; media superstar Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire. It is important to remember, though, that Martin Luther King's dream was never about creating a black élite: he was more interested in curing poverty and injustice - whatever the color of the person (Professor Adam Fairclough 2003). In the 1960s many things were different from what they are today some people may argue different but me personally think a lot has changed. In the early 1960s civil rights was a big issue and not everyone had the rights they have now. The civil rights movement took place because the African Americans of the United States were not receiving their civil rights. People may argue that there is still racism in the world and that peoples views of civil rights haven’t changed in the United States. Racism in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial era. Historically, the country has been dominated by Whites. The heaviest burdens of racism in the country have fallen upon Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Mexican Americans, American Jews, Irish Americans and some other immigrant groups and their descendants (Jim Wallis 2009). When congress passed the law to make everyone equal it didn’t just all of a sudden change. The white people of American did not just change there minds and just start treating people as equals. It took many years after the law was passed just for people to start treating the non white people of America the same. Still today people might say that racism is just as bad as in the 1960s. Today there is racism but it’s not as bad as before many of the racist gangs are gone, but some are still around like the KKK and the Nazis. Racist attitudes, or prejudice, are held by a substantial portion of the U.S. population. Discrimination against African Americans, Latin Americans, and Muslims is widely acknowledged. Members of every American ethnic group have perceived racism in their dealings with other groups (Jim Wallis 2009). Yes, there is still racism today but it is not nearly as bad as it was in the 1960s during the civil rights movements and the march on Washington. Today civil rights are well known and are acquired by everyone that lives in the United States of America. These civil rights are their basic freedoms like the rights to full legal, social, and economic equality. During the 1960s all civil rights to non whites in America were not granted, but now in 2010 all civil rights are granted to every person that lives between the east and west coast. The people’s view of civil rights has changed very much since the 1960s and today everyone gets along someway (that’s not counting rival gangs in the United States). Now people have been getting along for more than 50 years. People have learned to treat all people the same unlike they did 50 years ago. People treating all people the same is a huge step in the rights direction from the past years. Clearly over the years people have changed their thoughts about civil rights and everyone excepts that all people should get them no matter what color they are or by what religion they are. The view of civil rights in America has drastically changes over the past 40 years and will keep changing for the good in the years to come in the great country of the United States of America. The civil rights movement has ended and many people have forgotten about what happened years ago and many people want to forget about it. All that has been forgotten shall be forgotten, and all that is present shall be remembered in the future of America.