Voting Rights In John Lewis March: Book Three

What was never presented was the point of view from the African Americans because it was seemingly dismissed. It was eye-opening to read about the experience from an African’s perspective because it brought a whole new light to my understanding of what it meant to be a slave and the struggles black Americans face here in the US, even

The chapters begin with a backstory of the victim before going into detail about the event that took place, then concluding with how the court case went and the public's reaction. This is effective due to the fact that it automatically draws the reader in by sharing the devastating stories, while also representing the horrors of this time period without delay. Throughout the chapters, various organizations such as the NAACP and WPC are discussed in order to further portray the significance of the events and the impact these men and women had on society. By concluding each chapter with summarizations of the outcomes of the court cases and/or the public's reaction, Societies transformation is slowly represented because as the chapters go on, the jury votes more in favor of the African American victims. This gives the reader insight into how the different assaults and cases gradually changed society, gaining more and more support for the civil rights movements cause, representing how these women and men's stories greatly influenced the outcome of this

The segment, “[the Negro is] a race by nature inferior and mental caliber” proves how most democrats held the racist viewpoint toward African Americans and still thought of them as something you could own and substandard to white people, and that they should still be denied the right to vote. The Democratic win showed how Congress failed in ensuring black rights because putting democrats in control allowed them to make it more difficult for black Americans to vote, like implementing literacy tests which were almost impossible to pass, and poll taxes. Document 5 shows headlines and excerpts from news stories from the 1874 New York Times. This states, “DEMOCRATIC VICTORY, Congress to be Democratic” and “THE REPUBLICAN DEFEAT, In the House [of Representatives] the Democrats’ gains continue to increase in numbers.” (Document 5).

The factual accounts of these impactful events illustrate just a fraction of the oppression and brokenness the African-Americans felt during the

John Lewis claims that he does support the civil rights bill. He demonstrates to us that he not only cares about his personal freedom and rights but also the African American’s. He demonstrates that he cares by stating that there is nothing to protect younglings children or elder women, unless Title lll is put onto the bill. The author cites evidence that illustrates that he supports the administration by stating that they do ¨… support the administration’s civil rights bill¨ ( Para 2). In other words, Lewis has an agreement with the bill but there is a limitation to where he agrees with it.

Additionally in this section of Lewis’ speech, he emphasizes the fact that white people are allowed to vote even if they have not even gotten passed the sixth grade, uneducated people get to vote, and only few colored people are allowed to vote. That is to say, Lewis feels that he should mention getting voting rights from the government in his speech, Lewis not only wants to desegregate the world but he also wants to allow colored people to vote and to allow them to do the same things a white person is allowed to do. The evidence highlights that colored people are struggling to keep themselves together, segregation and unfair laws are killing them and separating them from their families just fro small things that white people would get excused for ninety nine percent of the time, the government keeps lying to everyone and giving false hopes and dreams for the future. In summary colored people are fighting not only for a better treatment from law enforcement, but they are also looking for their rights to vote, they want to be heard and want to make their own decisions for

The reality for many African Americans was that they were being prevented from exercising their right to vote and faced violence in order to prevent them from doing so. Some of the most common tactics used against them were lynching and getting shot. The 15th Amendment gave former slaves the right to vote, but only for the men. Although this amendment was difficult to enforce at the time. As W.E.B. DuBois has stated, “The slave went free; stood for a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery.”

The civil rights movement was a way for black people to combat that attitude. John included it in his story to support his newfound respect and empathy for the black race, as the newly demanded respect for them was

The information regarding the history of African Americans and voting is very interesting. You are correct regarding the hard time that African Americans went through to vote. Mississippi still have major problems in voting rights. Many organizations are still fighting with Mississippi Constitution. In Mississippi a person cannot vote if convicted of certain crimes, in 2008 the Attorney General added 11 additional crimes.

To accomplish social equality and justice has been a long controversial issue in U.S. history. Voting Rights Act of 1965 should be understood as a tremendous accomplishment today because it not only represent a symbol of the triumph of fighting social injustice, but also open the first gate for African American and minority to strive for more political power in order to create a “great society.”

The authors use of words such as “dark clouds of racial prejudice” and “I cannot sit idly by” shows the injustice that was occurring in Birmingham. The “dark clouds” represent the social climate of Birmingham, allowing readers to see the negative effect it his having on the black citizens. He believed the injustice needed to be addressed and action needed to be taken against it, therefore what he did was justified. Additionally when Martin Luther King writes, “nagging signs reading ‘white’ men and colored when your first name becomes ‘nigger’ and your wife and mother are never given the respected title of Mrs…” This further demonstrates the unjust treatment of African Americans which is why someone needed to take action and not idly sit by as these things occcurred.

Meacham cites numerous examples of John Lewis's remarkable bravery and resilience in the face of violence and discrimination, including his participation in the Freedom Rides and his leadership in the Selma to Montgomery march. One particularly poignant example is Lewis's decision to deliver a speech at the 1963 March on Washington, despite the fact that his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., had cautioned him against doing so. Despite the risks involved, Lewis spoke out boldly and passionately, delivering a stirring call to action that helped to galvanize support for the civil rights movement. Meacham's analysis of this example is important because it underscores the vital role that courage and perseverance play in effecting meaningful change. By drawing on Lewis's example, Meacham encourages readers to find the strength and resilience necessary to confront the challenges of their own time, and to continue the work of building a more just and equitable society for

He talks about the history of the civil rights movement and how it had changed in the mid-1960s after the with the quote “The 1964 civil rights act and the 1965 voting rights act were, on one level, admission of guilt by American society.” (Steele 455)And mentioning the Rodney King verdict to give the effect of why and how the diversity changed. The quote is a good persuasive mechanism because it is an example of the history Steele employed to also gain his credibility with his audience and persuades them in particular because it is about the minority and the change thereof. The quote is used in his article because both groups knew they had wronged and been wronged with the admittance of and the laws passed because of it, and stating that the past is why the programs are the way they are today. Steele’s reasoning behind the use of these historical facts are to show to the people currently under the collective entitlements of how and why they were formed giving him credibility as an author, and to persuade them since he is credible to move away from the collective entitlements and to change the programs to be fair for all .

The way the author (Alice Walker) laid this story out was very well done to show us how they used to treat African Americans back which this story is able to give a deeper meaning of racism without having to discuss just racism. Because of this we are able to determine what hse ment in this story which was the deeper meaning of racism. Which is evident throughout the entire story but mainly evident in “ large white teeth, all of them cracked or broken, long fingers” this is able to help us get a better understanding of what it was like back then. This story helps us understand racism back then because it helps us understand how they were treated back then. For example they would be hung if they didn't do as they were instructed by their owner.

Although technically people of color had the right, white people were making it very difficult to register. When African Americans went to register they would be tested continuously, something white people never had to deal with. Only two percent of African Americans in the south could vote. Before the march from Selma to Montgomery there were many protests to try to gain fair voting rights. One man, Jimmie Lee Jackson was killed at a peaceful protest by a state trooper.