Malcolm X was a controversial speaker who often used the Constitution as a body of law and appeals to ‘the human condition and universal human rights’ to logically assess the status of African Americans progress in the nation. He also used many emotional appeals to get his point across to diverse audiences who might only understand his desire for African American progress and freedom in terms of their own self-interest, political ideals, morals, and self awareness. In his speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” given on April 3, 1964 in Cleveland, Ohio he uses repetition, parallelism, scesis onomaton, antithesis, and metaphor to explain that the Democratic President Johnson, while stating his ideals are pro-African American and “Pro Civil Rights” for African Americans and others, are hypocritical and indeed just as toxic for black progress as the more obvious anti-black sentiments of that period’s Republican constituents who openly thwarted black progress through segregation and voting laws that prevented blacks from casting ballots on their own behalf, miscounting votes, or by discouraging voting altogether. Malcolm X states, “It was the black man’s vote that put the present administration in Washington D.C. Your vote, your dumb vote, your ignorant vote, your wasted vote put in an administration...that has seen
After the emancipation of slavery in the 1800’s, African Americans have struggled to be treated with the same equal rights as Europeans. Even with the laws that were pasted to protect African Americans there were states that ignored and created new laws to overturn the laws to protect African Americans. The ignorant of Europeans who denied African Americans the equal rights the laws stated they deserved. African Americans decided to stand up for themselves by developing non violent protest movement to fight for the equal rights of African Americans. ("Civil Rights Movement") Martin Luther King Jr. became the leader of the non violent protest movement in the 1950’s.The development of Martin Luther King Jr. in this era started when an African American woman named Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama.
(37) Schuyler felt that by viewing Negro art as unique and separate, it helped to perpetuate myths of racial inferiority. Jane Kuenz points out that though declarations of difference were a large part of the Harlem Renaissance, “they were also frequently forthcoming from white speakers where they were often prefaced by concerns for preserving the racial integrity of white America, by which is meant its economic and social privilege” (Kuenz 182). Schuyler also makes the point that the same language used to defend the “peculiarity” of Negro art was used by slaveholders to justify slavery (38). Schuyler’s opinion that African Americans and Caucasian Americans are much more alike than different, is illustrated in his novel Black No More. Schuyler posits the invention of a machine which can use “electrical nutrition and glandular control” (11) to change Blacks into Caucasians.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois were advocates for the civil rights movement. They offered different strategies for dealing with the problems of poverty and discrimination that black Americans faced during the late 1800s. Their strategies were different. Washington preferred a gradual incline of black involvement and acceptance, whereas DuBois preferred immediate direct action.
How genuine was J. F. Kennedy’s concern for Black Civil Rights? When John F. Kennedy took up his position as President in January 1961, he faced the daunting task of addressing ever-increasing demands for racial equality whilst trying not to alienate those in the South who maintained hard-line views on the matter. Alongside this he also had an abundance of other issues to be concerned with. Ultimately he did succeed, to some extent, in bringing about change but it is a question of debate as to whether the passage of legislation under Kennedy was the result of a true sense of moral responsibility and sincere concern for equality or whether political pragmatism and self-image had more to do with it. Assessing how Kennedy actually assisted the cause and what his motives were for carrying out individual actions can help us to reflect upon whether he was genuine in his concern for Black Civil Rights.
Lawrence Rigby English 120 Dr. T. Francis September 11th, 2008 Student No. 000-04-6841 Room: Michael Eldon GIB Critique: Is Slavery the Cause of the Social Ills that Plague Blacks Today? By: Garvin H. Shannon While his opinion and theory behind the social ills of blacks are well supported, Shannon has failed to mention that the human race itself, is shaped by its past. In truth, we all "have the power to shape our own destiny" as Shannon mentions, but the fact remains, Blacks must first comprehend their purpose in order to understand what is predestined for them. In his opening statements, giving our oppressors divine characteristics is said of those blacks that use slavery as the reasoning behind their lack of responsibility; however, I cannot depart from the impression that Shannon feels slavery hasn't had little or any effect on the moral fiber of blacks.
In “Letter from Birmingham City Jail”, King talks about how African Americans were treated differently due to the color of their skin. Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mohandas Gandhi all have used civil disobedience whether it was to help fight for racial justice or to free their country from Britain’s rule. To begin with, Gandhi, King, and Thoreau’s approach to civil disobedience included the power of an individual. In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau says, “I heartily accept the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least’; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe: ‘That government is best which governs not
Martin Luther King Jr’s main perspective during the fight on racism was equality. At the time in which he fought the crisis of racial inequality a main concern was to address that "white America must assume the guilt for the black man's inferior status" (King, 9) as stated in the reading Racism and the White Backlash. Also Dr. Martin Luther King from my understanding believes reparation in this nation at that time was not the top priority. He could not stress enough about how essential racial equality was for the nation to become solve mainstream crisis during the peak of
King uses word choice to contrast the negative past and present that the African-Americans have faced with the positive anticipated future. King uses words such as “injustice,” “discrimination,” “segregation,” “suffering,” “poverty,” and “exile” to illustrate the horrific living condition of African-Americans in the past and present. In contrast, King also uses positive words to describe the future of African-Americans. King uses the words such as “faith,” “hope,” “freedom,” “brotherhood,” “justice,” and “together” to illustrate a better future for African-Americans. King uses repetition in his speech to stress his main ideas about the treatment of African-Americans.
Midterm Essay 1 Standard and Nonstandard English dialects The Use of Ebonics or African American English to understand Standard English, Coined from a fusion of "ebony" and "phonics" in the 1970s, and Ebonics has continued to spark controversy on the creation and implementation of educational and social policy. On the other hand, many Americans, both African American and Caucasian, see Ebonics as an impediment to African American success—a stigmatized, nonstandard dialect that its users must overcome to get ahead. But others feel that Ebonics should be preserved as an important part of the heritage and cultural autonomy of the African American community. Examples of Ebonics and Slang used together in my own personal experience I have a simple translation. Example 1 Marijuana smoke is my lye, A kilo of Cocaine is a pie, When I'm lifted, I'm high with new clothes on, I'm fly, Cars is whips, and sneakers is kicks, Money is chips, movies are flicks.