Why should we study the Civil Rights Movement???
Why should you study the Civil Rights Movement you might ask? The Civil Rights Movement is important because many of the opportunities we have today were given to us thanks to the passage of Civil Rights Legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Because of the Legislation that many of our ancestors have fought and died for we are able to exercise our basic Civic duties without fear of persecution. Activists like Martin Luther King, Jr, Dolores Huerta, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Cesar Chavez helped shape the world we live in today. By analyzing primary sources like photos, poems, or documents you can get a better idea of how life was as a citizen of this country and an active participant in the movement. This Era was filled with a mix of emotions like excitement, hope, fear, sadness, satisfaction, and passion just to name a few. To dive into this time period will help you see the major changes that our country has gone through and how common folk have contributed to this change. In the days to come, YOU will be the future activists and the ones to bring change to this country. The Civil Rights Movement is inspiring as well as interesting! In our society we still feel the repercussions of the movement today. Minorities and women continue to use the Judicial Branch in order to reach Justice and continually open up opportunities for those who are marginalized from them. Many cases still go to the Supreme Court and use the 14th amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as legal support for their cases. It is crucial that as citizens of this country we are informed of our rights and our obligations as citizens. This will only be made clear through the analysis of Civil Rights Legislation and the movement itself. These activists and leaders are an inspiration for us and show us that we can all make a change as long as we have passion, commitment, and education. Looking at today's society we can see how there are still many racial tensions within groups, and this is a problem that can only be understood and solved by looking back at how things were resolved during the movement. The protests that have occurred in Ferguson, New York, Berkeley, and many other places in the United States shows us that there is still much work to be done before complete equality can be achieved. Women still make less than men while doing the same job, students still go to schools with other students of the same race that are unequal in funding, and minorities are still excluded from certain neighborhoods and schools. How will we solve this issue? We need to look back in History and understand the underlying issues that have allowed these attitudes and situations to exist. Although the situation has greatly improved since the 60's for women and minorities, many barriers still need to be shattered. As the future politicians, lawyers, doctors, teachers, and citizens that will determine the future of our country, do you need any more reasons as to why you need to learn about the Civil Rights Movement?