African Americans And The New State Constitution - 1836 Words

In Birmingham, Alabama between 1957 and 1962 seventeen black churches and homes had been bombed, racial tension continued to grow, and more and more African Americans were being killed. Although the population of Birmingham was 40% African American, there seemed little hope for a political solution to the racial divide; of 80,000 registered voters, only 10,000 were black due to a barrier that was placed on the new state constitution of Alabama. One of these barriers was an annual poll tax that had to pay for two years before the new election season. African Americans in Mississippi could barely afford the necessities in order to live such as food, clothes, and a roof over their head. African Americans were the poorest part of Mississippi’s population. The other barrier that was placed in the new state constitution was a literacy test. It required a person seeking to register to vote to read a section of the state constitution and explain it to the county clerk, a white man, w ho processed voter registrations. This new law was setup for African Americans to fail. Along with many other civil rights leaders and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. Martin Luther King traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to lead and participate in several boycotts, marches, and picketing leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King’s arrest. While being incarcerated, Dr. King wrote an open letter more known as The â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†. In this letter, King highlights manyShow MoreRelatedThe Constitution And The American Constitution1141 Words   |  5 Pagestheir mistakes and promptly followed up by making quite possibly the most successful constitution ever in 1776. To ensure that American citizens would enjoy their new freedom, our founders kept in mind what John Locke had said in his An Essay Concerning Human Understanding â€Å"life, liberty, and property,† by coining â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness† into the final draft of the constitution. The constitution is important because it â€Å"exists to protect the rights of all citizens, and has noRead MoreThe Reconstruction After The Civil War977 Words   |  4 Pagesoutcome of America’s future. As history takes its course, most of the most have the same ending of coming to an end to start something new. One such movement was the Reconstruction. Reconstruction was a time period between 1865 and 1877 following the Civil War, during which people of the United States worked to put the country back together again, introducing a new set of significant challenges. Though, like all things in life, it did come to an end, the resulting outcome had been labeled both a successRead MoreThe Principles Of Slavery And Discrimination1517 Words   |  7 Pagesof slavery and discrimination actually a part of our nations birth and protected by the Constitution? Well, we live in a time where the topic of racial discrimination and things such as white privilege are a mainstay on the covers of many well-read newspapers all over the United States. Many people are torn on these issues and everyone is talking about it, and rightly so. Everyone knows that the United States was founded on the ideas of justice, fairness, and freedom – or was it? Of course ourRead MoreThe Reasons For The American Revolution992 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough the outcomes of the American Revolution only affected rich, white landowners at the time, it unknowingly provided the stepping stones that will later create equality and liberty for all people in the United States. This historic revolution provided a representative democracy in which future generations may pass or amend laws based on the people’s needs; a radical thought at the time. Other countries since then, such as France and Haiti, have followed the footsteps provided by America inRead MoreThe Reconstruction Era Was A Success1490 Words   |  6 PagesThe Reconstruction Era was a Success Shortly after the Civil War ended in 1867, President Abraham Lincoln’s new objective was to unify the union and the confederate states into what was formerly known as the United States of America. This time period is known as the Reconstruction Era, starting with the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House in 1865 and ending with the implementation of the Compromise of 1877. The Reconstruction Era was a time period full of political, economicRead MoreThe Civil War : America s Second Revolution1658 Words   |  7 Pagesmarked the beginning of the Civil War, often dubbed as America’s â€Å"Second Revolution.† This war ushered in a new political landscape in which the federal government reclaimed political power over the states allowing it to commence a revitalization of the Constitution. This revitalization, which fell under the Era of Reconstruction, granted a large- scale social development for African Americans initiating this social revolution . Such a dramatic advancement for the â€Å"inferior race† sparked oppositionRead MoreFreedom, Liberty, And Democracy1025 Words   |  5 PagesFinal Essay Since the founding of America, ideas of freedom, liberty, and democracy have been the priorities of Americans. Many people have sought religious freedom in the colonies which led to the founding of other colonies which turned into states. The new world was supposed to be a land of freedom, but many African Americans faced hard lives here. The revolutionary war helped bring an end to slavery and it caused the many whites to challenge black slavery because of revolutionary principles ofRead MoreSouthern Voting Barriers Essay1174 Words   |  5 PagesThe Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed saying that every man would have the right to vote regardless of their race. It was meant to give the right to vote to the African American citizens. Even after this was passed however, states in the South were still able to find ways to keep African Americans from voting. It was easy to still deny their right to vote because the amendment only says that laws cannot be m ade making race a requirement for voting. The most effectiveRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement : Thurgood Marshall Law1501 Words   |  7 PagesMarshall blazed the trail for the Civil Rights Movement from two sides of the American Legal System, both as a lawyer, and as a Justice of the Supreme Court. Marshall’s initial rise to fame came as a result of his success as the head lawyer for the Brown family in Brown vs. The Board of Education. Later, Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court, making him the first ever African American Supreme Court Justice in American history. Overall, Marshall’s impact as a lawyer, a judge, and an activist,Read MoreThe Between Federalists And Anti Federalists, Separation Of Powers And The Federal Government1508 Words   |  7 Pagesthat all Americans should recognize being in the United States Constitution; As supreme as it may portray out to be yet it comes with many imperfections that unsettles the states and greatly affected African Americans, leading future decisions to more disagreements throughout the course of history. The United States were beginning to form itself up since the Constitution was created, it granted the people the power to rule themselves without the federal government getting too involved in State affairs;