Civilization has progressed through many time periods throughout history, many bringing enlightened times, or stygian times, connecting to form what society looks like today. The civil rights period was one of the most important times, although, it was a stygian time throughout our history, impacted so many lives and changed society forever. 

Society has its own trends that it follows to be functional. It operates on a system that many civilians abide by to live normal lives. The trends of America live on and on. This is the Land of the Free and home of the brave; however, function of this nation is not perfect and still needs plenty of work. A major issue in this country that has stood the test of time is the treatment of African-Americans. It is unjust and unfair. Many people realize the issue going on in this country and choose to ignore the issue. This type of ignorance needs stop and people need to take notice at what goes on in America. African-Americans are not treated the same as their Caucasian counter parts. The stereotypes about black people set off a negative impact in normal society. America needs to wake up and realize that we are not a unified country until everyone is treated fairly.  

The issues started hundreds of years ago when African-Americans were stolen from their homeland and brought to the U.S. to become slaves. Negroes were considered property but treated no better than animals. Even when slavery was abolished, the country was very slow to realize that African-Americans had rights. Then came the civil rights movement. Blacks were sick of segregation and the treatment they received in society and stood no more for it. It is the year 2016 and we have moved far past those points as a country; however, this does not mean we are out of the woods yet. There is still a divide in the country. The laws that were implemented to separate  

In “Black Power”, Stokely Carmichael talks about the same issues I have been discussing. As he talks about slavery, he says, “Now it is clear that when this country started to move in terms of slavery, the reason for a man being picked as a slave was one reason—because of the color of his skin. If one was black one was automatically inferior, inhuman, and therefore fit for slavery;” (Carmichael p. 316) I like this piece because Carmichael goes on to talk about how a man is demoralized literally because the pigment of his skin. Is this the same mentality that goes on in our country today? Do we view black people differently just because of the color of their skin? The same thought process can be applied today. 

These texts, and leaders were necessities to change the social order on African Americans in the United States. The activist Carmichael exclaims, " I knew I could vote and that wasn't a privilege; it was my right. Every time I tried I was shot, killed or jailed, beaten or poor."(Carmichael p. 9.) In wording this phrase Carmichael wants his audience and the world to know that all African Americans feel this pain, no matter how much money they have, or how educated they are; they all are being oppressed. The violence brought to this group of people was not justified and did not follow the rules under which our founding fathers defined, written, and signed in ink. I understand Carmichael's frustration throughout his speech in relaying all of the oppression on whites I would not want to be treated in the same manner they were. These allegations placed on African Americans were unjust, disorderly, and homicidal.

In “Martin Luther King, Jr. and the "Quest for Nonviolent Social Change” Adam Fairclough talks MLK’s approach to social issues. He writes, “But did the protest really achieve anything?" The desegregation agreement which King won with the help of federal mediators has often been denigrated. One of the most widely read text on black history describes it as ‘token concessions that were later not carried out.’ At the time, Southern whites argued that that orderly change was already on the way; the protest merely hindered that process.” (Fairclough p. 7.) 

Another thing that I can tie together of the arguments are it sees like African-Americans lives are considered in the process. People don’t understand that blacks do not like the treatment they have received and are fed up with the system. There seems to be a thought process of "tomorrow" or "next time". When Fairclough says that southern whites wanted change to take place, it didn’t really resonate with me. Most the Caucasian population stayed away from negroes and there wasn’t huge protesting from white people for blacks to be treated fairly. It seems as if there wasn’t a lot of vocalizing their opinions without a following action. 

 The issues today will continue if we let them. As humans, we weren't made to get along with everyone. There will always be a disagreement somewhere, but our country can change how people are treated. There has never been a time throughout history where a group hasn’t been suppressed by a higher power.  There must be a conscious effort to get rid of the tyranny in this country because we cannot move forward as united people until otherwise.
