Civilization has progressed through many time periods throughout history, bringing both enlightened and stygian times and connecting to form what society looks like today. The civil rights period was one of the most important of these eras, and, although it was a stygian time throughout our history, it impacted so many lives and changed society forever. During this time, African Americans began fighting for their rights after facing oppression since their arrival in America. The town of Ferguson, Missouri was transformed when police brutally shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown twice in the head, leading to an outcry of the people of Ferguson. The people demanded justice, and brutality ensued between the police force and the town’s community. Similarly, in his speech entitled Black Power, Stokely Carmichael addresses the problem of discrimination towards African American people and what white people can do to fix the crooked system that was in place at the time. Through both pieces of work, it is evident that the goal is to obtain a level of freedom and equality in the world, so both races can coexist without violence or hatred. Adam Fairclough introduces Martin Luther King Jr. as a contributor to the civil rights movement, as he spoke to thousands of people and inspired a nation of people with his beliefs on the issue. Along with these three examples, there have been many other writers, activists, and leaders through time that have led the African American fight for independence. 

Society has its own trends that it follows to be functional, operating on a system that many civilians abide by to live normal lives. The trends of America live on to properly ensure that everything stays in order. Although our country works toward maintaining stability, function of this nation is not perfect and still needs plenty of work. The major issue in this country that has stood the test of time is the treatment of African-Americans. While unjust and unfair, many people realize the issue going on in this country and choose to ignore it. This type of ignorance only furthers our downfall as a nation, as we refuse to accept change and work to become more progressive altogether. African-Americans are not, nor have they ever been, treated the same as their Caucasian counter parts. The stereotypes we have created 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. There are countless examples in history that demonstrate this idea, and although some level of integration has been reached, there is always room for improvement. 

The issues first became prevalent 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 recognize that African-Americans had rights. To speed up that process, African Americans began to fight for it themselves. Blacks were sick of segregation and the treatment they received in society and stood no more for it. Although the first signs of this movement were small, they soon built up and brought national attention to the issue. Activists such as Stokely Carmichael, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and so many others paved the way for other African Americans to experience the freedom that they never had. They understood that although they may never see equality during their lifetimes, they were fighting for something bigger than them in hopes for a brighter future.

In “Black Power”, Stokely Carmichael speaks to a mostly white population regarding oppression and the need for a change in our society. As he talks about slavery, he states, “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. 

Leaders like Carmichael were pivotal in changing the social order on African Americans in the United States. He 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 on the Declaration of Independence. I understand Carmichael's frustration throughout his speech as he discusses all the hardships that African Americans are forced to endure. These allegations placed on African Americans were unjust and cruel. Carmichael is just one of many activists in the civil rights movement to directly blame whites and make a significant impact on the American people. 

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 texts 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.) 

Although there were some whites that were seeking change alongside the African Americans, they made few efforts. 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. 

In Malcolm X’s speech “The Ballot or the Bullet” given in 1964, he expresses that the African American people aren’t “anti-white, but it does mean [we’re] anti-exploitation, [we’re] anti-degradation, [we’re] anti-oppression” (p. 4). This illustrates that the African American people don’t hate the entire white race, but they hate the way they’ve been treated altogether and are fighting for change. I found this speech to be interesting because it shows that with everything they have been put through, African Americans don’t generalize all white people as cruel human beings. 

The issues today will continue if we do not consciously decide to end them. As humans, we weren't made to get along or agree 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. As we’ve seen so often in history, African Americans demand a push for equality, and will stop at nothing until that is achieved. 
