Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Ain't Scared of Your Jails
During the Civil Rights Movement, many different tactics were used including the freedom rides which took place in 1961. The African Americans and Caucasians who participated in the freedom rides were trained in non-violent tactics. When they were attacked by anti-civil rights protestors, their only way of protection was to run or the police who on many occasions disregarded the attacks. John Lewis, one of the Freedom Riders, said "It was like being involved in a holy crusade." The Freedom Riders set aside their security in order to advance the Civil Rights Movement in a direction toward peace. Some of the people who were hurt the most by the anti-civil rights protestors included the Caucasians who traveled with the African Americans on the freedom rides. This happened because many other Americans couldn't accept the fact that their own race was beginning to help the African American movement towards civil rights. As I watched the video, I couldn't believe the brutality that had occurred fifty years ago. Even though many Americans suffered during the Civil Rights Movement, today's society shows how important the movement was toward advancing equal rights in America.
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It's amazing how much society changes in 50 years. This kind of thing happening nowadays is almost unheard of, when it was almost commonplace in the early 60's. I think that more people need to remember what America has been through and to put the same kind of zeal into changing what America is now into something better.
ReplyDeleteYou nailed it when you say Americans could not accept the fact their own race was beginning to help. When whites started to help along with the movement was a great thing because it proved everyone was starting to see for themseleves segregation was wrong
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