The 1950s in the United States is notorious for the strong racism that many African Americans experienced. However, it was also during this decade that important historical figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called out for a change. Sixty-five years later, segregation laws have been abolished and the harsh treatment towards African Americans has decreased immensely, but still exists. Prejudice towards African Americans was extremely common in the 1950s, however the racial segregation of education, public facilities and communities in 2015 is not as severe as it was before. Nowadays, segregation is almost non existent in society. However, this was not the case 50 years ago. Before 1955, education facilities in the United States were
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From water fountains to restaurants, they were separated in two sections; one for African Americans and one for Caucasian Americans. For instance, in 1958 African American Vivian Filer had to give birth in the segregated section of the Alachua General Hospital in Gainesville, FL where a woman with syphilis was next to her (Schewers). The problem with syphilis is that if Filler and her child had high risks of being infected themselves if one of them came in contact with a syphilis sore or if nurses used the same needle for the syphilis patient and for Filler or her child. Even though both a woman’s and her child’s health were at risk, it did not matter because they were African American and therefore less worthy of being treated as normal people. It was not until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that public facilities were desegregated under Title III of this Act which “provides all individuals the right to equal use of public facilities” (US Legal). This type of segregation has long been abolished. In the twentieth-first century everybody is equal. The United States has learned to see people for what they are-humans. Despite religion, sexual orientation and even race, everybody is equal, and everybody is worthy having equal rights to public
From water fountains to restaurants, they were separated in two sections; one for African Americans and one for Caucasian Americans. For instance, in 1958 African American Vivian Filer had to give birth in the segregated section of the Alachua General Hospital in Gainesville, FL where a woman with syphilis was next to her (Schewers). The problem with syphilis is that if Filler and her child had high risks of being infected themselves if one of them came in contact with a syphilis sore or if nurses used the same needle for the syphilis patient and for Filler or her child. Even though both a woman’s and her child’s health were at risk, it did not matter because they were African American and therefore less worthy of being treated as normal people. It was not until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that public facilities were desegregated under Title III of this Act which “provides all individuals the right to equal use of public facilities” (US Legal). This type of segregation has long been abolished. In the twentieth-first century everybody is equal. The United States has learned to see people for what they are-humans. Despite religion, sexual orientation and even race, everybody is equal, and everybody is worthy having equal rights to public