Examples Of Discrimination In Watson's Go To Birmingham

The novel, The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, was written by Christopher Paul Curtis. Curtis wrote this novel in 1963. There are two major themes that are portrayed by the author. The two themes are prejudice and discrimination. According to Merriam Webster, prejudice and discrimination are defined as an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc. This book occurs during the time of The Civil Rights Movement. The narrator of the book is Kenny; he is in fourth grade. There are a bunch of quotes and examples throughout the book. The first quote demonstrating prejudice and discrimination that I will be explaining is located in the second chapter (page 23). The quote is: “I’ve often told you that as Negroes the world is many times a hostile place for us. I saw Mr. Alums walking back and forth whacking a yardstick in his hand. I’ve pointed out time and time again how vital it is that one be able to read well. I’ve stressed numerous occasions the importance of …show more content…
Although, I do not think it is as extreme as seen in The Watson’s Go to Birmingham. The Civil Rights Movement was in the 1960s (the same time as the book). Some states in the South during that time period passed the laws called Jim Crow Laws. That meant African Americans had to use different bathrooms, hospitals, and water fountains. The Civil Rights Movement was based on brave citizens. Many of those people were hurt or even killed as a result of standing up for themselves. However, they never gave up fighting for the freedom and rights of everyone in the United States. Today, equality has grown over time. In 1964, Congress passed laws to guarantee equal rights for everyone in the United States. African Americans and white citizens do not have separate facilities anymore like they used to. The United States does not see the same kind of prejudice and discrimination as seen in the