Jim Valvano

Jim Crow Laws were government-enforced racial segregation laws that existed with the purpose of dehumanizing, alienating and discriminating black people and other people of color. Jim Crow Laws were formed from 1876 to 1965, and existed on the premise of a “separate but equal” status for black people and white people, although they did not carry this idea out, and were violently racist. The name “Jim Crow” comes from a blackface minstrel show made in 1830, and became a derogatory term for…

The laws made it difficult for African Americans. Segregation was also enforced in public areas such as housing, work, education, and employment. In addition, all Southern states adopted Jim Crow laws, and restrictions were placed on African Americans. It was not acceptable to drink from the same water fountain or eat at the same restaurant as Caucasians. Additionally, blacks were prohibited to go to the same schools as whites. Signs that…

One of the most controversial eras in American history, the period known as Reconstruction saw immense changes in the country's political and social life. The United States government for the first time assumed the basic responsibility of defining and protecting the civil rights of African Americans. For the first time, black men in the South were given the right to vote and hold office, and the previously politically powerless African-American community united with their white counterparts to…

Mockingbird” racism played a major role because colored people were not given equal status, people ignored their equal rights, and were ignored as citizens. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” Colored people were not given equal status because of the Jim Crow Laws. The Jim Crow Laws were a big role in “To Kill A Mockingbird” because in the courtroom the blacks and whites were separated by law. “And so a quiet, respectable, humble, Negro who had the unmitigated…

Rhetorical Analysis of Letters from Birmingham Jail African Americans were not known for violently fighting for their God given rights. The black community felt they had waited long enough for those rights to be established. The clergymen questioned their actions and whether they were effective or not. They also believed non-violent acts would eventually lead to violent acts because the African Americans would get tired of waiting for things to start turning in a positive direction. Martin…

Historically, faith has had a massive impact on shaping American culture into what it is today in the modern era. Due to its widespread effect, faith has been a big topic in the realm of American Literature and media. While imprisoned in the Birmingham jail following a repulsed non-violent civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. penned “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” King’s powerful letter written primarily to white Christian leaders of the South utilizes many rhetorical strategies…

In the 1960’s there was a huge controversy between white clergymen and Martin Luther King Jr. Birmingham, Alabama was very racially divided in 1963. Both individuals and court systems treated Negros unfairly, and segregation was a part of everyday life. Nancy V. Wood, author of the book Essentials of Argument, wrote that “black people were only allowed to sit in certain parts of buses and restaurants… [and] were not allowed in white churches, schools, or various other public places” (2011, p.…

Almost immediately after the uprising passed, not just the city of Wilmington, but rather the entire state of North Carolina enacted laws that began the Jim Crow era and rescinded all of the progressive statutes passed under the Reconstruction government. The fact that only one major massacre was required to activate this change demonstrates just how high the tensions were boiling. The election of 1900…

“The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men,” said Lyndon Baynes Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, in a speech at Washington, D.C. ("The Voting Rights Act of 1965"). Ever since the adoption of the 15th Amendment in 1870, African Americans have been denied their constitutional right to vote, despite federal policies. This discrimination was…

Oftentimes, the best way to appreciate a culture or a tradition is to portray it in the most realistic way possible. In the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston writes about the journey of a woman who is trying to find herself in the world. Since the book has been published, it has received criticism for portraying African Americans and their traditions in an unfavorable way. Although it seems that Zora Neale Hurston oversimplifies the lives of African Americans in Their Eyes…