Proposal:

    African American history is one filled with terror and discrimination not because they have a different skin color or because of their place of origin, but rather from the ignorance of men. This ignorance that fill our mind with fear and our hearts with hate, hate that keep us from evolving and from seeing that we are all unique but equal.
    That is why I propose not to change the way of thinking not of those who's mind have already been filled, but to those whose minds are just starting to see. To address the racial problem I propose that every student shall take a sociology course so that they can learn more about the importance of working together and to see society through the eyes of others. Not only shall students be reacquired to passed a class, but they shall also be required to take conferences that will promote racial love and team work so that they can learn very individual importance.
    I encourage you my fellow Congress members to pass this bill so that we can take a step forward toward ending our racial problem.

link:

http://www.ushistory.org/documents/amendments.htm#amend13

Vicoties:

     The struggle of African Americans for Civil Rights have been going since the foundation  of  the United States. They have used many forms of protests and ways to achieve more rights, and to become equal in the eyes of the American society; but even though they have achieved much, there are still those that are suffering the effects of racism and that have not come out of a state of poverty.
    The first from of racial hate that African Americans felt was slavery. They  were oppressed by the chains of slavery for many years, but with the northern states victory in the Civil War changes came to the constitution  that gave African Americans more freedoms.  The 13th  amendment passed on December 6, 1865; made slavery and involuntary servitude illegal in the United States territories unless they were  form of punishment for crimes. Another post Civil war amendment was the 14th amendment passed on July 9, 1868; defined citizenship and ensured equal treatment for all persons born or naturalized in the United States. The last Post Civil War amendment to the constitution was the 15th amendment passed February 3, 1870; gave all male citizens of the United States the right to vote.
    With the end of the Civil War ended everything seemed to go well for African Americans, but after reconstruction a new form of oppression came. In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson made segregation legal along as it was equal. After the Plessy decision many Southern States created their own set of laws that enabled the progress of the African American community. The American society lived under this doctrine for almost a century; but after the 1954 case of Brown v. Board of eduction that made segregation unconstitutional because it was not equal many African American citizens and communities began a massive civil rights movements to end discrimination once and for all. African Americans struggle with segregation  was successful as the United Stated Congress began passing laws and amendments to the constitution giving them more Civil Rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964;"Provides criminal penalties for discrimination in employment or voting and integrates most pubic facilities". The  24th amendment passed on January 23, 1964; :"The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other  election... shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax".  Voting Rights Act of 1965; "Banned literacy tests in counties where over half of eligible voters have been disenfranchised".
    Many changes have been made both in society as in the constitution. Legally African Americans are equal to the rest of society, but even today many live in poverty and are discriminated for their color. Many battles have been won but the journey has not ended and every day new obstacles are set in front of society, obstacles that have to be overcome everyday to become a fair and equal society.

links:

http://regentsprep.org/Regents/ushisgov/themes/reform/civilrights.htm

http://www.ushistory.org/documents/amendments.htm#amend13 

Fight for rights:

     After nearly a century of living segregated African Americans started fighting back. To challenge education inequality, social segregation, and to gain voting rights; African Americans created organizations that organized public demonstrations, and challenged racial laws in court. 
     Sice founded in 1909, the NAACP had gave assistance to many African Americans that were being unfairly charged or that their crime wasd based on racialhate. This organization used cases like Rosa Parks and Linda Browns to end with segregation. The NAACP was also responsible of organizing civil movements like the Montgomery bus Boycott, where African Americnas challenged public transportation segregation by refusing to take buses until they were integrated. After walking to work for nearly a year, the Supreme Court declared that segregatio in public transportation was unconstitutional. The Succes of movements like the Montgomery bus Boycott led to the creation of more organization and the increase in African Americnas use of civil disobedience.

     Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent leader of the bus boicott in Montgomery and the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, had become the face of the civil rights movement. He, inspired by Gandi's civil rights movement in India, encouraged African Americans to practice civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance to challenge segregation. These practices cought the attention of the nation and gave theme support from the public as they were attaked unfairly by white officers and civilians. One of the ways of ways they practice Gandi's doctrine wasby using sit-ins. In sit- ins a group of African Ameircans would stay in public places and businesses until they were integrated.

     Another from of peaceful protest were the "Freedom Rides". In "Freedom Rides" black sat in the front of the bus and whites in the back to challenge bus segregation in interstate busses and to force the Federal government to enfontay anti segregationa laws.The original "Freedom Riders" left Washington DC on May 4, 1961 with the hope of reaching New Orleans on May 17 of the same year. These "Freedom Ride" ended on May 14, as the two groups of riders were attaked by mobs when they attempted to cross Alabama. Even though " Freedom Riders" could not reach New Orleans they made a valuable contribution to Civil Right movement. 

     Using civil disobedience and peaceful resistance African Americans could achived more civil rights and put an end to segregation. Their movement served as base for other civil right movements as their method of protest proved to be effective. Thanks to those barave citiznes today not only African Americans but other groups as well have gained freedom and equality, that is why we must be greatful and give them our gratitud.

"February 13, 1960, at little lunch bar at a Woolworth store in the city of Greensboro, North Carolina."

"Freedom Riders"

"Freedom riders" bus after being fire bumbed"

Links:

http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/repara04.htm

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=5192

http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/history/overview.htm

http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/civilrights-55-65/freeride.html

Abused for color:

    Throughout the history of the United states African Americans, do to their skin color, have sufered racial discrimination. They have lived through slavery, sufered the inequality of segregation, and they have fought to achive equal treatment in the American society, a strugle that still go on in preasent times.

     The first racial problem African Americans faced in the UnitedStates was slavery. Since the formation of the nation the United States slave industry had flourished, this lead to the importation of an estimated 30 to 60 africans to the nation. In the Southern States slavery was the way of life, but with time slavery began to be seen as inmoral and unhuman by the Northern States. Conflicts between the Nothern and Southern States leed to the creation of laws like the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sanford decision were the Supreme Court declared that African Americans were property therefor they had no rights. Conflicts between the two sides points of view of slavery leed the nation to a Civil War. After the Civil War freed African Americn slaves recived equal treetmant and oportunities by the passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments; these three amendments freed the slaves, gave them sitizenship, and gave males the right to vote. However these rights ended along with end of reconstruction in 1876. With the end of reconstruction and the Plessy versus Ferguson decision in 1892 came the age of segregation. After the Plessy versus Fergison decision , nicknamed "Jim Crow" laws, many Southern states created their own laws that keept millions of African Americans opressed by the Ku Klus Klan and the general public for nearly a century.

     Since the Foundation of the nation African Americans have sufered racial discrimination, and have had to endure centuries of phisical and emotional abuse, they have been denied rights, and in some cases even put to death. Doday, eventhough society has gone a long way from lynching and terrorism do to racial hate, the struggle still goes on as many are still denied equal treatment. Humanity is not perfect and that is why we ashumans must keep evolving to make these world safe and eaqual not only for African American in the United states, but for all.

Picture of lynching

segregated bus

Links

http://regentsprep.org/Regents/ushisgov/themes/reform/civilrights.htm

http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/repara04.htm

http://www.dhr.history.vt.edu/modules/us/mod07_ww2/context.html

http://socyberty.com/issues/the-oppressed-african-americans-in-the-south/

African American Civil Rights movements

     The struggle for equality has been an important part of the United States history, it has helped shape our nation, and the  way citizens and the government view Civil Rights movements have achieved major goals like post-Civil War amendments and the legislation based on these that have not only ensured African Americans citizenship but has also helped women, minorities, disabled individuals, and other groups victims of discrimination to gain equality.
    After years of being mistreated, abused and discriminated African Americans began to challenge white power once again in a time were civil movements flourished and the people wanted change. In the nineteen hundreds groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) began challenging segregation. The NAACP founded in 1909 gave legal assistance to African Americans that  were charged for civil disobedience or racial   based charges. The NAACP used cases like the one of Rosa Parks In Montgomery, Alabama to challenge segregation with nonviolent resistance. The Montgomery case led to the creation in 1957 of the clergy-led Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a local organization led by Martin Luther King a prominent leader of the bus boycott in Montgomery. King became the main speaker but must of the black movements were organized by members of the communities. On February  1, 1960 four freshmen of the Agricultural and Technical College began a series of sit-ins in southern; these series of sit-ins lead in April 1960 to the formation of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).  These three organizations together with the CORE helped destroyed segregation in the country Voting Rights Act of 1965.
    Today African Americans form about 12% of the United states population, but still the struggle for equality continues . Not only African Americans had fought for their rights but they served as an example for the creation of other groups. African Americans civil right movements have shift our nations constitution and our present way of life, that is why one as citizen must fight for justice and promote equal treatment to create a new and brighter future.


http://ww.hystory.com/topics/civil-rights-movement
http://www.thinkfinity.org/?q=naacp-resources
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/birth-nation-naacp-and-balancing-rights

Reactions:

Mykaella

     In history human societies has always progress by relaying in others people resources and working power. It happened with the Egyptians, the Romans in the Mediterranian,and when European settlers came to America  and took the land of native Americans. Thats why I agree with Mykaelas blog post. Native Americans suffered the effects of colonization, effects that are still present tody as the Native Americans are still daying and suffering from the lost of their land and their culture.

Natas
    
     The event on Wounde Knee Are the best example of the exesuseof violence and the abuse they had towards the NAtive Americans. White officers oppened fire against unarmed Native Americans killing everyone in their path. Most of the actions taken by White officers were the cause of missunderstandings and faer of what could had happened. I think many changes came in such a short period of time that either side were able to keep up resulting in the conflicts on the great planes.

Paulette

      I understand that Native Americans could have improved some points of their lifes, but forced assimilataion was not and it is not the way to improve others. Native Americans had their all  identity  which was almost completely lost with assimilation. As Paulette I do not think that assimilation was not the right way to improve Native Americans  since even today   the down effects of assimilation are present.

Angel

     I agree with Angel statement since Native Americans have an history of misstraetment, violence and death. they were forced to give uptheir lands and assimilate. At the end Naive Americans pride and way of life fas destroyed.

Carlo

     Until I read this blog I was ignorant of the pressen situation of Native Americans. He showed hod the NAtive Americnas changed from a  proud and natural loving society to a depressed and alcoholic society. Do to assimilations their population came to the point of extinction. Here you can learn about the long lating effect of assimilation and the abuse they suffered. this is why I do not think assimilation was corrct and that the government did not take the right decisions at the time.

Violence or self defense:

In Old west movies and in precolonial times Indians have been portrayed as savages do to their life style. They were known for scalping and attacking white settlers; but are they as violent and savage as they were portrayed in the movies and old history books or were they provoked by the circumstance?

Centuries before the Great Plane of North America that occupies the American west, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico became the Wild West we know for the old towns, gold rush and cowboys it was a natural wonder inhabited by a group of people that known as Native Americans. Native Americans were divided into several communities and made decisions as a group. Native Americans believed in the spiritual power of the natural world, they saw the greatness that came every natural process since it gave life, but at the same time they respected the power of the natural world as it also took life away. Most Native Americans were nomad farmers do to their dependence on the North American bison (buffalo) for their main source of food and the center of ceremonial and daily life. This way of life was threatened with the arrival of white settlers. By the late 1800’s the creation of railroads led to a fast increase in the amount of settlers that invaded the Native Americans looking for gold and a chance to get a piece of this free land. Many changes came with the presence of white settlers, but the harshest of all was the division of the hunting grounds. Before the preservation of the hunting grounds was very important to the Native Americans, that depended on hunt for survival.

In order to legally relocate Naive Americans the U.S. government began making treaties with civilized Native American Nations, these treaties gave Native Americans money, government support, and new land to ensure their safety; but many of these treaties were broken like in the case of The 1851 Treaty of Traverse Sioux. The treaty of Traverse Sioux transferred most of the Dakota lands in south Minnesota to the U.S. government in return they would get yearly payments, government assistance, and all their debts with traders would be paid off by the government; but instead most of the money sent by the government was sent directly to traders instead to pay the Dakota dept, and with an increase of white settlers in the area Dakota leaders were forced to sign new treaties giving up more of their land. Many of these violations of treaties ended in violent confrontations like the one in August 17, 1862; were an Indian foraging party from the Dakota attacked a family of settlers starting a war that ended in September 23^rd.

In order to avoid conflict U.S. government officials encouraged many Native Americans to assimilate, since they considered that it was the only way to ensure their survival. In order to assimilate Native Americans had to choose a Christian name, and learn the English language. Native Americans had to give up their old believes and convert to Christianity. Natives that accepted assimilation were moved to reservations were they were “prepared” to become Americans. In reservations many Natives became alcoholics do to the lack of medicine to treat their diseases and to avoid the misery of their lives.

By the 1800’s the life style of Native Americans was being threatened do to the invasion of their lands by white settlers looking for gold, or farming land. The increase in the population and the decrease of their food supply and hunting ground led to lot of tension between the natives and white settlers, and with the enforced treaties and assimilation many Native Americans found no other ways to defend themselves than by using violence. 

bibliography:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/sfeature/sf_interview.html#a
http://www.ehow.com/about_5394455_great-plains-information.html
http://www.teacherlink.org/content/social/instructional/pioneer/plains.html