John Lewis was a statesman and Civil Rights activist who persevered during the troubling Civil Rights era. He wrote March to share his story in the Civil Rights Movement, which was “a struggle for social injustice” in the 1950s and 1960s, according to a History article (Onion, Sullivan, Mullen 1). Even after slavery was abolished in 1865, discrimination and racism were prominent, so Black Americans decided to fight for their rights and equality. March will go into depth about moments during the Civil Rights Movement, but to fully understand the Civil Rights era, it is also important to understand the history of racism and the events that led up to it.
Even long before the Civil Rights Movement, racism was extremely prominent. Some important events to highlight are the transatlantic slave trade and Jim Crow Laws. Firstly, a Smithsonian Magazine article stated that “Between 1525 and 1866, 12.5 million people were kidnapped from Africa and sent to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade” (Solly 1). Throughout the two-month journey, only 10.7 million survived. Clearly, racism was a problem early on, and it persisted throughout history. Although Black Americans started to make some progress, in the late 1800s, Jim Crow Laws were formed. Society was upset that Black Americans were getting more rights, so laws were formed to restrict them more. In fact, “Black people couldn’t use the same public facilities as white people, live in many of the same towns, or go to the same schools. Interracial marriage was illegal, and most Black people couldn’t vote because they were unable to
pass voter literacy tests” (Onion, Sullivan, Mullen 1). Although it is devastating to read, learning about the severity of the discrimination is crucial to understanding what life was like for Black Americans, even before the Civil Rights era.
Although the Civil Rights Movement did not end racism completely, it fostered change in society. There is still room for improvement regarding racism in the United States, and understanding the history of racism not only helps better understand March but also gives context to the history of America and the events leading up to the Civil Rights era.
References:
| Austin, Curtis J. “On Violence and Nonviolence: The Civil Rights Movement in
Mississippi.” Mississippi History Now, Feb. 2002, www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/articles/62/ The-civil-rights-movement-in-mississippi-on-violence-and-nonviolence.
Onion, Amanda, et al. “Civil Rights Movement.” History, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement. Accessed 17 May 2021.
Solly, Meilan. “158 Resources to Understand Racism in America.” Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2020, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ 158-resources-understanding-systemic-racism-america-180975029/.
Urofsky, Melvin I. “Jim Crow Law.” Britannica, 20 July 1998, www.britannica.com/
Wallenfeldt, Jeff. “John Lewis.” Britannica, 27 Oct. 2010, www.britannica.com/ biography/John-Lewis-American-civil-rights-leader-and-politician. Accessed 13 July 2021. |
Great job summarizing on this presentation post. I appreciate how you went back in time in order to explain where issues of racism began in America. Too often, aspects of history are overlooked. When reading March, knowing this context is essential, as it helps the reader to understand how long this anger and injustice had been boiling, and how it merely came to the surface during the Civil Rights movement. Again, great job on this post, and great use of references.
I knew about all of these things, but I appreciate the explanation of the civil rights movement and its background. This context is very important to know when it comes to the difficulty of injustice. I think this is an overall great post.
I really appreciate your informative background into the abolishment of slavery and the context you provide for this week’s readings. Lewis’ “March” is a very provocative and engaging read, but I think it makes it even more profound when you add the context of the Slave Trade. Your comment about there be approximately 12.5 million people forced into the West from Africa and only about 10.7 surviving is astonishing. That is a large amount of people who, treated like cattle, died making the forced march from their homes to the so-called “New World”. Thank you for the background!
Great post here. I agree that racism started way before the Civil rights movement was formed. During his childhood, Lewis recalls of events of racism in rural Alabama where he grew up. Sharecroppers, who were mostly African-Americans suffered from economic inequality and racial inequality. It is due to his childhood experiences that he was inspired to fight for social justice, a concept that is still present in the US today.
This is a great post, I appreciate you going back in time to talk about what things were like before which allows you to understand why things are the way they are now. I appreciate all of the background that you gave about the civil rights movement as I believe that there is always so many moving parts in every situation so you must try to see the bigger picture.
I enjoyed how John Lewis portrayed his story through a graphic novel. At first thought it seems kind of informal or that it would even take away the seriousness of the issue, but I think it did exactly the opposite. I think it helped tell a story through a more “Change society” or almost heroic events. It is really insane to think about how slavery was abolished in 1865 but it took about 100 years until around the civil Rights act in 1964 for BIPOC to have basic rights in society. I feel like many people claim the united states to be a free land or free country, but there were not even rights for people of color until less than 60 years ago. It’s interesting to think about when 2065 comes around, what advancements (or regressions) in human rights and democracy will be like in society around the world and in the United States specifically.