John Lewis was a freedom rider and an avid leader in the Civil Rights movement. During his years as an activist, he led the “Bloody Sunday” protest and spoke at the March on Washington in 1963 alongside other influential people like Martin Luther King Jr. Leading up to his congressional election in 1986, he would play a key role in fighting for the rights of minorities in the United States (“John Lewis” 1). March details Lewis’ early life experiences that encouraged him to dismantle the racial barriers in an attempt to ensure others the right to life, liberty, and happiness in an unjust society.
Born in Troy, Alabama, Lewis had many encounters with racism. Numerous occurrences led up to this sort of environment, such as slavery, which lasted in America from the 1600s until the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865, and Jim Crow laws that allowed lynchings and limited access to educational resources. Because literacy tests were required to vote, many African Americans were prohibited from exercising this right because they had no opportunities to learn to read or write. In addition to these tests, poll taxes and the “Grandfather Clause” also kept Black people from voting. Ku Klux Klan members, a group promoting white supremacy, further terrorized African Americans (“Race and Voting” 3-4). Lewis details how he was affected by these laws as he was not allowed to attend a white college despite meeting the required academic criteria for admittance.
The Civil Rights era was a turning point for many Black people in America. New laws were introduced that gave Black Americans more rights, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Although there is still progress to be made, the contributions of Lewis and many others allow people in today’s world to enjoy freedoms in an integrated society that was fought for in March.
References:
“John Lewis.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 12 Jan. 2021, www.biography.com/political-figure/john-lewis.
Lewis, John, et al. March. Top Shelf Productions, 2013.
“Race and Voting.” Constitutional Rights Foundation, www.crf-usa.org/brown-v-board-50th-anniversary/race-and-voting.html.
Hi!
I think you did a really thorough job intertwining Lewis’ biography with the historical events taking place. I was hoping somebody would mention the literacy tests because it is such a crucial system of discrimination that was widely accepted at the time. From your presentation I learned that Lewis was an intelligent man who clearly deserved to go to the college he wanted. The college denial must have been such a challenge because he was so deserving of that spot. From a student perspective, I think this detail changes how I look at his approach towards the movement. I often think activists start so much later in life than the actually do. Because he was so young when his passion sprouted, it helps me to imagine the type of frustration Lewis was feeling.
I have learned a lot about John Lewis this week, both from these context presentations and other classes. I think that you did a great job neatly summarizing his life and his goals. It is amazing to me how much passion he had and how unrelenting he was in his cause. I also find it so interesting that he looked up to historical figures like MLK, and then lived to see himself become one. I wonder how that felt, to fight for his cause for so long that it became a part of not only his personal history, but the history of America. John Lewis was such an influential person, and you did a great job on this post.
Thank you for providing the background of John Lewis. I just knew that he was a famous person that fight for equal rights, but I don’t know the details about him. And this provide me more detailed informtaion about Lewis which helped me to understand him. The information such as Ku Klux Klan members are pretty new for me. This post provides many ideas Lewis have and it’sright that Civil Rights era was a turning point for many Black people in America.
Wonderful presentation! I totally agree that more progress needs to be made for equal voting rights. Specifically, the voter ID laws that recently made news headlines out of Georgia come to mind. I think it is sad to see such a discriminatory law being written in this day and age in America, especially after groups like BLM have been working so hard to overcome obstacles such as this. It just feels like a slap in the face after so many different groups of people have come together, once again, to push back against systemic racism.
I learned a lot about Lewis’ background from this article. From this, I learned that Lewis, because of various prejudices and discrimination, made him completely unable to enjoy the same treatment as other people, and had no human rights at all. But what I admire is that Lewis will always rise to fight evil and injustice. I think it is his courage and tenacity to the philosophy of nonviolence that makes Lewis a leader. John Lewis is an icon of the American civil rights movement. He left an immortal legacy that will never be forgotten.
Thanks for the nice presentation of John Lewis. You explain nicely how these unfair laws deprive the rights of African Americans. John Lewis was a great person that fights against the inequality of African Americans. It is because that he has the same experience with other African Americans, and he can clearly feel the inequality. I think that is also a reason John can be successful.
This was a decent biography on John Lewis, I like how you added aspects that were not directly in the readings like mentioning the Ku Klux Klan and “Grandfather clause”. I also liie how you brought up blood sunday and how John Lewis played a large leadership role in that. I also feel like those are lesser known or less widely spoken about events and topics so I think it is important to bring those up. I agree that John Lewis played a very integral role in sparking the civil rights movement and rolling things into action. It is interesting to think about if he didn’t go for a congressional role and continued to push for more civil rights activities instead.