Commentaire du texte "civil right heroes" publié dans The Guardian en 2006

Thèmes abordés

Civil rights, segregation, jim craw lawx, heroes, African Americans, bus, Rosa parks

Résumé du document

This text called "Civil rights heroes" is an extract from the newspaper The Guardian published in 2006. It deals with the civil rights in the USA in the 20th century, and especially in Alabama, as it is representative of its evolution. This state is a Southern state. As a matter of fact, it's heavily conservative: during Jim Crow Laws, its people were very discriminating, as it stands by traditional values.
The article mentions the major African-American characters that devoted their lives to standing against segregation.
But how did those people struggle so that the USA recognized the civil right of the whole black community? What impact did they have?
In a first part, I will attempt to show how civil rights heroes acted. Then, we will focus on the consequences it had.

Extraits

[...] This state is a Southern state. As a matter of fact, it's heavily conservative: during Jim Crow Laws, its people were very discriminating, as it stands by traditional values. The article mentions the major African-American characters that devoted their lives to standing against segregation. But how did those people struggle so that the USA recognized the civil right of the whole black community? What impact did they have? In a first part, I will attempt to show how civil rights heroes acted. [...]

[...] = peaceful action, a citizen action: it's a peaceful and civil act to take the bus or not. brave man: Washington Booker black man l.39-40 “Washington Booker was a Birmingham schoolboy” He was segregated and did not have equal chances to the whites. * that wanted to be on an equal footing with the whites l.40 “He was arrested in 1963 for protesting against Jim Crow Laws” =he stood up for his rights: right to vote, citizenship, possibility of climbing the social ladder. [...]

[...] This punishment seems very unfair, and inconsistency: They should have been regarded like heroes and not like criminals. -However, we pay them tribute nowadays *The example of Rosa Parks l.17-18 “She became a civil rights icon, and when she died last October her body lay in state in Congress in Washington, a tribute normally reserved for president.” A national tribute was paid to her for what she did. *The pardon l.31-33 “Today, the Alabama senate is expected to vote a bill aimed at setting the record straight. [...]

[...] Moreover, South=very conservative state. *Consequence of all the quiet actions l.45 “We changed the course of history” Rosa Parks, Mae Bradford or Washington Booker showed to the USA that they were human beings like the whites. =Therefore, they should have the same rights. After years of pain and of quiet struggle, they finally acquired those rights, thanks to the end of Jim Crow Laws years after Bradford was arrested. -Consequences for those people who devoted their life to the cause l.19-21 “Parks had died with a police record- and that thousands of others black southerners had similar records- for disobeying racist laws.” =Even if their actions allowed things to change, civil rights heroes were still punished after JC laws: they got a criminal record. [...]

[...] In brief, this text gives us a lesson of behavior: it shows how civil rights heroes gave their life for their community. They devoted their life to fighting against unfairness and segregation, no matter the consequences it had on their life. Thereby, those pacifists changed the course of history as they acted quietly, showing to America how absurd was discrimination. They are now regarded as models for all citizens, and it's time to pay them tribute. Thereby, can we say that Obama's election marked the end of discrimination in America? [...]