Civil Rights

Passive resistance is a method of nonviolent protest against laws or policies in order to force a change or secure concessions. It is also known as nonviolent resistance and is the main tactic of civil disobedience. Passive resistance typically involves such activities as mass demonstrations, refusal to obey or carry out a law or to pay taxes, the occupation of buildings or the blockade of roads, labor strikes, and economic boycotts. Martin Luther King and Ghandi were two major figures who practiced passive resistance. 

Ala., in May 1963. Birmingham's police commissioner "Bull" Connor also allowed fire hoses to be turned on young civil rights demonstrators. These measures set off a backlash of sentiment that rejuvenated the flagging civil rights movement.

This photo hits me the hardest. I find it horrible that the police would allow such a thing to happen. The police are the law and if the law is corrupted then how is order supposed to be kept. A peaceful protest being broken up by dogs doesn’t seem very rational. It isn’t ethically right. I am very torn by these images and hate that this is what had to happen to those who were peacefully protesting for their own rights. 

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta has opened an exhibit that brings to light many new images of the civil rights movement, along with the struggles of the photographers who made them. Left, a Greyhound bus with 14 members of an interracial group that was part of the Freedom Ride was firebombed on May 14, 1961, outside Anniston, Ala.

I find this photo to be very moving. The Freedom Ride was to celebrate the 7th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. The greatest thing about the Freedom Ride was that the group consisted of black and white, male and female. They did nothing wrong and their bus was firebombed. It upsets me inside that whites would do this to the blacks, let alone the people of their own race as well. It is frustrating that others would take action against people who weren’t being violent at all.

I believe that there is always going to be discrimination in our society because of our media and the way people stereotype others. We were taught how to think from a very young age and that is difficult to change. In my community back home, gender discrimination is at an ultimate high. Women receive lower paying jobs than men even if they have the same degree. Many times women will be more qualified than men, but it never fails the man will end up getting the job. It isn’t fair. This similar situation happened to my mom when she was applying for a teaching position at my local high school and the man who got the job over her was less qualified and not as experienced.

Three ways I can incorporate ethos and logos into my next essay include using a powerful hook, solid facts, statistics, and strong topic sentences. Establishing credibility and a reputation while also using logical reasoning allows for a writer to make the most out of a paper. The topic of my next essay is the idea of gender discrimination in athletics. I will support my claim by covering the value of women’s sports compared to men and the opportunities women are given in the professional arena.