EOC - Idea of Progress - Can the Civil Rights Act be considered a progress?

Notion : Idea of progress

Problematic : Can the Civil Rights Act be considered a progress?

Introduction :

We usually define the idea of progress as an improvement, a development or a change - a technical, scientific or social advance which contributes to making the world a better place.

To illustrate this notion, we studied the civil Rights movement in the USA and its aftermaths and we talked about the place of African Americans in the USA.

In fact, in this presentation, I will try to present you if the Civil Rights Act can be considered as a progress. And to demonstrate this, I will show you the life during segregation, the black protest and finally the situation today.

Part 1 : Life during segregation

• Photo by Elliot Erwitt (1950) which illustrate the life during the Jim Crow Laws (1876 to 1965)                   • Poem Merry-Go-Round (1994) by black child         

On the one hand, let’s talk about the life during segregation, to show the situation, we take as support a photo by Elliot Erwitt of 1950 where we saw a black man who is leaning over a sink to drink from a trap. He knows that he is not allowed to use the sink meant for white people. He abides by the law because if he doesn’t, he will be arrested. Indeed, there are laws which separe in daily life black and white people : The Jim Craw Laws were passed from 1876 to 1965. Blacks were considered different as whites : they are considered as inferiors. Another example shows that there is contrast between States : The Merry-Go-Round, a short poem, written by a black child in 1994, which shows that in Northern America there isn’t segregation but in Southern there is Jim Crow section in buses, …

Transition : So, the life during Jim Crow Laws, so during segregation, was difficult to black people, considered as a cattle, it’s why they decided to show their dissatisfaction.

Part2 : Black protest

• Sit-ins on Feb. 1st 1960                                                                                   • The Civil Rights Movement (1965)        

On the other hand, we talk about the black protest. In fact, during this period, blacks decided to protest to show their dissatisfaction. So the first protest was on February the 1st 1960 in a restaurant. This day, 4 students were denied service at a lunch counter because of their skin color. Nevertheless, they refused to move and were ill-treated. This event triggered off a series of protests, of peaceful demonstration throughout the country. The protesters were supported by famous people and organisations. Martin Luther King Jr., a reverend, supports these demonstrations. He was an important character because he fought for black freedom. It’s why he delivered a speech in Washington DC in August the 28 1963 named “I have a Dream”, a message of hope, peace, freedom and justice. So MLK Jr. created the Civil Rights movement. These protests occurred particularly in the South, in pro slavery states where African Americans want equality.

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