Idée de progrès: Les Afro-Américains (document en anglais).

Notion : Idea of progress

I am going to talk about of the idea of progress. The idea of progress implies an improvement to make a better world. It may be scientific progress (medical advance), a technological progress (new technologies) or social progress in education, working conditions, human rights. However progress might also disavantages, for instance polution. First of all I wouls like to talk the civil rights, and second of the achivements of the developments in the identity and culture of black people and thirdly of the failures.

What effect does this progress have on our culture ?

In first place, the civil rights movement in the US refers to social movements in the US, whose goal was to end racial segregation against black Americans and enforce voting rights in the 60's. The African American history is an important part of the American History. African American used to be slaves, and now the the US President Barack Obama is one of them. African American have used many ways to achieve recognition during the segregation period.

However, segregationist laws were passed in the southern states to maintain segregation between the blacks and the whites in public facilities (transport, education, fountains, toilets, restaurants...) with a separate but equal principle.

In addition, many people had chosen to protest in the street, without violence, behind icons like Martin Luther King. The crowd was really important around him when he made his speech “ I have a dream “. The speech by MLK was delivered in 1963 during a march for equal rights in Washington D.C. In this speech, King relates to the situation of the black community. He wants his children not to be judged by the color of their skin. He wants blacks and whites to live together as equals, to fight together. He includes other religions like Jews, protestants and Catholics. As a result oh that march, the population urged Kennedy to pass civil rights law througt Congress.

Moreover, desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. We have the exemple of the daughter of The Browns in 1954, as their daughter was denied admission to a white school in Kansas, The Browns decided to appeal to the Supreme Court which declared segregated shools unconstitutional. The case is considered as a landmark for school integration.

Furthermore, after Kennedy's assasination in November 1963, the Civil Rights Act was passes in July 1964, ending racial segregation in schools, work and public places and promoting voters registration. In his speech “the ballot or the bullet”, Malcom X encourages African Americans to vote (the ballot) but if they fail, they xill have no option but resort to violence (bullet).

In second place, I am going to talk about the achievements. Many black people enjoyed success in the world of politics, sports, media and entertainment. However, the black people are progress in particular in education, some shools allow black children to go to the same school as white children and in 2000, 12 per cent of students in America universities are black. Then there are progress in politic, in 1967 Carl Stokes is the first black person to be elected mayor, in 1984 Jesse Jackson stands election to become President of America and since 2008 Barack Obama is the first African

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