Being Black in the 1950's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Being Black in the 1950's - Essay Example Being black in the 1950s meant that one had to cope with a discriminative education sector. Blacks had to travel long distances to school, which were scarce and were often poorly constructed, lacked books and other equipments, and had small classes that were crowded and that were taught by few unqualified teachers who had to be black. The whites however had many well-built and well-equipped schools taught by qualified white teachers. A Black man graduating from the aforementioned schools would therefore be unable to compete for opportunities with the White man and therefore the systems was partly designed to ensure that the White man remained superior to the Black man. A Black man would not get a good job and whenever he got one, he was given lower salaries than the Whites were. A survey done in 1950 showed that a Black man would get almost half of the Whites’ salary for the same work and position. This discrimination was extended the public sector and political offices â€⠀œ the white had put laws and practices to deter a black man from ascending to power or being elected. Such measures would include paying of taxes before being registered to vote and since Blacks were poor, they could not afford this and many were therefore locked out. There was also an illiteracy test for people who wished to be registered as voters. This locked out many black men who could not afford education due to poverty and this minimized the chances of black men voting their fellow blacks in. This meant that the blacks had no representation and therefore, they were not involved in making laws. The white man therefore made laws that did not favor the black man. A Black man also endured racism even in public places. For instance, he could not use the same public utilities as the White – there were public toilets for the Whites and others for the blacks. A black man could not enter the same joints and restaurants with the whites. He had to endure poor and low cost facili ties and utilities wherever he went. The transport industry is another place where the black man was discriminated. The black man, as if to affirm his position in the society, had to sit at the back rows of buses with their seats marked â€Å"colored people.† In some states like Alabama, there was a law that whenever a white man lacked a seat, a seated black man was supposed to give his seat to the white. Any black who dared oppose these rules was taken to court and subsequently jailed, as it was the case with Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white person. She was jailed, sparkling the blacks’ bus boycott of 1955. A black man was subject to torture, intimidation and oppression whenever he tried to resist any discriminative law or tried to liberate himself. The whites had formed fear-inflicting groups like Ku Klux KIA, which attacked the opposing blacks, tortured them and scared them while concealing their identity. They would burn a black man’s h ouse, destroy their properties or even kill them. In 1955, the whites burned and destroyed the house and property of Martin Luther while he led the bus boycott. He himself was incarcerated. Earlier in the year 1954 when the blacks’ Supreme Court declared that segregation in schools illegal, the group and some youths organized attacks and demonstration to scare off any black man who dared set foot in a whites’ school. Many were scared away and only the brave remained.

Techniques used by Martin Luther King to make his message powerful Essay

Techniques used by Martin Luther King to make his message powerful - Essay Example What is extra ordinary is his steely determination combined with clear vision and forceful expression that make his message so powerful. Martin Luther King had a good grasp of all facts and figures. The problem of segregation, its impact on a whole race of people whose only misfortune was the color of their skin, the impunity and arrogance of its perpetuators, the trauma and agony endured by its hapless victims most of whom comprised the aged, women and children, and the indifference of the people in general and the authorities in particular who were in a position to mitigate the problem but preferred to look the other way. The length of the letter, its tone, the unwavering documenting of instances that warranted his personal involvement, proves King's intentions of pursuing the case to its logical end. In his letter, Luther King expressed solidarity with his race, regretted the nonchalant way the problem was being allowed to continue, and does not show any sign of relenting on his opposition to the racial slur being daily played out in the country. He proved the validity of his presence in Birmingham as "consent" to an invitation, and his obligation to "live up to his promise" to engage in a non-violent direct-action program to oppose the "injustice being done here (Birmingham)." He also cited examples like Alabama where Negroes were being denied the right to vote. He contended, "Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong." He even goes on to express his disapp ointment with the "laxity" of the church in relation to the inhuman treatment being perpetuated on the blacks. Scriptural and Political Quotations Being a seasoned theologian, he effectively quoted scriptures in support of his argument. He quoted St. Augustine, and declared, "an unjust law is no law." He referred to "the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake." Assuming a political stance, he stated, "We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany." Using scriptural and political precedents, he made a strong appeal to human conscience in defense of his stand. In the entire saga of the good versus evil, the good always have had to pay a price, even when it vanquished the evil. Socrates did not change his stand even though it cost his life. Many others embraced martyrdom. Eventually, history repeated itself with Martin Luther King too. But they are remembered with gratitude all over the world. Source: Martin Luther King's Letter from the Birmingham Jail, http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/mlkjail.html