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america sucess or failure

america sucess or failure America-success or failure is a broad topic. This question can be looked at differently from the multi-cultural races that make up America. The most likely theory is America is a success, but with continual change and improvement, she can become more. To prove this theory we will discuss essential events, from past to present that will champion this theory. The period we will cover is from the 1950’s to present day. The political mood, social changes, and domestic situations brought forth many changes in American history. To define America’s success, civil rights comes to the forefront. America has had a long history of racial and unequal rights division amongst its diverse ethnic groups. During the 1950’s, severe treatment of African Americans was very noticeable. Slavery may not exist today, but brutal treatment of blacks continued. Discrimination was a way of life for white America. The South may have lost the war but the battle continued. And Black Americans during these times were less then men in the eyes of many White Americans. Education changed many of the views of White Americans, and the will of certain Black Americans who, regardless of the consequences, were tired of being citizens but not equal. ‘In September 1946 President Harry Truman met with a group of African American leaders to discuss the steps that needed to be taken to achieve their goals. They asked for support of a Federal Anti-Lynching law, abolish a poll tax as a voting requirement, and establish a permanent board to prevent discriminatory practices in hiring. Congress refused to address any of these concerns.’(America Pathways to the Present) It is hard to believe such issues existed in America with such a large multi-racial representation as we have. However, momentum carried Civil Rights forward and brave people like Rosa Parks and Martin L. King brought attention to the wrongs that were being committed. These heroic acts met with violence from America. Technology was key in changing public opinion when this violence came into the living rooms of neutral Americans. Black unity grew and white support continues to grow. The dramatic turning point according to this theory was Martin L. King’s march on the capital and his famous speech “I have a Dream”. This event was the largest public protest against discrimination and the inspiration for better Civil Rights. There were open and silent threats against King and his supporters. But the desire to become first class citizens. And to be treated equal outweighed self-preservation. King’s speech embodied this fight for Civil Rights. ‘I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that one day in the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the Old Negro Spiritual: ‘Free at Last. Free at Last. Thank God almighty, we are free at Last.’ (Kings speech 1963) This speech and the untimely death of John F. Kennedy were turning points. Which enabled successor Lyndon B. Johnson (Vice-President) to get the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964? Title four of this act is one example of success in America. ‘Title VII banned discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, or national origin by employers and unions.’ (America pathways to the Present) The Voting Rights Act of 1965 also changed the political arena; this brought forth blacks to be elected to public office. These acts showed enormous progress in America. During this same time frame the women’s movement was also fighting for rights. Denied constitutional rights because of their sex and traditional status, women looked for empowerment in many areas of American society. Tired of being viewed as only being able to be homemakers, this spurred women to voice their displeasure of their station in life. Statements from two notable figures, Dr Spock and Adlai Stevenson a Democratic Candidate for president, ‘Dr Spock, a pediatrician, wrote a book The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, Telling women that they should stay home with their children if they wanted them to grow up stable and secure.’ ‘Then Adlai Stevenson reinforced this statement when he told a group of female college students, your assignments in life are to be wives and mothers.’ (America Pathways to the Present) These statements spurred Betty Friedan to publish an explosive critique called ‘The Feminine Mystique’. In short Betty Friedan claimed advertisers, social scientists, public officials and other organizations, all encouraged women to seek-fulfillment by being subservient to men or bearing children. But let’s look at the successes of women’s rights. Women now serve in the Army where before they were banned. They have made much advancement, but there is still need for improvement. If their advances are deemed failure, just go back in time and do the comparison. In 1866 Elisabeth C. Stanton and Susan b. Anthony formed an American Equal Rights Association, an organization for white and black women and men dedicated to the goal of universal suffrage’. (Lcweb2.loc.gov/amen/naw/naw/nawstime.html) The transformation of women’s rights has improved immensely. This is proven by the accomplishments of present day. Women now hold many positions of power, but there are still fighting to improve. We could go on and on about the organizational and occupational advancements women have made, but that would be a whole different subject. Our next topic area is going to be very sensitive subject in today’s society, but it is a topic that must be addressed that being Gay Rights. The Gag community has sometimes stated their situation to be not unlike tat of African Americans. Many moral, religious groups tend to disagree with their analogy of this point. In a 1999 poll, seventy percent of Americans polled supported the rights of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people to serve openly in the U.S. military, a 19-point jump from 1997. (NGLTF Policy Institute Report From Wrongs to Rights, PG 12.) The fact that the gay and lesbian community has made progressive accomplishment is proof that America is succeeding. Twenty years ago the mere mention of this could ruin a person’s life or career. With time and education the Gay and Lesbian community is gaining equal rights, but improvement is always needed. Many measures have been taken to block Gay and Lesbian rights for example a religious activist group failed in its efforts to place initiatives attacking the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community on the November ballot in four Michigan communities this week. Initiatives failed to make the ballot in Royal Oak, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Traverse City, while the results of a similar attempt in a fifth city, Grand Ledge, was not known.’ (NGLTF Policy Institute Report From Wrongs to Rights, Pg. 14) America is not perfect, but there is nothing to compare it with in the world. I hope that for the sake of our next generation who will inherit this country we will have and even greater success to speak about. Bibliography:

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