Civil Rights

I believe in civil rights for all people. Freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly are just a few of the great privileges that are taken for granted by American citizens. The civil rights movement was a big part of our country’s freedom, and when asked today, most people don’t know anything about it or that it even happened. It’s important to me to remember every day how lucky I am to live in a country where I have rights and where I’m able to make decisions based on my thoughts and opinions, and not those of the government or kings. I believe America’s civil rights.

Our country used to be filled with segregation, discrimination, and uncommon rules. Many other countries in the world are still experiencing theses problems today. For example, we know all too well about the problems the Middle East is facing. The sad thing is, that these problems have been occurring for hundreds of years. Different groups against each other, women being treated worse than the cattle, and wars taking place in children’s backyards every day. There are so many countries struggling to make ends meet and fighting for simple rights that Americans take for granted, such as being able to marry anyone you’d like or, and for women to be able to freely uncover their faces and hair while walking down the street or even in their own homes.

Thanks to many great leaders we’ve had in our country’s history, America has become a free country. The amazing thing about this is not only the rights we are allowed, but also the way our country still maintains a sense of decency and organization. For instance, we are granted freedom of speech, yet people are not running around yelling crude remarks or other inappropriate actions toward others. We are granted freedom of religion, and people do not throw their beliefs in each others face everywhere they go. Brown vs. Board of Education agreed that segregation in public schools is not right. And, today, we have honored that case as one of the most history changing court cases in U.S. history. Martin Luther King Day is still celebrated among all races. Women and African American rights are stronger than ever as we experienced two historical events in this year’s election. Hillary Clinton ran as the first woman president, and Barack Obama ran and won, to become the first African- American president. Over one million people gathered to welcome Obama into office on January 20, 2009.

When I look at this event and others like it, it’s amazing to me how our country has grown through the years. It gives me hope that all the problems we are facing as a country today will one day be solved as they were in the past. I believe in our civil rights, and I believe that with our rights, as Americans, we can help to change our country and make it better every single day. This is the land of opportunities, and I’m extremely lucky to get to be part of it to help these opportunities grow into ideas and events.