Today, the USA passes through a period characterized by a high level of social tension. The old conflicts, along with the opposition between the political parties, views, and mentalities, affected people in the state and made the future conflict inevitable. For this reason, the previous year triggered two broad social movements, such as Black Lives Matter and protests related to Presidential elections in the USA, ending with the Capitol Building Riot.
The events were preconditioned by various factors, resulting in differences in their evaluation, attitudes, and authorities’ response. These events can be viewed as critically important for modern US history. That is why there are multiple articles, papers, and photos devoted to them. The selected document highlights the Black Lives Matter and the Capitol Building Riot and differences in their treatment.
The discussed photo consists of two parts and depicts protesters trying to attract attention to their position and influence the government in their ways. The first image depicts people staying on the stairs of the Capitol Building with flags and their slogans, showing their support to Trump (Chason & Schmidt, 2021). The crowd consists of mostly white people in a high mood because of their feeling of power and the ability to impact the state by their actions. Another picture shows a group of people with their slogans on papers standing in the front of the White House (Chason & Schmidt, 2021). Their hands are raised, meaning that they are ready for actions and full of energy. The overall mood of the photo is also high and inspiring, as it shows one of the acts of democracy, which is central for the USA.
There are several reasons for selecting the photo. First, as stated above, it depicts the two fundamental events in the modern history of the USA. The freedom to assemble is one of the basic human rights that are protected by the Constitution. For this reason, the citizens of the USA can use it as a lever of influence to attract attention to problems affecting them and ask the government and the President to change something. However, from another perspective, the photo shows the differences in reasons that triggered these protests and how the police responded to them (Chason & Schmidt, 2021). The selection of the picture is also explained by another fact.
It shows that regardless of attempts to attain success in unifying the nation, it remains divided. People belonging to various social groups have different visions of the states’ future, how it should evolve, and what values cultivate. For this reason, being the attempts to express their opinion, the Black Lives Matter and the Capitol Building Riot also demonstrated the high level of aggravation in the society, and the selected photo shows it.
At the same time, the historical context of the photo is fundamental. Its two parts depict the symbolic buildings for the USA, such as the Capitol and the White House. Being the embodiment of the executive and legislative branches of power, they always attract the attention of people. For this reason, protesters selected them as the place for their meetings. At the same time, the photo touches upon another problem linked to the historical context.
Black Lives Matter activists are opposed by the police and armed men, while the Capitol attackers stand in the building, meaning that there was no severe resistance, and they were allowed to enter the area (Chason & Schmidt, 2021). This fact reflects the deep division in the US society and mentality of people. The police, as the central tool used by the government and the President to control the situation in the state, usually follow the dominant doctrine and reflect a central mood. At the same time, the police consist of individuals with various views, as there were multiple cases when officers supported Black Lives Matter activists and their visions.
In such a way, the photo has a significant historical context. It shows the division of the US society and the need for its unification. At the same time, it emphasizes the fact that in similar conditions, people can be treated differently, and the police can use various measures to resist the crowd, or disregard it and allow protesters to enter the restricted area. These events might become a reason for serious changes in the future, for this reason, their images are vital for improved understanding of recent events.
Altogether, the selected photo shows the Black Lives Matter protesters’ meeting at the White House and the Capitol Building Riot. The image is essential for realizing the social movements in the USA today and how people view them. The difference in how the police responded to these demonstrations is also vital for understanding the historical context and the social processes peculiar to the state. However, in both parts of the photo, people are in high moods, meaning they believe in what they do. For this reason, there is a need for the dialogue to find a compromise and the selected image proves it.
Reference
Chason, R., & Schmidt, S. (2021). Lafayette Square, Capitol rallies met starkly different policing response. The Washington Post. Web.