Human rights and civil rights are perceived as integral to every person, yet racial discrimination still exists in the modern world. One way for society to understand the effort the black population put into fighting for their liberties is by reading the book The Struggle for Black Equality: 1954-1992 by Harvard Sitkoff. The author discusses the belittling of black people and the preservation of white supremacy, describes how black citizens’ inability to vote escalated into them being assaulted and murdered, and explains how law facilitated racial barriers. Sitkoff depicts contrasts in funding education and civic services for black and white residents and why Southern African Americans could not openly protest at the beginning of the XX century (6). Sitkoff proposes that the situation was different in the North and presents how black individuals began claiming their rights (9). The book demonstrates a period in U.S. history when those in power led the nation into believing that black people were inferior to whites.
Alongside the legislative system repressing the black population, some officials supported the desegregation, but discrimination remained in public. Sitkoff writes that the changes implemented by the Roosevelt Administration did not change people’s mindsets, despite emerging concern about civil rights (10). While African Americans were given small liberties and favors, black people were not considered equal to white (Sitkoff 14). Many black citizens thought that school integration would lead the country to reject racial discrimination (Sitkoff 18). However, by describing the decision and execution regarding Brown v. Board of Education, Sitkoff suggests that the law could continue finding ways to disparage the black population (21-23). The book reveals the details of how African Americans were constantly deprived of basic rights and how racial inequalities affected the entire nation.
The topic concerning the liberties and struggles of black people is important to U.S. history because it reflects how the legislative system can manipulate minds and lives. Sitkoff states that a generation of influential individuals managed to find intellectual rationalizations for presenting white people as superior (4). While black citizens experienced numerous hardships, the white population believed in their natural supremacy due to segregation laws (Sitkoff 5). However, prolonged racial discrimination led to the civil rights movement, which signified an institutional change and reshaped American values (Mazumder 922). For example, the protests affected the opinions of many white Americans by making them more racially liberal nowadays (Mazumder 932). Overall, the subject is historically significant as it shows some flaws that existed in the country’s management, displays the wrongs of white supremacists, and demonstrates discrimination and the cost of restricting someone’s essential rights.
Continuous racial inequalities can affect how other countries view the U.S. For instance, during World War II, Japan used the U.S.’ racist treatment of non-white people to demonstrate the hypocrisy of the Americans and gain more supporters from China, India, and Latin America (Sitkoff 16). Moreover, the Soviet Union focused on discrimination against black people to criticize the American population in the eyes of African and Asian nations during the Cold War (Sitkoff 16). The topic of the civil rights movement can explain a prolonged period in U.S. history when the country was extremely unjust to its black citizens.
The civil rights movement is a meaningful part of U.S. history and is taught in classes but with some discrepancies. For instance, the topic is often presented from a “whitewashed” perspective, and the American classrooms typically focus on only well-known individuals and several pivotal moments (Anderson). Education concerning civil rights usually prioritizes names and dates rather than the controversy of the period (Anderson). On the other hand, Sitkoff discusses important facts but concentrates on the inequalities and hardships experienced by the black population, thus emphasizing the movement’s causes. Consequently, the subject is covered in history classes, but it appears that not many people are familiar with the material concerning the reasons African Americans had to begin demanding their rights.
The matter under discussion can show people whether racism still persists in the nation nowadays. Although the civil rights movement has promoted racial equality, the topic relates to groups who have been forgotten about because the white population continues discriminatory practices. In particular, the recent Black Lives Matter movement proves the existence of systematic racism, as African Americans are being dehumanized, abused, and killed by police (Clayton 448). Moreover, the subject is relevant because it concerns every person, indicating issues in the country. One can argue that if police officers who are meant to protect the nation think they can offend civilians, then any other authority may start unreasonably using their power against all citizens (Clayton 448). These days, the subject of the civil rights movement can teach people that the U.S. needs to continuously reflect on how it treats its residents, especially those coming from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds.
Works Cited
Anderson, Melinda. “A Better Way to Teach the Civil Rights Movement.”Edutopia, 2018.
Clayton, Dewey. “Black Lives Matter and the Civil Rights Movement: A Comparative Analysis of Two Social Movements in the United States.” Journal of Black Studies, vol. 49, no. 5, 2018, pp. 448-480.
Mazumder, Soumyajit. “The Persistent Effect of US Civil Rights Protests on Political Attitudes.” American Journal of Political Science, vol. 62, no. 4, 2018, pp. 922-935.
Sitkoff, Harvard. The Struggle for Black Equality: 1954-1992. Hill and Wang, 1993.