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SAMPLE THEMATIC ESSAY WITH A SCORE OF 5
The Declaration of Independence states that we shall never be denied the
rights of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." This is all well and good
in theory, but when tradition and prejudice are thrown into the mix, these
basic rights can be hard to protect. One group that has been denied their
rights time and time again is the African Americans.
Life has not been easy for blacks in America when they first came here,
they were slaves. When one is a slave, one is considered property (as
restated by the Dred-Scott decision). Property has no rights. Slaves were
bought, bred and sold as if they were horses or fowl. They were given the
worst tasks imaginable. They could not own anything, they could not
speak their mind, they could not vote. Right there, they are denied the
rights of suffrage, free speech, and the pursuit of happiness. Even after
the Civil War, life was not any easier for most African Americans.
The Emancipation Proclamation, drafted by Lincoln, did not free any slaves.
It made the Civil War all about ethical issues, though. It was the first step
to the 13th (freedom for slaves), 14th (for trial for blacks and protection
of rights), and 15th (black suffrage) Amendments. However, even while
those were in place, they were not always enforced. Jim Crow laws in the
south were a legal way to deny African-Americans their rights.
The catch phrase "separate but equal" was the racists' way of trying to
justify segregation. It wasn't until the Brown vs. the Board of Education of
Topeka case that "separate but equal" was found to be nothing of the sort,
and unconstitutional.
Rosa Parks was the spark that set off the Black Rights movements about
40 years ago. She refused to give up her sear on a bus to a white man.
This example of civil disobedience set the stage for Martin Luther King Jr.'s
appearance on the scene. He preached non-violent approaches – boycotts,
marches, strikes, etc. Some groups such as the Black Panthers opted for
more violent methods of getting the public's attention.
When Martin Luther King Jr. Was assassinated, he became a martyr. "I
have a dream" speech became the rally cry for civil liberties of African
Americans. The ball got rolling on enforcing the rights of blacks. It became
illegal to discriminate on basis of color. Separate facilities for use of blacks
and whites were made illegal. African Americans were allowed to reenroll in
predominantly while schools. The Jim Crow laws were put out of work, and
the little tricks (such as the Grandfather Clause and literacy tests) were
also outlawed.
Even though the rights of African Americans have come a long way since
colonial times, the fight still continues. Prejudice is still a problem, even
though discrimination is illegal. A document can only go so far; it takes a
change of heart to get people to support a law. Whether we like it or not,
complete equality can never be achieved unless we learn that the color of
ones skin does not determine their intelligence, their personality, or the
"context of their character (Martin Luther King Jr.)"
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