The achievement of civil rights so slow in the period 1954-1957 Essay Example for Free

The achievement of civil rights so slow in the period 1954-1957 Essay Why was the progress towards the achievement of civil rights so slow in the period 1954-1957? From 1954-1957 significant legal progress in the field of civil rights was made, thus instilling confidence in the black community, however due to a number of factors putting these achievements into practice was halted and so civil rights progressed at a slow rate throughout this period of time. In 1954 Brown Vs Topeka was brought before the Supreme Court, with Brown winning the appeal with a unanimous vote. This was a landmark verdict, due to the fact that the judge, Earl Warren had been newly appointed by President Eisenhower and was a Southern Republican, therefore he disobeyed Eisenhower with the decision. Eisenhower was later stated as saying, The biggest damn fool mistake I ever made. Therefore demonstrating the Presidents lack of support for the ruling. It was a triumph for the NAACP who had provided the lawyer Thurgood Marshall and had pushed the case through. It overthrew Plessy Vs Ferguson and so was expected to bring about a dramatic change for black civil rights. Although in principal Brown should have brought about a significant change, the progress from the court decision, to putting desegregation in schools into practice was very slow. This was partly due to the court hearing, as no date was set for when the desegregation of schools must be completed, this resulted in the whites ignoring the court hearing, so maintaining the same ignorant attitude as before. However the court decision had empowered the black community and so Brown II was brought before the courts in 1955, again however this did not result in a definite result. President Eisenhower was also a significant reason for the slow progress of civil rights. When he took over from President Truman, he inherited the beginnings of a strong civil rights campaign, however Eisenhower did not share this same drive. He failed to take substantial leadership towards enforcing the verdict, as he was afraid of stirring up opposition, resentment and disorder in the South. He also did not believe that it was appropriate to interfere in individual state matters, although general consensus suggests that if he had shown strong leadership then the bill would have been put into practice at greater speeds. He believed that race relations would gradually improve on their own accord. Although Brown Vs Topeka overthrew Plessy Vs Ferguson, after the ruling no steps were taken to desegregate public places, again showing the slow progress. However the black community were fed up and so decided to take the matter into their own hands with the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The black community in Montgomery was organised through the NAACP and led by Martin Luther King. Originally they only intended to boycott the buses for a day in order to achieve a more polite service from the bus drivers, employment of black drivers and the end of blacks standing when the bus was not full. However they met opposition from Montgomerys all white officials. This represents why progress was slowed down, as all decisions were met by substantial opposition from whites, forcing any actions to be dramatic, in order to get them to accept their views. This resulted in a yearlong boycott of the Montgomery buses in order to receive total desegregation on the buses. Within this time the White Citizens Councils membership doubled from 6000 to 12,000 from February to March. The boycott attracted national media coverage, showing that the greater publicity that the blacks attracted, the more the whites stuck together in order to create a strong opposition and prevent change. However in this case the blacks economic power was stronger than the white resistance and so in December 1956 the boycott was called off. This shows how much effort it took to achieve progress, however even then it was limited, as the success was only limited to the buses in Montgomery, however it acted as an example for other departments and cities, to what could be achieved through non-violent protests. This was also demonstrated in the case of Emmett Till. When the 14-year-old boy was murdered his mother decided to bring his body home to Chicago and have an open casket. This attracted 100s of the black population that dominated Chicago and the national press to attend. This mass of media coverage, not only united the blacks, and made the moderate whites aware and sympathetic of the cause, but it also ruined any chance of a fair trial. This is because the whites accused the NAACP of using the case as propaganda, so creating a Northern backlash. The southern population then closed ranks, making it harder to prosecute. This again shows that the more publicity that black civil rights was given, the greater the white opposition that they had to face. However this only made the black community more determined. The case of Emmett Till was significant as at first it showed some progress towards a fair trial, with the men accused of lynching arrested, usually they would not have been prosecuted, and a black man standing up and accusing a white man in court. However the jury was composed of 12 white males, and in the defences closing speech he said, I hope every last Anglo-Saxon one of you makes the right decision. Therefore again showing how when accused the whites stuck together. Again throughout this case Eisenhower gave no leadership and did not intervene, as he did not think that federal intervention was appropriate, and did not want to or aim to do anything to alleviate black problems, even when Emmett Tills mother requested his help. Showing again how little progress had been made. Throughout this time, there were strong black leaders, Martin Luther King, and people that The NAACP used for test cases, Rosa Parks and the 9 children in Little Rock. These set examples to the black community, that through courage and determination, slowly change was possible. However many were not willing to make this commitment, like the 16 children who changed their minds about attending Little Rock High School after passing the exam. This was due to the increasing white resistance and discrimination that they faced. Martin Luther King was arrested for doing 30mph in a 25 mph zone, and his house was bombed. As well as this death threats were sent to the childrens houses and they were spat at as they walked down the street. White resistance included the establishment of the Southern Manifesto, which was drafted by Senator Sam Ervin and promised to fight the Brown verdict by legal means. Showing that there was still huge resistance to change, and integration. So making it difficult for progress to continue. As well as this the establishment of the White Citizens Council, which was used as opposition in the Montgomery bus boycott. It was formed to protest the federal government acting dictatorially and seeking to impose its values and opinions on others. This acted as an excuse for Eisenhower, who had little intention of interfering anyway, again slowing down progress. On 3rd of September 1957 9 black children, who had sat and passed an entrance exam, attempted to enter Central High School. However they were met by a hostile crowd of white adults who blocked their way, while shouting abuse such as Nigers go back to the jungle. This was the first significant step towards putting the Brown decision into practice and so attracted a lot of criticism. It signified that the ruling met tremendous grass-roots resistance when put into practice. And so although blacks tried to push segregation, it was clear that it would take a long time for the whites to accept it. On top of this neither local nor national authorities were keen to enforce Brown, which was shown by Governor Faubus. He decided to exploit white racism in this situation, in order to ensure re-election. In this way he stirred up the crowd and ordered the Arkansas National Guard to bar the school, sending a strong message of hatred to the black students. The images of harassment and violence towards the children by aggressive white adults, again, like in the case of Emmett Till acted as propaganda. This was a victory for the NAACP as it created a wide spread moderate opinion. However Faubus who closed all the schools in Little Rock in1959, preventing black or white from attending, in order to prevent integration, again showing that more than a court decision was needed in order to establish desegregation, again slowed progress down. As a result of the crowds and harassment of the children at Little Rock Eisenhower was forced to act. He had attempted to negotiate a settlement with Faubus, however the children were still not allowed to enter the school and the white violence in the streets became more aggressive, so Eisenhower sent in 10,000 troopers of the Arkansas National Guard. This was significant, as he had said that he could never envisage sending in federal troops to enforce federal court rulings. This was the only time in the 1950s that Eisenhower used his federal authority to intervene in the Brown decision. In this way the children were permitted to enter the school, signifying how the process could have been sped up, if he had acted sooner. However his actions were due to an, inescapable responsibility for enforcing the law, rather than a belief in integration. Again showing his lack of leadership and commitment to the cause, meaning that it was hard to put the brown decision into practice. In 1957 a Civil rights bill to ensure the black vote was proposed, however again this met criticism. Democratic senators worked to weaken the bill, as they thought it would damage national and party unity. Again Eisenhower showed little leadership, claiming that he did not really know what was in the bill and so did not fight to keep it intact. Along with the filibustering by Storm Thurmond, it resulted in a much weakened bill, not allowing blacks to exercise the right to vote as those who were prosecuted with obstruction would be tried in an all white jury and let off. This shows that from 1954-57 little progress was made, as although ideas are initially passed when put into practice it takes along time for them to be accepted, and so slow progress is made. To conclude from the evidence above it is clear that the building blocks of a strong civil rights campaign were begun between 1954-57, with the shocking legal decision of Brown Vs Topeka. However it is shown that although a decision was made in court, it does not mean that putting it into practice will be quick or easy. It shows that the more united the black community was and the harder that they pushed for change, the more stubborn the whites became, so making the changes impossible to implement without a fight. This case was not helped by the lack of leadership from Eisenhower, as his silence was interpreted as a lack of support for the cause, so discouraging other whites to back it. The lack of progress is shown by the fact that by 1964, a whole 10 years after the Brown decision, only 2/3 of the USAs black high school students attended de-segregated high schools. Therefore it is clear that between 1954-57 the achievement of civil rights progress was slow.

George Orwell and Animal Farm and 1984 Essay -- comparison compare con

George Orwell and Animal Farm and 1984 George Orwell is only a pen name. The man behind the classics Animal Farm and 1984 was named Eric Arthur Blair and was born to a middle class family living in Bengal in 1903. Eric Blair got his first taste of class prejudice at a young age when his mother forced him to abandon his playmates, which were plumber's children (Crick 9). He could then play only with the other children in the family, all of whom were at least five years older or younger than Eric (Crick 12). This created in him a sense of alienation that plagued him all his life and seems to be reflected in the bitter decay and loneliness he later expressed in his novel 1984. As he moved around unsuccessfully from job to job, he never really developed a sense of self-worth. His childhood self-esteem had already been scarred by his bed wetting habit, of which Orwell Biographer Jeffrey Meyers writes that it "was only the first of endless episodes that made Orwell feel guilty: he was poor, he was lazy and a failure, ungrateful and unhealthy, disgusting and dirty minded, weak, ugly, cowardly" (23). His writings, under the name of George Orwell, and specifically his two major novels, mentioned above, contain themes warning readers of the dangers present in modern society, a world he saw as bleak and repressive through the filter of his unhappy childhood and two world wars. Despite their sometimes dark settings, his works are very accessible, which has made him popular among those not usually comfortable with more intellectual fiction. But his works do discuss serious themes and contain a specific focus, making them valid pieces of literature and not just popular fiction. Animal Farm is Orwell's... ...is rule. 1984 shows the tendency of the dictator to want to control every aspect of a people's actions, feelings, and thoughts. A single man, with absolute power over a country's military, government, and minds, inevitably produces a lower standard of living, a constant fear of being arrested, and a trend of state sanctioned murders in order to establish and uphold the regime. This modern danger, along with Orwell's expression of his own personal alienation, is what is depicted through the dark humor of Animal Farm and the poverty and paranoia of 1984. Works Cited Crick, Bernard. George Orwell: A Life. Boston: Little, Brown, 1980. Meyers, Jeffrey. A Reader's Guide to George Orwell. Ottowa: Rowman and Allanheld, 1975. Orwell, George. 1984. New York: The New American Library, 1961. Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: Penguin Books, 1946.

Mothers are Fathers

The Parenting styles of mothers and fathers are very different. While being the two most important people in any child’s life the parents can have a varying influence on their offspring. The difference can be suggested as being gender based or merely temperamental. Whatever, the case that the differences exist cannot be argued. The parenting style has an influence in every sphere of a child’s life. From the peers relationships they have to the self confidence they establish. The socialization of the child is largely dependent on the individual parenting styles.So what is so different between the father and the mother? Notably mothers are seen as more caring. This is the rule rather than the exception, though exceptions do exist. Mothers are more emotional and their interaction with the child is such that children usually take their discipline without much adversity. They are seen to be loving and open to communication. Fathers on the other hand are less openly affection ate, have more of an harshness to their tone are more firm in their discipline. Mothers are often more subjective in their judgments and thus more forgiving.They protect their child more easily and are hard pressed to admit failure within a child’s attempt. Fathers usually balance this out by playing roughly, being more objective and pushing the child to do more. While the home situation in the current society is changing the traditional homes had the father as the primary caretaker. He came home after a long days work and wanted nothing more than peace and quiet. This meant that he was stricter with the children and most of the time spent was in discipline rather than interacting openly.Communication was usually stilted and the main caretaker was the mother. Mothers acted as the go between as the father and child struggled to gain an understanding of each other. The father was seen as the quiet and loving man, who was harsh, not very indulgent and delved out the discipline. There has been a lot of criticism about the role of fathers. They are not emotional enough, they give their child too little support and they are at times to blunt in their dealings. Regardless, of these criticisms the fact is statistics suggest that fathers are extremely important to the family.There parenting style may be different but it helps balance out the style presented by the mother consider that a child in a fatherless home is 20 times more likely to end up in prison and 14 times more likely to commit rape and 20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders. [Brandenburg, 2007] Fathers have a different physical interaction with their children. Being more physical in their play they ‘toughen’ up the kids and show them how to play rough without getting hurt. Mothers are not usually ready to take the risk with their child.Fathers will come home and throw their child in the air while the mother usually admonishes him to be careful. Fathers are the first love of any girl. The father serves as the role model for the daughter and a strong positive relationship with the father helps the girl have a better emotional relationship in the future. They also serve to control their son’s behavior in a better manner. Physically men are stronger than women and at a certain stage kids begin to understand this. That is why the mother loses control while the father acts as the barrier.All youth go through rebellion and a father is simply better equipped to physically curtail the child, not through physical abuse rather through sheer presence. [Fraenkel, 2006] Mothers are caring and provide the safety net. Children know that no matter what the mother will always be there for them. They are the soothers and the ones who help the child through emotional problems through their simple presence. That both parents are necessary cannot be argued but how important is it for both the parents to be present to make an effective family?Mothers in the past staye d at home and fathers went to work. The constant interaction with the child for the mother made her feel closer to the child. The mother associated her life with the child’s the world usually revolved around the child. Maybe that is why the parenting style of the mother was the way it was. Since fathers were away from the child’s daily routine they could be more objective and thus be seen as the authority figure. Today the scene has changed. The systematic breakdown of the traditional form of the family has changed the dynamics.Mothers are working outside the home, they are not able to give as much time to the child as they would have been if they were born two decades ago. The mother who was seen as the caretaker has switched roles. The mother is today a person who is stretched to have quality time with the child. Single parent families further aggravate the situation. From being tolerant and lenient mothers have changed into being at times as strict as the fathers. I n the past the mothers saw the world in respect to the kids but now they see the kids in contrast to the world.Where fathers were the blunt one’s preparing the kids for the real world, today mothers do the same. However, no matter how much things have changed, the differences remain. Mothers are still too soft for the good of the kids, at least in normal circumstances. Women are naturally more communicative and open about their emotions. They find it easy to tell their child they love him throughout the day. They feel no hesitation in giving hugs and kisses regardless of the child’s age. Fathers as men are more reluctant to be the same way.Though the ‘sensitive’ man is the phrase of the decade the fact is fathers are less likely to tell their adolescent child they love them. Physically and emotionally they distance themselves from the child naturally when the child reaches adolescences. That is where the main communication gap emerges. Women still reach ou t, men never force the issue. Mothers and fathers are naturally and genetically different, they respond to their child as man and woman and the difference between the two sexes can largely determine the difference between mothers and fathers. [Peters, Peterson et al, 2000]

Nycaps and City Time a Tale of Two New York City

NYCAPS and City Time: A Tale of two New York City 1. How important were the NYCAPS and CityTime projects for New York City? What were their objectives? What would have been their business benefits? * Importance of NYCAPS and CityTime projects for New York City: 1. To reduce the paperwork used handling employee benefits and job changes. 2. To save labor and IT costs for New York City. 3. To control overtime payments to the city employees and improve accountability. 4. To reduce the mismanagement of the system and to deliver the information accurately. * Objectives of NYCAPS and CityTime Projects: 1. To create a modern automatic system that is used for managing and updating the personal information for†¦show more content†¦They were billing at rates that reflected many more consultants than were actually on the job, and that the company was using recent college graduates and interns to perform the work, all while billing the city at much higher rates typically used for experienced workers. * Accenture has put the blame on the city for increasing the scope and functionality of the project beyond the original specifications while it was being developed. * As time passed and the city grew desperate for a functioning version of the system, the city abandoned development on many of the capabilities that the system was intended to have. * The city has a live version of NYCAPS, but thousands of retirees still cannot access the site and thousands more current workers are not included in the system. Even worse, NYCAPS was built to run on the same old legacy systems that used the previous patchwork system, despite the fact that upgrading legacy technology was a major reason for the project’s development in the first place. Problems encountered by CityTime and Factors responsible for these problems: * In an ironic twist, the project has instead been permeated with fraud at every level, and engineers from the main consulting organization, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) were charged with fraud. * The alleged criminal scheme extended across virtually every level of (CityTime); contractors