INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II

The Struggle for Liberty

There was a contradiction in the U.S. every day more clearly perceived as a social problem that will eventually tear the nation: slavery. It was the abolition of slavery which caused the main tension within the people of the United States in the 1800s and led to the American Civil War. What began as a bitter dispute over union and states rights ended as a struggle over the meaning of freedom in America. However, the Civil War did not give freedom to blacks in the United States, as shown in the policies against racism. The words of the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal had no sense for the million and a half of black people who were slaves. Thomas Jefferson was a beneficiary of the seventeenth-century turn to slavery; he was a slaveowner and actively participated in the buying and selling of slaves. Jeffersons ownership of lands and slaves made him one of the wealthiest men in Virginia. Yet, he continues to expand his slaveholdings. He felt profoundly ambivalent toward slavery, however. Jefferson acknowledged that the system was inhumane and incorporated in the Declaration a challenge to slavery, but the Southern delegates to the Continental Congress was forced to remove that part. The importation of slaves was outlawed in 1808, and many northern states urged the abolition of slavery, but the southern economy was based on huge plantations that used slave labour to grow cotton, rice, and sugar snuff. However, in several southern states, small populations of free blacks also worked as craftsmen or traders. By the time the nation was founded, slavery was dying in the north. There were doubts in the south, too, but few could conceive of any alternative. Then in 1793 Eli Whitneys invention made possible a huge increase in the amount of cotton grown by southern planters. Whitneys engine, or gin, made it easier to separate the cotton from its seed. Where before it had taken one slave ten hours to produce a single pound of lint, the cotton gin could produce a thousand pounds a day. Production soared and with it, the demand for slaves. In 1820, northern and southern politicians debated whether slavery would be legal in the western territories. Congress chose to agree: it allowed slavery in the new state of

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Culture of the English Speaking People II

Missouri and the territory of Arkansas, and was banned everywhere west and north of Missouri. But the point at issue is not disappeared, and while some abolitionist societies were organized, mainly in the north, white Southerners defended slavery with growing passion. The nation also was divided over the issue of high tariffs that protected Northern industries but rising prices for consumers in the south. In the next years the United States grew much bigger and the acquisition of new territories arouse a disturbing question- should slavery be allowed on the new American territory? Southerners wanted slavery to be extended to the new western territories. Northerners opposed. Abolition refers to the act of stopping something or being stopped. Abolitionism was the movement to end the slave trade and emancipate slaves in America. The Abolition movement group was inspired by passionate leaders; among them was Frederick Douglass, the son of a slave and a white man, "I appear before you this evening as a thief and a robber. I stole this head, these limbs, and this body from my master and ran off with them." He wrote an autobiography, purchased his freedom with money obtained from English admirers, and returned to the struggle. In 1831, William Lloyd Garrison began publishing an antislavery newspaper The Libertador. He called for complete and immediate abolition. I am in earnest. I will not equivocate. I will not excuse. I will not retreat a single inch, and I will be heard. He was heard, and his message was clear. Slavery was sin, and those who maintain it, criminals. Congress also passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which helped the southerners to recapture slaves who had escaped to free states. In 1857, the Supreme Court issued the Dred Scott decision, which held that blacks had no rights as American citizens and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in the western territories. However, some northern states did not enforce this law and the abolitionists were helping blacks escaping. In 1858, when Senator Douglas sought reelection, was challenged by Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party (a new party against slavery, and that had nothing to do with the Republican Party of Jefferson). In a series of historic debates with Douglas, Lincoln demanded a halt to the expansion of slavery. He was willing to tolerate in the southern states, but also stated that "this government cannot stand being permanently half slave and half free". Lincoln lost the Senate race, but in 1860 he and Douglas met

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Culture of the English Speaking People II

again: this time as the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. By then the tension between north and south was extreme. In 1859, John Brown, a fanatical abolitionist, had tried to start a slave rebellion in Virginia attacking an army munitions depot. Brown was quickly captured, tried and sentenced to hang, after which many northerners hailed him as a martyr. However, Southern whites were convinced that the North was ready to end slavery through a bloody war. Douglas urged the Southern Democrats to remain in the Union, but these in turn named their own presidential candidate and threatened to secede if the Republicans were victorious. Most in the southern states voted against Lincoln, but North supported him and won the election. A few weeks later, South Carolina decided by vote to leave the Union and soon was joined by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina. These states were proclaimed independent nation of the Confederate States of America and thus began the Civil War. Southerners declared that not only fought for slavery: after all, most Confederate soldiers were too poor to own slaves. The South was engaged in a war of independence: a second revolution. The Confederates usually had the advantage of fighting on their own territory, and their morale was excellent. They were magnificent infantry, cavalry and generals, but they were much fewer in number than the forces of the Union (northern). The railroad network and the southern industrial base could not sustain a modern war effort. Lincoln's two priorities were to keep America as one country and rid the nation of slavery. He acknowledged that making the war a fight against slavery could stop the Union for support both at home and abroad. Consequently, on 1 January 1863 issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which granted freedom to all slaves in areas still controlled by the Confederacy. The Civil War was the most traumatic episode of American history. The scars have not completely closed until today. All subsequent wars in which the United States has participated took place far beyond its borders, but this conflict devastated south and the region underwent a military occupation.

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INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II

The War resolved two key issues that had divided the United States since 1776: to end slavery, which was completely abolished by the 13th Amendment of the Constitution in 1865, and decided, once and for all, that the United States is not a collection of semi-independent states but one nation indivisible. After four years of bitter war, was preserved the Union and freed the slaves. Although the Northern victory in the Civil War ensured the integrity of America as a nation indivisible, many things were destroyed during the conflict, and the secondary objective of the war, the abolition of the slave system, was achieved only imperfectly . For blacks, it has been a long and painful struggle in search of equality. Many moved to northern cities, only to face new challenges. But a growing movement for civil rights continues struggling against stubborn social and economic systems in order to ensure equal opportunities for blacks in housing, education and work. The 1960s brought several important changes in different societies around the world. The civil rights movement occurred between 1955 and 1968, especially in the south of The United States. The objectives were to end discrimination against blacks. These struggles last long and were conducted in non-violent methods, so that all people have equal rights before the law. The turning point was in 1954 when the authorities issued a decree in favour of the black population. The Supreme Court's Office determined that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, a year after the court ruled that black students were integrated as quickly as possible. 1957 the school board of Little Rock, Arkansas, vote for the integration of black people in the school system. In 1955, King was asked to lead a boycott against a public transport company in Montgomery, following the arrest of a black woman after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger (Rosa Parks), Martin had also suffered in their own flesh discrimination on buses in Atlanta, where blacks had to go to the back of the bus and cede their seats to whites. During the 381-day protest, King was arrested and jailed; their homes destroyed and eventually received many death threats. The boycott ended in 1956 with a Supreme Court order banning segregation on public transportation in the city. The climax of the Civil Rights Movement came in 1963 when a mass of people gathered to demand full racial equality. It was there where Martin Luther King delivered

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INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II

his most famous and dramatic speech for millions of people. He spoke powerfully and persuasively about his desire for a future where black and white people and could coexist as equals. I have a dreamis the name of his popular speech where he uses many rhetorical devices in order to convey a powerful meaning, making reference to many historical moments of the cultural heritage. At the beginning of his speech, he makes a strong reference to an important period in the history of the struggle for the abolition of slavery. He makes use of direct quotations and allusion. King uses phrases and language of important cultural texts for their own rhetorical purposes. Near the beginning King alludes to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address by saying "Five score years ago ..." a special way to say "centenary" in English. This would be a strong way for King to begin a speech because it was in the Gettysburg address that Lincoln spoke of all men are created equal. The biblical allusions are also common. For example, King alludes to Psalm 30:5 in the second stanza of the speech. It refers to the abolition of slavery articulated in the Emancipation Proclamation, It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Another Biblical allusion is found in the tenth stanza: "No, no we are not satisfied and will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. This is an allusion to Amos 5:24. King also quotes from Isaiah 40:4 - "I dream that one day every valley shall be exalted ..." Martin Luther King speaks of the American Dream to be a land of peace and equality for all Americans no matter the color, race, or religion. In the second paragraph King says One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination he made use of the imagery figure of speech giving the people a vision of the Negro in chains and the manacles present to the peoples mind the selling of the person. It was a very effect ive method of remind the audience that the black person did not enjoy the same level of freedom that the white person did.

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INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II

Another device used by King was the metaphor. This devise is used to give a heavily message by comparing and contrasting two abstract things. It allows readers to associate the speech concepts with concrete images and emotions. Joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. It suggests that the American dream was made a real possibility for African Americans as a whole the day that Lincoln declared them free. The Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. The use of contrasting metaphors brigs up to the audiences mind striking images and powerful impressions about how different and miserable was the life of the black people. Rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. People had been pushing for equality before in history. However, politicians had been holding the matter for many years and saying that it will happen sooner or later. King urged the leaders that it is high time that the things change for them. This sweltering summer of the Negros legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. They are not going to give up easily. The will fight for their freedom until they get what they want. He says that if equality is achieved, then the bliss that follows will be comparable to a fair autumn after the previously mentioned hot summer. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. The Emancipation proclamation was a flashlight to the dark tunnel that was the lives of slaves. So what he is basically saying is a chance of hope for the millions of Negros. The repetition or restatement of an idea at intervals not only promotes clarity, but encourages the acceptance of an idea. His repetition of the phrase "I have a dream" several times helped it to become one of the most memorable and inspirational speeches in the nation's history. Emphasis through repetition makes these phrases more memorable, and, by extension, make Kings story more memorable.

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Culture of the English Speaking People II

Martin Luther King makes reference to specific acts of injustice against African Americans in his speech. Those acts were Slavery, Segregation, Discrimination and Poverty. The goals of the Civil Right Movements were to end with those acts of injustice against African Americans and racial segregation, especially in the southern states. Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) makes reference to the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance. Tactics of nonviolent resistance, such as bus boycotts, freedom rides, sit-ins and mass demonstrations, were used during the African American Civil Rights Movement. This movement succeeded in bringing about legislative change, and making separate seats, drinking fountains, and schools for African Americans illegal. Martin Luther King Jr. developed a list of facts to help people understand non-violent resistance and join with him in his vision, one of those facts are that non-violent resistance is based on the belief that the universe is just. There is God or a creative force that is moving us toward universal love and wholeness continually. Therefore, all our work for justice will bear fruit the fruit of love, peace, and justice for all beings everywhere. Reconstruction was bitterly resented by the majority of Southern whites, some of whom formed the Ku Klux Klan, a violent secret society that hoped to protect the interests and advantages of whites terrorized blacks and preventing them from achieving social progress. They chased the supremacy of the white race. This organization had used terrorism, violence and intimidation to the Negros. Freedom is more than just ending the system of slavery on paper--it means economic, political and social freedom. During the Reconstruction eras, economic restrictions, segregationist policies in education, housing and public facilities and lack of voting rights kept African-Americans from truly achieving the freedom that white U.S. citizens enjoyed. For many people the civil rights movement ended with the death of Martin Luther King in 1968, however, for many others movement is still alive today, because the goal of full equality has not been achieved yet.

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INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II

Abraham Lincoln(center): The U.S Civil War President

First reading of the Emancipation Proclamation

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INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II

The Emancipation Proclamation

That all men are created equal

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INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II

Separated but equal. These pictures convey the cruel meaning of the legal doctrine during the Civil Rights Movement. African-Americans and whites where separated, but were supposed to have access to the same quality of facilities.

Women protesting the unfair laws of segregation in public places

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INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II

Rosa Parks: arrested for refusing to give up her seat in a bus to a white man.

Emmet Till: a 14-year-old African American boy. He was kidnapped, brutally beaten, murdered, and dumped in the Tallahatchie River. The reason: he whistled and talked to a white woman.

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Culture of the English Speaking People II

African-American citizens sitting in the rear of the bus in compliance with Florida segregation law

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INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II

Martin Luther King delivering his speech: I Have a Dream

View of the interior of a classroom at the racially segregated Monroe Elementary School in Topeka, Kan.

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INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II Civil rights demonstrator attacked by a police dog

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INSTITUTO DE NIVEL TERCIARIO JUAN MANTOVANI Profesorado para la EGB3 y para la Educacin Polimodal en Ingls

Culture of the English Speaking People II

Bibliography
O Callaghan D. B. An Illustrated History of the U.S.A. Longman Group UK Limited 1990. Takaki, Ronald. A Different Mirror: a History of Multicultural America. 1st Ed. 1993 Skipp, Francis. American Literature.

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