Human Rights

Human Rights

Through out American history we have endured much freedom of thought, civil and social battles. This country has come a very long way to be able to have established the rights we now have. We have been influenced by large groups of people and small groups. We have listened to the cries of an entire race of people to endeavor for change. But human rights only make significant strides through personal sacrifice from extraordinary individuals.

The inspired men who wrote the constitution of the United States of America came together to form a country that would be founded upon ideas that the world had never before known. They had overcome many boundaries that were set by Kings, Emperors, and groups of powerful men. To make just the effort for change from these men was admirable enough, but there were many individuals who exemplified themselves high above many others.

To recount a couple of the many problems we Americans have faced in the young years of a birthing country, we look at things like freedom of religion, civil rights, and slavery. We have progressed substantially since the 1800's when slavery was still legal, and in the 1700's when religious freedom was so precious to so many. We have always felt strongly that these things were important for our society.

Many people have died because of their convictions. They felt compelled to stand up for something they felt needed to be changed; something that the majority didn't recognize was a problem. If it were not for these people we may never have seen the importance of vicissitude. To understand what significance individuals have played in history we need to look closer at what has happened.

Throughout the mid to late 1800's Abraham Lincoln was very "outspoken" and opposed to slavery expansion. He is the main reason that African Americans today are no longer slaves. His work on the emancipation proclamation which freed all slaves within the Confederate states of America would later lead to the 13th amendment which abolished slavery everywhere in the U S. His work then was very controversial and obviously many people opposed his view. Lincoln was a very passionate man who recognized the well being of the citizens he represented. We see that in his Gettysburg Address he is willing to stand for freedom in saying ".. this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of Freedom and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.." Because of his strong stance and eventual abolishment of slavery, Lincoln had many enemies and eventually his convictions lead to his death.

You might ask yourself how one person can change the world. I would simply state one name, Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a man of character and of strength. Because of his unflinching faith, he was able to achieve a new order for civil rights. His achievements truly made a mark in the world. King was threatened, put in jail and at one time stoned for his work. His personal sacrifice for freedom made him stand above others. He was not a rich man. He was not a government man. He was a minister. But because he saw the turmoil and suffering that his people were going through day to day, he demanded a change. He fought for what was right without violence. His protests and demonstrations showed not only a politically incorrect way of life, but the sheer horrifying sides of it. Blacks were still, even though they were free, treated like the lowest people on earth. They were segregated in all aspects of life, everything from school to pools, to bathrooms, and even bussing. Martin Luther King realized that everything wasn't going to change on its own. So he set out to do just that, make a difference. He was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, and that's how he has gone done in history.

Studies have shown that people are terrified of standing out from the group. People were put in a room and one person was singled out (not to his knowledge). They were asked to answer very easy questions and everyone would share their answer. The group was instructed to answer the questions incorrectly. Even though the unknowingly singled out person knew that their answer was correct , they conformed to the group and answered incorrectly so as to not be seen differently. Because of this behavior we can better acknowledge why one person can truly make a difference. A majority of the time we agree one way or another as a whole society. At times we do lose focus on what this country stands for and we need to make our way back to verisimilitude. Through the efforts and strong wills of incredible individuals we can see where we swayed off the path, the path to freedom.

The "mother of the civil rights movement", said "I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people." Ms. Rosa Parks changed history and the world. Prior the 1950's blacks were not allowed to ride at the front of the bus. In fact if the bus was getting full a black person legally had to give up their seat to the white person. In December of 1955 a woman in her 40's was "tired." Not from working a long day, but "..was tired of giving in"(Rosa Parks). She was not a crazy protestor or any sort of public figure. She paid her bus fare and while in transit the bus began to fill up. She was confronted by the bus driver and told to move so a white passenger could sit down. This same bus driver had left her standing in the rain years earlier because she dropped her purse at the front of the bus and sat in a white seat to pick them up. But because she refused to move she was arrested and brought to jail. This simple act of standing up (or in Rosa Parks's case sitting down) for what was right sparked the largest rights movement in history, and eventually led to equality for all. She faced many hardships ahead that included being threatened and losing her job. Even her husband lost his job because of his wives protest. Eventually they would have to move because they could find no work in Montgomery, AL.

To be extraordinary is something that most people cannot claim. Even Rosa Parks did not view herself as someone of a high caliber. She was a normal woman who just simply wanted to know what her rights as a human being were. You cannot self proclaim extraordinary. To do so is egotistical and unwarranted. Through your simple and righteous acts people will see this.

There is no significant event in history that you can't trace back to a specific person who either suffered for that cause or stood at the