Slavery versus the Civil Rights Movement - Essay Example

Slavery versus the Civil Rights Movement Introduction When two specific social phenomena have to be analyzed and evaluated it is necessary thattheir main aspects are primarily identified as of their influence on the development of the culture and ethics in a particular era. In USA most of the initiatives related with the improvement of the position of people in society have been characterized by a strong contradiction; many efforts are made for the protection of all aspects of human rights but the rate of violation of these rights seems to increase through the years. On the other hand, there are social phenomena that have their origin in the past and only specific aspects of these phenomena can be identified in current society. Slavery has been a severe problem not only for USA but for all countries around the world; the specific phenomenon can be considered as quite ‘old’ – various forms of slavery were developed in the ancient years in many societies – Egypt is an indicative example of a country in which slavery was quite developed in the upper past. In USA slavery is a phenomenon appeared rather late – if compared with other countries around the world where slavery existed even from the ancient years. In years between 1800 and 1860 slavery in USA was highly developed; the specific crisis is examined and analyzed in this paper with reference (and comparison) to the Civil Rights Movement of 1950s and 1960s in the above country. The above mentioned political movements can be considered as expressions of the views held in the literature regarding the existence and the development of slavery in countries internationally – as this phenomenon violates the human rights and specifically the right to freedom – a fundamental right for all human beings. 2. Slavery in the US from 1800 to 1860 – main aspects In USA, slavery is related with the political choices of a particular period; the years between 1800 and 1860 can be characterized as the period in which slavery was highly developed across USA. It should be noticed that apart from the political practices and decisions, the social and the cultural ethics in the specific country at that period supported the expansion of the phenomenon across the country. Moreover, slavery was more developed in the Southern part of the country (than the North); for many researchers the different view on the specific issue between the politicians (also the people) of the North and those of the South regions of USA was the main reason for the war between these two regions. On the other hand, despite the fact that slavery is a phenomenon that lead to the elimination of rights of slaves, politicians and people in the Southern part of the USA insisted – referring to the particular period, i.e. the early 19th century – that no particular violation of the rights and the personal life of slaves involved; slavery was considered to be rather an ‘obligation’ of specific part of the population (of black people), a condition similar to work. Regarding this issue, it is noticed by Dunaway (2005, online article) that ‘even though 40 percent of Upper South slaves were forcibly relocated to fuel Lower South production of export staples, supporters of the dominant paradigm claim that owners rarely sold slaves and that it was not economically rational for masters to interfere with black families’. In general, it could be stated that slavery in USA – especially for the years 1800-1860 – was a phenomenon that led to severe contradictions between the North and the Southern parts of USA; different aspects on slavery existed in these two regions (in fact in North USA slavery was not accepted as violating the rights of people and especially the right of freedom). Towards the same direction, politicians in the above two regions tried to enforce their views across the country – an effort that led gradually to the development of war between these two areas. The role of politicians in USA regarding the development of social and cultural ethics across the country has been examined in the literature. In the study of Schofield (2003, 5) it is supported that ‘Lincolns strategy in 1858-60 was to persuade free labor in the northern and western states; for southern voters, the North consequently appeared to be a `tyrannical majority, whose creation violated the constitutional logic of Union, and legitimated secession’. In other words, slavery in USA for the period 1800-1860 can be described as a social phenomenon which led to severe conflicts not only in the political but also the military arena. Different views on slavery were developed in North and South USA and these views influenced the political choices of leaders in the above areas. 3. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s in the USA The appearance and the development of the Civil Rights Movement in 1950s and 1960s in USA are related with the political and social conditions of the country at that specific period. In the literature, the characteristics of Civil Rights Movement have been given different evaluations in accordance with the framework used for their interpretation. In this context, it is noticed that ‘the civil rights movement was able to overthrow the Southern Jim Crow regime because of its successful use of mass nonviolent direct action; because of its effectiveness and visibility, it served as a model that has been utilized by other movements both domestically and internationally’ (Morris, 1999, 517). In the above study no specific reference to the characteristics of the Civil Rights Movement is made; only its importance for the development of the political decisions of that period is made. However, it should be noticed that the Civil Rights Movement in USA can be given many different interpretations – as in all its aspects. In the literature it has been proved that the above Movement was not just a political effort led by Martin Luther King; highly important social interests are involved in the specific Movement. Indicatively, it is noticed by Theoharis (2006) that the Civil Rights Movement in USA can be characterized as ‘a national black freedom movement populated, shaped, and led by local people in communities across the country that began in the 1940s and 1950s and extended through the 1970s, that married self-defense with nonviolent direct action and radical economic critiques with desegregation protest with international solidarity’ (Theoharis, 2006, 348). In other words, the Civil Rights Movement in USA could be also characterized as a Social Rights Movement involved in all aspects of the daily life of black people across USA. Not only their rights as citizens but also their rights as people where under question through the specific Movement; it is for this reason that this Movement played a key role in the acceptance and recognition of the rights of black people in all aspects of social life (i.e. no limitation to the so-called political rights existed in this case). Terms 4. Conclusion - Slavery v. Civil Rights Movement in USA The Civil Rights Movement could be characterized as the answer of black people to the continuous efforts for limitation of their rights but also of the decrease of their role in the development of the various political and social decisions. The relation between the above Movement and the phenomenon of slavery (that was developed particularly in the 19th century as explained above) is obvious. The comparison between the two specific social and political phenomena can lead to the development of interest assumptions regarding the power of public to intervene in the formulation of political decisions in all countries around the world. In order to understand the differences or the common points between the above two social phenomena it is necessary to refer to the relevant views of the literature that explain the reasons for the development of both the above phenomena across USA. Regarding specifically the Civil Rights Movement in USA, different views have been developed in the literature regarding its appearance and its development across the country. In accordance with Putnam ‘the 1960s marked a watershed beyond which social capital in the United States declined in all regions’ (Ling, 2006, 202) while Morris ‘identifies the indigenous resources of southern African American communities as fundamental to the civil rights movement’s emergence in the late 1950s’ (Ling, 2006, 202). In other words, the Civil Rights movement was resulted because of the increase of participation of black people in the various parts of social and political life in USA. In fact, the regulation of the rights of black people across the country has been proved a challenging task for politicians in all regions of USA. This difficulty can be potentially explained because of the significant percentage of black people within the country’s population (a decision on the rights of black people was considered as related with the daily social and political life of all people across USA). Regarding this issue, it is stated that ‘black civil rights agendas encompassed complex issues of urban policy and planning, and structures of municipal governance’ (Lang, 2008, 609). It is clear from the above that political rights of black people in USA were developed under the influence of severe social and political conflicts; slavery was a phenomenon that led to the increase of willingness of black people in order to ask and fight for their rights in USA. Otherwise, i.e. if the phenomenon of slavery was not developed across USA, the development of political and social rights of black people in USA would have been delayed significantly. Slavery was developed mostly in the 19th century but it took a while (within the century that followed) for black people to fight for their rights. On the other hand, slavery refers to specific conditions of life; the Civil Rights movement referred to a series of issues ensuring the protection of rights of black people to many aspects of political and social life – not only freedom was put under examination (this rights is mainly eliminated in slavery) but all black people’s rights were set under examination and appropriate customization in order to ensure the equality in all aspects of social and political life of people in USA no matter their cultural or racial origins. Acrony References Dunaway, W. A. (2005, Aug) "Challenging the Dominant Paradigm: The World Market in Cotton, Forced Labor Migrations and Disruption of U.S. Slave Families" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Marriott Hotel, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, Philadelphia, PA Online Retrieved 2008-06-12 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p20432_index.html Lang, C. (2008) Civil Rights versus ‘Civil Process’. Journal of Urban History, 34(4): 609-638 Ling, P. (2006) Social Capital, Resource Mobilization and Origins of the Civil Rights Movement. Journal of Historical Sociology 19 (2), 202–214 Morris, A. (1999) A retrospective on the Civil Rights Movement: Political and Intellectual Landmarks. Annual Review of Sociology, 25: 517-539 Schofield, N. (2003) Constitutional Quandaries and Critical Elections. Politics, Philosophy and Economics, 2(1): 5-36 Theoharis, J. (2006) Black Freedom Studies: Re-imagining and Redefining the Fundamentals. History Compass, 4(2): 348 Read More