martin luther king jr | The Junkyard

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

The thirteenth amendment abolishing slavery after the civil war

The fourteenth amendment gives rights to former slaves. Over rules Dredd Scott

The fifteenth amendment allows people to vote regardless of their race.

List of some Jim Crow Laws intended to segregate and keep minorities from voting

Plessy v. Ferguson Delivers ‘Separate But Equal Clause’

NAACP is founded

1923 Women gain the right to vote

Brown v. Board of Education Repeals Plessy v. Ferguson. Also has famous ‘at all deliberate speed clause’

Eisenhower orders troops to Little Rock to allow students to go to school

Rosa Parks Refuses to Give up her seat on the bus

Kennedy Addresses Civil Rights

Kennedy’s Assassination

Martin Luther King’s reaction

Martin Luther King Jr. ‘I have a dream’ speech:

Martin Luther King’s Assassination

Robert F. Kennedy on Martin Luther King’s death

Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassination

Lyndon B. Johnson On Voting Rights Act

Controversial Affirmative Action Cases

McCain’s Concession Speech. Well done and tasteful

Obama’s Victory Speech

Two Cents on History

As everyone has already heard I’m sure, the next president of the United States is going to be Barack Obama.

Just let that sink in again.

Here are my thoughts about this historic accomplishment.

Symbols:

People are talking about Obama being a post-racial figure, but no matter what the race question was in play the entire time. Obama winning has marked a fundamental change in American society and an end to a long and dirty history. The American dream which was redefined by Martin Luther King Jr. has come to fruition. We can truly say that anyone can achieve any position in the U.S. regardless of the color of their skin now. As a domestic symbol, this will change the way we view our society. In addition, it has given the U.S. a reinvigorated standing in the world. After eight years of failed policies and unilateralism Obama marks a change in the way the world views the U.S. and if he conducts himself correctly, he will be able to rebuild America’s moral foundation.

Generations:

Obama’s victory is also significant to every generation that has participated in it. This has been a long time coming. Many from past generations and present ones have fought hard to allow something like this to happen. But it also signifies the rise of a new generation. I couldn’t be prouder to be part of that.

I was 15 years old when President Bush was first elected. Almost my entire adolescence has been a time where I have been ashamed of my federal government. One where I saw so many opportunities, and chances, but they all were squandered. My parents and my grandparents generations have always talked about what they’ve accomplished. From World War II to the Civil rights movement, there were things that these generations could say they contributed and accomplished. My generation had yet to do that; this was our opportunity and we succeeded.

Ignorance and Fear:

Another significant outcome of the election is that I think it marks a demarcation and failure of the politics of fear and ignorance. Campaigns have been sloshing and dividing the country with simple-minded attacks which have lacked substance. For example, the Dole’s campaign trying to paint her competitor as an Atheist, or the rumor mongering that Barack Obama was a Muslim. These tactics were used to poke fear and relied on the fact that people were ignorant. They assumed that people would care more about a persons religion, race, gender, friends, or anything else, than the actual issues facing the country.

They failed and this is truly a step forward for the country.

Republicans:

The Republican machine was completely overwhelmed. They had the most unpopular president in the history and had become disenfranchised.

Many are probably asking, “how did this happen?”

It was only a few years ago when the republicans were talking about having a majority for the next 20 years, but slowly they lost control of their power. Now their party is on the brink of implosion and really needs to redefine itself.

The Christian Right which propelled Bush into his reign has been surpassed. Part of that has to do with the failing of the fear culture Bush and Rove tried to promote.

The real losers are the moderate and traditional conservatives though. The Republican senators who still have their jobs are far more conservative than the one who lost their posts. The Christian Right has truly hijacked the party. If they don’t move away from fear and ignorance than I think the Republican party might be doomed. There needs to be more of a centrist movement. Here Obama is reaching out his hand and looking to work with, not against, the people who disagree with him.

I hope that many who have become disenfranchised with the Republicans looks to take his offer. It will mark a new chapter in American politics when, and if, this happens.

Hope:

Obama’s message is strong and one that appeals to the core of the American ideals. I’ve had the privilege to talk to a few Germans about the election. Many are still in disbelief that Obama is President, but the thing that has irked me is that most of them are still pessimistic about everything. They think someone is going to try and kill Obama, or that the politics of the U.S. are not going to really change. But being an American and knowing the significance of his victory I have to respectfully disagree with them. Obama has reinvigorated hope in America and his victory has marked a clear change in American politics.

Now his journey is not going to be easy, and he has a lot still to prove. But the opportunity he has created is remarkable and can’t be overlooked.

He has proven to America that something has changed, but he has yet to convince the rest of the world.