In the past few days we have been exploring the concept of the American Dream within prominent pieces of poetry. We've heard from voices like Langston Hughes, Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, but now it's time to look at the true stories of the Civil Rights Movement that will lead us into our next work, "A Raisin in the Sun."
HISTORIC PLACES OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
A look into the rich history of our country's adjustment from the late 1800's into the1950's, this website allows for us to read the stories that precede and follow those of the characters we will be reading about soon. I would like for you to start off by reading the Introduction before proceeding to the Itinerary Map. From here, I would like you to read over a few of the locations to read about them and the people who were influenced by the area.
After you finish reading, reflect on how the stories connect with our discussions about the American Dream. How is it defined by these stories? What kinds of conflicts are faced in reference to the dream? etc... Give clear examples from the site to make your claims.
When you finish, go ahead and start working on your Graduation Project Proposal. Save the file to your H:/ drive and begin filling it out. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will attend to them. Remember to save and possibly even send it to yourself via email at the end of the class period.
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"Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" pretty much defines it all. This relates to the American Dream, because all the African Americans really wanted was their freedom and equal rights and the end of segregation. Today, our American Dream is different than that, because as the world changes, so does the concept of the American Dream.
ReplyDeleteAfrican Americans face conflicts as they try to acheive the American Dream, and so do people these days, even though they are not the same type of challenges.
The American Dream. This phrase has a multitude or meanings. There is not a set in stone definiton of what this means. People all over the world have their own views and feelings on what the American Dream is. These aritcles had more to do with how the African Americans viewed the American Dream. "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" They were oppressed for a very long time, and they yearned to be set free. Their American Dream was to be treated like a normal human being. All they wanted was basic rights, that all people deserve! For them their American Dream was possible, through years of hard work and devotion.
ReplyDeleteThe piece that i choose to comment about was the one that occurred in Greensboro, North Carolina at the F.W. Woolworth building. I think this event was extremely significant in the civic rights movement because it kicked of a new tactic toward the abomination of segregation. And it worked!!. The article stated that... "by summer,33 southern cities, including Greensboro,had integrated their restaurants and lunch counters. This piece relates to the poem by Langston Hughes called " I,too, sing America. It relates because he talks about the whites sending him into the kitchen to eat, but he will soon join them in dining. These students stood up for what they believed and achieved their goal.
ReplyDeleteThe American dream i think should be within everyones reach but everyone has the right to take the next step and reach out for it. the words of Thomas jefferson life,libertiy and pursuit of happiness is really what the ture amercian dream is. Africans faced many conflicts to get to where they are today and they still face more even though they could be of a different level or standard. these stories are the history of many people who strived for the american dream thats what i believe anyway.
ReplyDeleteThese stories and events are apart of the American Dream. The dream for many African Americans of the time period was to be free. Through the efforts of the men and women of the Civil Rights movement, their dreams came true. Without this movement it would be hard to understand the dreams of African Americans now. The people of this movement made sur ethat future generations could have the ability to dream and achieve whatever they want. The pursuit of happiness was meant for all Americans, the civil rights movement made sure include the African Americans.
ReplyDeleteThe American dream to the African Americans was nothing more than freedom and rights. All they wanted from America was their freedom, and that include all the freedoms of the whites. African Americans used their devotion towards this for the civil rights movement and had sit-ins and boycotts. They really wanted the American dream which was just their freedom and their rights.
ReplyDeleteThe American Dream can be defined as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" which is what we talked about in class. These articles decribed how many minorities (mostly African Americans) fought for freedom and happiness. This is, what they believed to be, the American Dream. Everyone interprets the American Dream in different ways which is basically any way you can achieve happiness. Many African American leaders such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. fought for freedom from slavery and second class citizenship.
ReplyDelete"Freedom" was their interpretatioin of living the American Dream.
Civil Rights and the American Dream go hand in hand. From the time the Civil War ended until the Civil Rights movements in the 50's and 60's African Americans fought for what they believed to be the American Dream. All of those places on the map show the struggle for the American dream and the different views or ideas people have about it. All of these examples just show how important the American Dream is and how people want to acompolish that dream for themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe American Dream is seen in alot of ways to people. The one I choose is simply Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. In this time period, African Americans viewed the American Dream in the exact same way. They wanted the same freedoms that we had in that time period. They wanted to be able to go and sit and drink wherever they wanted to. The map shows that all over the country they fought for their rights as a group. By simply getting their basic constitutional rights, they finally gained the American Dream.
ReplyDeleteI think that during the time period of when we were discussing the "American Dream," there was much rascism and racial profiling during those days. Jim Crow Laws were in effect in the South which made it extremely difficult for African Americans to live the normal American life or "American Dream." Reconstruction after the Civil War was also not completely where it needed to be in the process as it said in the article which also made it extremely hard for African Americans; After reading these pieces, I think the "American Dream" varied for different types of people. For African Americans, it seemed like their "American Dream" was being equal with the other race and having the same opportunities and rules as them too. It was nothing more than making it in the American life with a descent job and social equality.
ReplyDeleteThe american dream! What is the meaning of it? There is no laid out, set deffinition of the american dream. These articles relate to the american dream because the african americans really only wanted their freedom and to be treated equally. We all want that freedom. We basicly have that freedom. We all have faced conflicts throughout our time. As times have changed these issues and ideas about the american dream have changed. To sum up the common idea of the american dream as said by Thomas Jefferson "Life, Liberty, and the Persuit of Happiness."
ReplyDeleteI read about the sit-ins in Greensboro. It struck me that even though they were intimidated the first day, the students not only came back and kept coming back, but other people followed them. Their American Dream was to be treated equally, and they not only helped to achieve that dream but they played a major role in aquireing it.
ReplyDeleteDuring the 50's, the American Dream was just as segragated as the people of America. Black people dreamed of being seen as totally equal to their white neighbors, and a large number of white people dreamed of an "all-white" America. The black peoples desire for equality can be seen through their persistance. For example the Greensboro sit-ins and the set up of the Moulin Rouge hotel, the first interracial hotel. The white peoples initial resistance to the segregation shows their "American Dream". The violent "white people" attacks by police officers, whips, fire hoses, police dogs, and mass arrests are examples of this.
ReplyDeleteEventually blacks were able to overcome their conflicts and reach their dreams.The white people who didn't want desegregation were forced to face the facts and eventually they learned to live with it.
While we discussed the American Dream, I began to further realize that I do not believe that there is a default definition to the phrase. The words could be taken differently for everyone. This website focuses on the Civil Rights Movement. A major conflict was racism. To them, the American Dream was to be treated as all men were equal. Eventually, they overcame the hardships and accomplished what they considered to be their dream through years of trials.
ReplyDeleteDuring this time period the American Dream is defined as social equality. The American Dream is not not just defined as this but is also defined on many other ways. Some of the things I read about showed how African American's did non-violent activities to get their civil rights. An example of the American Dream for African Americans, during this time period, would be in Greensboro, four freshman from the college went to a dine in to order some coffee. They were ignored because they sat in the "white section". The next day the came with more people witch set of a chain that got over 126 restaurants to become unsegregated.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the article is summed up by Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It relates to the the American dream because the African Americans wanted freedom and and equal rights. They were tired of people always telling them that they were not equal and do not have any rights. This made them determined to boycott and get thier rights. It might have taken a very long time but eventually they became equal and had the same rights as white people. The American Dream to the African Americans was to have the same rights as everybody else. And they wanted it bad enough to where they went and got it.
ReplyDelete- Ryan Watlington
First of all when I think of the American Dream, I think of living a life in a free country with opportunity. However, the American Dream is something defined by the beholder. To the slaves in our country and the black being discriminated against, I’m sure their dreams had to do solely with being free. I’m sure that they didn’t care what kind of house they lived in and what kind of car they drove (for the blacks living in the 50’s and 60’s.) I think most of all what these stories have shown us is the fact that the American Dream is an ever changing idea. The time you live in and your surroundings can make your dream different. Slaves just wanted to be free, immigrants just want a good job, and Americans just want to keep up with the Jones’.
ReplyDeletePeople all over the world have different views of the phrase The American Dream. There is not a set definition but everyone pretty much has the concept. These articles show the views of how African Americans viewed The American Dream. They longed to be set free and wanted the same rights as white people. The American Dream in their eyes was possible and they wanted it to come true.
ReplyDelete~Lindsey Brown
The words of Thomas Jefferson were meant to be applied to all americans, including men and women of different races. "Life, Iiberty, and the pursuit of happiness.." I think that all minoritites have a right to the american dream. When Martin Luther king Jr. said that he had a dream, I think that it has a direct corralation to the whole aspect of the american dream. All the places that were mentioned where the civil rights moveent took place, like in the diner in Greensboro are average american people, striving for the american dream. And isnt that what this country is supposed to be about?
ReplyDeleteThese articles show how hard it can be to recieve and accomplish the American Dream, even while living here. African Americans, during the Civil RIghts Movement and even before, had such a hard life. Its hard to achieve a dream when you have so many people trying to stop you. They didn't want any special treatment. They just wanted equal treatment. Social equality. The American Dream to them wasn't a huge house with all the cars and money in the world, they just wanted to be treated like everyone else. Their American Dream wasn't only for them, it was for a nation, for a nation of people.
ReplyDeleteTo the slaves, pursuing the American Dream ment to stick together and abolish slavery and to revolt until they became free and equal with everyone. To the slave owners, the American Dream was to have slaves that did all the work for them, and to have a picture perfect family that had no flaws. The multitudes of discrimination throughout this time period directly shows how much African Americans struggled to be equal. There was a distinct difference in the definition of the American Dream between blacks and whites during the Civil Rights movement. In todays society, where blacks and whites live equally, our views of the American Dream are relatively the same.
ReplyDeletePrior to the 50s, the American Dream was in short supply. The stories at the provided website clearly reflect how the oppressed African Americans sought to achieve the "American Dream", which in this time period would have been a life free of judgment and denial to freedoms. My favorite story, the one concerning the Greensboro sit-in, expresses how the desire to "live the American Dream" was a goal that was worth fighting for without violence, as not to soil the Dream itself by starting controversy. The Atlanta, Georgia article also provides a thorough look at the life and efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. The things the civil rights leader accomplished helped make the American Dream more available to African Americans. The conflicts in the south concerning segregation and discrimination were responsible for this denial of rights, and the civil disobedience expressed in the articles helped advance the nation to a truly equal place to live the American Dream.
ReplyDelete"All men are created equal. Black or white, yellow or brown. I have a dream, I have a dream...let freedom ring!" That is a slight excerpt from my Elementary history days. Even in my younger years I was taught about civil rights and the dreams of those within it. Up until today the same famous figures such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. have been relayed to me. Their accomplishments and goals that they had for those around them and for their lives were also instilled upon me. For they had dreams of theirs just as I have dreams of mine and though it may seem to some that their's seemed far-fetched and extreme they only have the same passion and hope that fuels our own dreams. MLK wanted all to get along and stop discrimination in a non-violent way and people made fun of him for having such high hopes. To them such things were proposterious but to MLK it was simply a milestone in his life that he wanted to overcome and that was his "American Dream." His dreams are no different than ours in the sense that we have some of the same motives and passion behind them. The only difference is the actual task in mind.
ReplyDeleteThe American Dream isn't the same for everyone, and over time the Dream evolves. For the people fighting during the Civil Rights Movement the American Dream was defined as the opportunity to be seen as equals; the Dream was the right to vote and live their lives as equal citizens of the law. Of course, obtaining this dream wasn't easy. Paul Robeson was one guy in the blog who used his intelligence and talents to reach his dream, and Ida B. Wells was another. Even after some Blacks reached their dreams they still fought to bring the Dream to others, showing that the Dream-- the Dream that should've been a reality in the first place-- still wasn't available to everyone.
ReplyDelete