The United States is not living up to its ideals of freedom, liberty, and justice for all no matter their race. Athletes are bringing awareness by a peaceful protest, which is protected under the first amendment for those who are oppressed. My cousin, a veteran, has also influenced my view on this situation. Seeing my own family member put their life in danger to save millions of others does not add up to someone kneeling on the sideline during the National Anthem.
Starting in kindergarten, we have allocated thirty seconds of every morning to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I remember hearing the announcement to do the Pledge, and sighing because I had to stand and perform this seemingly pointless task. As a little kid, I didn’t know what the Pledge of Allegiance really meant or why we had to do it. All I knew is that we would be performing the monotonous, fancy sounding, thirty-one worded stanza daily. While it was against the law for teachers to force us to say the Pledge, it was expected.
One such cause is the correct tribute to our country's song. As a result, they are often punished for openly expressing themselves. Consequently, sports figures, such as professional athletes, should not be penalized when some choose not to stand for the National Anthem. The freedom of speech and expression is every American citizen's right.
A controversial topic currently circulating throughout the media and society, is professional athletes kneeling during the National Anthem. In my opinion, this is a completely useless, unnecessary action done just for attention. The theory behind the action is supposed to represent unity. Unity is not achieved by causing controversy, but it’s achieved by coming together and supporting each other when times get tough.
Protest leaders like Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela and John Lennon all had the same goal; to bring attention to the injustice taking place in society. Nico Woodward talks about how protest is good for democracy because it shows the injustices and disagreements in the government (1); consequently, it is crucial to bring disagreements to the forefront of society so that everyone 's thoughts can be heard. Most of the time, minority groups that struggle to have their voices heard because there are outnumbered, and it is important that these groups are heard and not marginalized. People can be unaware of major issues because it is not something that they experience daily; therefore, it is pivotal that oustanding problems are brought front and center. Colin Kaepernick’s protest
”People should stand for the national anthem for everything because its disrespectful to our veterans, people in the army, and police force; also it’s Americas thing to stand during the National Anthem to show that they are proud. Why do football players kneel during the National Anthem is the question all of America is trying to answer. The football players say they are
In order to achieve true freedom one must discover that you can break unjust laws through peaceful protest. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and “The Speech at The March Washington” by Josephine Baker each article passionately argues about the disadvantages of the black community, the equality and power of education. We must learn to act with patients and not guns we must protect are self’s with a pen and paper not violence. Dr. King once4 said “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is unique in history which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.
America is often referred to as the “melting pot” because it was built on many different nationalities. For centuries it has been common place that school students stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance before beginning classes. In the past, the courts have been challenged to rule whether students are required to recite, stand during the pledge, or can remain quietly seated. This has become a monumental task for the courts to rule in favor or against these actions due to the various beliefs and traditions of the school population. Due to the controversy, students in schools should not be required to recite or stand during the Pledge of Allegiance because the act itself denies students the right to exercise their First Amendment rights to
Could you ever possibly imagine a time where you couldn’t use the same bathroom as some of your classmates because the had a different skin color? This time in history was known as the Civil Rights Movement, a movement from 1954-1954, in which people fought against racism. Although the Civil Rights Movement mainly affected African Americans, but involved all of American society. Because most racism against ancient African Americans took place in southern United States, civil rights was extremely important to African Americans who lived in the south. Racism was so widely spread it even found its way into professional sports. “Many college student activists sacrificed or postponed their formal education”. (Youth Civil Rights Movement) Samuel Younge Jr., Jackie Robinson, and Ramsey Clark are famous civil rights activists because of their courage and bold actions during the Civil Rights Movement.
In the past students did not know the guidelines of what they could say at school,but the students at Des Moines brought attention to the rights of every student at school(Blacher 10). Things changed in the 1960's many students wore black armbands to school as a way of protesting the Vietnam War (Blacher 11).The Des Moines school banned them from wearing their armbands(“Case summary:Tinker”1). Mary Beth and John Tinker believed it was their constitutional right to be able to express how they feel(“Case summary:Tinker”1). They decided to take their case to the courts. case went all the way to the supreme court(“Case summary:Tinker”1).
When people do not agree with the law, the first instinct is to show their opinion and disapproval of the law. A lot of people will protest, sign petitions, or even peacefully resist the law. In today's society we see this everyday throughout all of the country. For example right now in the united states there is a humongous issue with authority and citizens. This matter is particularly African Americans feeling they do not get the right amount of justice from law enforcement officers.
In addition, Kaepernicks’ protest calls for a resolution against police brutality towards minorities. Kaepernicks’ protest was a statement made to Americans that there is still injustice within our social
In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District upheld the right to freedom of speech of students to protest the Vietnam war by wearing black armbands. The case explained the problem that “students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” (Student) As students, we are free to express ourselves through what we wear. As students, we have every right to proclaim our beliefs
Racial inequality has plagued our society for centuries and has been described as a “black eye” on American history. It wasn’t until the passing of The Civil Rights Act of 1965 that minorities were given equal protection under the law. This was a crucial step on our society’s road to reconciling this injustice. However, the effects of past racial inequality are still visible to this day, and our society still wrestles with how to solve this issue. In 1965, President Lyndon B Johnson said: “You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say you are free to compete with all the others, and still just believe that you have been completely fair. This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity––not legal equity but human ability––not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result” (Garrison-Wade & Lewis, 2003). That same year, President Johnson signed an executive order mandating government contractors “take affirmative action” in
Cops around the United States have been accused of racially profiling black people. This topic has been brought up by everyone around the U.S. and is very controversial. Studies have shown that the majority of deaths by police officers have been people of opposite color in America. Police brutality in America is a growing epidemic that has shown no signs of slowing down. Innocent men, women, and even children have been killed by police officers for no reason.