The mid-20th century was a crucial time for African Americans. They had been freed from slavery but were still considered inferior by whites. Everywhere, public places of all kinds had “colored” and “white” sections. Some southern blacks were even prevented from voting through the intimidation tactics of the Ku Klux Klan. The civil rights movement began to emerge when blacks were no longer willing to remain silent about how they were treated. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, and sit-ins occurred across the country to protest this so-called “separate but equal” segregation. In the midst of this upheaval, it's easy to focus on the achievements of the civil rights movement and forget the people behind it. I will examine three articles that all provide different pieces to the puzzle of the mindset of African Americans during this turbulent time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay First, Thomas J. Sugrue, in his article Northern Lights: The Black Freedom Struggle Outside the South, explores the world of racial segregation in the northern United States. When talking about the black struggle for equality, most people think of lynching and the Ku Klux Klan in the South. Racial segregation in the North rarely comes to mind. Sugrue points out that racial segregation in the North was actually just as bad as it was in the South, even though black Northerners retained the right to vote. “Public” places like swimming pools, movie theaters, and amusement parks were often closed to blacks or placed restrictions on when they could come. While the South had lynchings, the North had race riots. African Americans were also discriminated against in the workplace, often forced into unskilled work if they could find work. In reality, segregation was just as evident in the North as it was in the South; perhaps not as violent but just as emotionally devastating. When I was younger, I was taught the opposite of Sugrue's thesis: that the North was a safe haven for blacks, especially toward the end of slavery. Even at that time, Northerners “viewed discrimination as uniquely Southern and paid little attention to inequalities in their own communities.” After reading his article, I now know that segregation spread throughout the country and that life was not a walk in the park for African Americans anywhere. The way to apply this article today would be to educate people and make them aware that Northerners were not white knights protecting blacks from Southern oppression. Indeed, they were just as guilty as Southerners of discriminating against their fellow men, if less blatantly. I would encourage more people to read Sugrue's article and learn the truth about segregation in the North. In The Many Meanings of Watts: Black Power, Wattstax, and the Carceral State, Donna Murch discusses two seemingly contradictory outcomes of activity in Watts, California. First, he analyzes the black rebellion and the response to it by law enforcement which, in his view, led to the formation of a “carceral” state. By “carceral” state, Murch means all-encompassing and overly militarized local and federal law enforcement. He points out how many white police officers compared the rebellion to the Vietnam War, trying to justify the violent treatment of black protesters. What began as routine beatings and harassment by the police turned into the use of heavy machinery such ashelicopters and tanks by SWAT teams. Conversely, Murch also watches the film Wattstax, about the Watts music festival commemorating the rebellion seven years later. The film depicts the sense of community among African Americans present during the rebellion that led to the height of Black Power in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The black community gathered at the festival (called Wattstax after the music company that hosted the event) with a sense of pride. They celebrated their African heritage by wearing traditional African clothing and listening to the music of some of the people who had witnessed the rebellion. Even in the darkest moments of violent persecution by the police, the black community did not lose heart. Before reading Murch's article, I had never heard of the Watts or Wattstax Rebellion, although I knew that anti-segregation rebellions had occurred. The most interesting idea that Murch raises is that of the rise of a carceral state. If an excessively violent state emerged in response to the civil rights movement, as Murch suggests, this would certainly help explain the growing tolerance of violence in current culture. Many television programs and video games that children grow up with today are full of violence and this is becoming more and more acceptable. While Murch talks about the harsh treatment blacks endured in Watts, the most important thing to take away from the article is that the hearts of African Americans should not be lost. The interspersed scenes of police brutality in Wattstax, as Murch says, highlight “the power and elegance of black culture that has endured, and even thrived, despite state oppression and violence.” Black people in Watts united and celebrated their heritage despite the adversities they had faced. In the midst of today's growing numbers of murders, rapes, and violent crimes, the United States should, like the African-American community of Watts in the 1970s, return to its origins as a country founded on biblical principles. Finally, the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written by the leader of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr., is a first-hand account of segregation in the South. King writes to address several clergymen who condemn him for his use of nonviolent action in an attempt to gain civil rights. King roots his position in God, saying that segregation goes against God's moral law. If a law goes against God's, King argues that no one should be forced to obey it. King tries to make the clergy understand where the people of Birmingham, Alabama come from and what the effects of segregation really are. The most compelling example he gives is that of a father and his young daughter: “…when you suddenly find your tongue slurred and your words stuttering as you try to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that was just advertised on television, and I see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to children of color, and I see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and I see her starting to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness towards white people. “King refuses to stand aside while African Americans are subjected to this unique form of torture. While violent demonstrations would lead to chaos and no action would suggest willingness, King chooses an alternative to fight segregation: nonviolent protests. To defend his method of action, uses several biblical examples of nonviolent protest (such as the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) and also patriotic ones (such as the Boston Tea Party).,.