When is Breaking the Law Justified?

Equality is a tricky little concept. Everyone needs it, but how do we get it? It's part of being human. Unfortunately, it is not easy to come by. Throughout history, and across the globe, people have had to fight to get the rights they deserve.

We all know about the American Revolution, when newly founded America was trying to gain independence from Britain. Who would have thought that the Stamp Act could so dramatically change the course of history? The whole world was laughing at this fierce little country, who obviously didn't stand a chance against Great Britain and her monarchy. But through resilience and determination, America became the most powerful country in the world, no longer a spitting kitten, but a ferocious tiger. Three documents shaped our new government, but one in particular upheld our rights. The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments of the Constitution. This little section states our rights and freedoms as human beings, and as Americans. Many thought that the Bill of Rights would be a waste of time, but it has become a reference guide to many over the years. It is physical proof that we are all created equal.

But this has not always been so. Blacks were enslaved for hundreds of years, stripped of all moral value due to the color of their skin. Even after slavery was abolished, African Americans had little to no rights. And just as America fought for independence, blacks began to fight for equality. Thus the Civil Rights movement was born.

African Americans, fed up with the ignorance and cruelty of the rest of America, hit the country where it hurt; the workforce. At the time, blacks made up the majority of laborers, doing small jobs that seemed meaningless, but held the economy together. Maids went on strike, and others began boycotting businesses that were no "black friendly." Restaurants soon found the "Colored Section" empty, and bus lines found themselves transporting a mostly white crowd. Rosa Parks, a famous person during this time, initiated the bus boycott. Exhausted after a long day working, she sat in the front of a city bus, refusing to move to the back where the "Negroes belonged." When asked to move by a white customer, and then the driver, she sat calmly and said no, she would not get up.

Rosa Parks was arrested and sent to jail.

This outraged the public. There were a few whites who had the decency to stand by their black brothers and sisters, and they too began walking to work, instead of taking the bus. People began to wonder, did the Bill of Rights apply to blacks?

The answer is yes. Through struggle and bloodshed, people began to wake up. Schools were integrated, and the right to vote was given. Under the watchful eye of a certain Dr. King, the civil rights went as peacefully as a fight for freedom could possibly go.

Martin Luther King Jr. is a familiar name. We think of him as the leader of the Civil Rights movement, leading marches down city streets, and speaking powerfully to thousands. His ways were non violent, and productive. It was the white Americans who wanted to fight. They would not give up their superiority, and refused to even think of sitting next to a black man in a favorite restaurant. But no one was asking for superiority; just equality.

Today, the Civil rights Movement is over and done with, but the struggle for some still continues. Hope fully now, enough progress has been made, so people can focus on the word "American," and not "African."