The mid-20th century was a crucial period for African Americans. They had been freed from slavery but were still considered inferior by whites. Public places of all kinds everywhere had “colored” and “white” sections. Some southern blacks were even prevented from voting thanks to the intimidation tactics of the Ku Klux Klan. The civil rights movement began to emerge as black people 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 took place across the country to protest so-called “separate but equal” segregation. In the midst of this upheaval, it is easy to focus on the results of the civil rights movement and forget those behind it. I will look at three articles that all provide different pieces to the puzzle of the African American mentality during this turbulent time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayFirst, Thomas J. Sugrue, in his article Northern Lights: The Black Freedom Struggle Outside the South, explores the world racial segregation in the northern United States. When we talk about the black struggle for equality, most people think of lynching and the Ku Klux Klan in the South. We rarely think about segregation in the North. Sugrue points out that racial segregation in the North was actually as severe as it was in the South, even though northern blacks retained the right to vote. “Public” places like swimming pools, movie theaters, and amusement parks were often closed to black people or placed restrictions on when they could come. While the South experienced lynchings, the North experienced race riots. African Americans also faced discrimination in the workplace, often being forced to take unskilled jobs if they could find one. In reality, segregation was just as great in the North as in the South; maybe not as violent, but just as emotionally traumatic. When I was younger, I was taught the opposite of Sugrue's argument: that the North was a safe haven for black people, especially toward the end of slavery. Even then, Northerners “viewed discrimination as typically 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 fun anywhere for African Americans. The way to apply this article today would be to educate people and make them realize that Northerners were not white knights protecting black people from Southern oppression. In fact, they were just as guilty as Southerners of discriminating against their fellow men, although in less visible ways. 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, she analyzes the black rebellion and the law enforcement response which she argues led to the formation of a “carceral” state. By “carceral” state, Murch means comprehensive and over-militarized local and federal law enforcement. She points out how many white police officers compared the rebellion to the Vietnam War, attempting to justify their violent treatment of black protesters. Whatbegan as routine beatings and harassment by police evolved into the use of heavy machinery like helicopters and tanks by SWAT teams. In contrast, Murch also looks at the film Wattstax, about the Watts music festival that commemorated the rebellion seven years later. The film depicts a sense of community among African Americans found during the rebellion that led to the height of Black Power in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The black community came together during the festival .(called Wattstax after the music company that organizes the event) with a sense of pride. They celebrated their African heritage by wearing traditional African clothing and listening to music from some of the people who witnessed the rebellion. Even in the most sinister moments of violent police harassment, the black community did not lose heart. Before reading Murch's article, I had never heard of the Watts Rebellion or Wattstax, although I knew that rebellions against segregation did occur. The most interesting idea Murch brings up is the rise of a carceral state. If an excessively violent state emerged in response to the civil rights movement, as Murch suggests, it would certainly help explain the growing tolerance for violence in today's culture. Many television shows and video games that children grow up with today are full of violence and this is becoming more and more acceptable. While Murch recounts the harsh treatment black people faced in Watts, the most important thing to take away from the article is that the hearts of African Americans would not be lost. The interspersed scenes of police brutality at Wattstax, as Murch puts it, highlight "the power and elegance of black culture that has endured, and even thrived, in the face of oppression and state violence." . Black people in Watts banded together and celebrated their heritage despite the adversity they faced. Amid rising numbers of murders, rapes and violent crimes, the United States should, like Watts' African-American community in the 1970s, return to its beginnings as a country founded on biblical principles. a Birmingham Jail,” written by civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King, Jr., is a firsthand account of segregation in the South. King wrote to several clergy who condemned him for his use of nonviolent actions to obtain civil rights. King roots his position in God, asserting that segregation goes against God's moral law. If a law goes against God's law, 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 yourself with a crooked tongue and stuttering speech as you try to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to public entertainment. park that has just been advertised on television, and seeing tears well up in his eyes when he is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and seeing sinister clouds of inferiority begin to gather form in his little mental sky, and see it begin to distort his 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 protests would lead to chaos and no action would suggest a,.