Assassinations Of African-American Activists

Assassinations Of African-American Activists

United States of America is a country which „unity” never was and still is not an easy and straightforward matter. Even our first associations with this country are mainly about varied society in different states. This is obviously connected with different origins of Americans which are most visible because of the skin colors. The constant fight between white and black people stems from an early stage of development of the USA and propagation of slavery.

However, the fight for blacks’ rights started to be really violent in the 50s and 60s so in the times of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. The African-American civil rights movement became a serious threat for Parliament. Race problem is so significant that whenever it is mentioned on the greatest scale - someone gets killed. It is not only in case of ordinary people but also politicians from the highest position. What is more, it is not limited to this period, when we notice that also Abraham Lincoln was shot because of his actions on abolishing the slavery. People always are silenced by an assassin and get shot. It is both really tragic and ironic how the issue is dealt with since shooting away anyone who causes problems seems to be in the range of possibilities. However the case of Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X as he preferred to be called, was of the highest significance because his death was more or less caused by his comment on John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the US president’s  assassination. 

Spike Lee’s film titled “Malcolm X” is a really detailed biography of Malcolm. It contains all of the most important events, and we see all different changes of values he undergoes. It ends with a really dramatic scene of his death. The one held responsible for the attack in the ballroom was Thomas Hagan, whose real name was Talmadge Hayer. He hit Malcolm 7 times using a shotgun. The film was based on Malcolm’s autobiography so it is based on the most believable source. For obvious reasons he had not wrote about his death but predicted it since several times before someone threatened him and once, shortly before his death at a rally of his followers in a ballroom in Washington Heights, someone attacked his home. He felt that people who wanted him dead were from Black Muslims Organization, which he left shortly before. They fell apart mainly because of his comment on the assassination of President Kennedy. He called it a case of ``chickens coming home to roost'' and an outgrowth of violence that whites had used against Negroes. He was suspended by Elijah Muhammad and then started his own movement but still remained loyal to his beliefs which were more than critical towards white people. It is really difficult to judge him based on Spike Lee’s adaptation. His character is really complex. However it is quite hard not to notice the irony between him and JFK. Malcolm X died from black man hands. In the end viewers get the impression that somehow his hatred and arrogance was punished.

On the other hand, Martin Luther King’s beliefs and actions were totally different. His life was portrayed in a quite recent movie “Selma” directed by Avay DuVernay. In this movie we get a totally different type of activist – the passive resistance type. The impression we get of King is that he was the one who really inspired all African-Americans to unite and march from Selma to protest against oppression. When it comes to his death it is not presented, but only mentioned about at the end. King was shot in a more private occasion, while he was in a Lorraine Motel in Memphis with his associates. The assassin used a sniper rifle and because of that he was hard to capture at first. Really interesting thing is that the police arrived at the crime scene without being called for. He murderer was caught later on – it was James Earl Ray. Just like Malcom, King received numerous threats against his life. His situation was, however, quite different since his attitude was far less aggressive, he even was able to recruit white people who openly helped his cause. Unfortunately, they were killed too, like for example Viola Luizzo who was eliminated by Ku Klux Klan. The number of assassination attempts followed her case.

Two cases have something in common, but also differs significantly. Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were fighting for their rights, and they both were considered to be a huge danger for the authorities. They were observed and wiretapped almost all the time. Another, not so significant, similarity would be the fact that they died at the exact same age – 39. However, their deaths had somehow different impact on the society. When Malcolm X shared his fears of being killed, he was laughed off as a publicity act. When he died people were thinking mainly about how aggressive he was. On the other hand, King became a national hero, and it is his statue that Barack Obama have on his desk. Such thing was unimaginable back in King’s times.

Many people died for the cause of freedom. From perspective of today it seems that such sacrifice was almost necessary because it really got the movements publicity it deserved in the first place. We are not able to guess how would the things go down if both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were alive. The one thing we can obviously say – people who were responsible for the deaths of these iconic figures had lost their fight because of the killings.

1. Write an essay:

Compare situation of black people of America then and now. Try to explain the roots of the problem and present examples of racial discrimination in the US. Try to answer the question if the situation have changed, and if yes - explain how.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1) "American civil rights movement". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 13 sty. 2016

<http://www.britannica.com/event/American-civil-rights-movement>.

2) Malcolm X. Dir. Spike Lee. Prod. Spike Lee. By Spike Lee and Arnold Perl. Perf. Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, and Al Freeman. Warner Bros., 1992. DVD.

3) Peter Kihss. "How Race Is Lived In America." Editorial. The New York Times 22 Feb. 1965: n. pag. Malcom X Shot to Death at Rally Here. Web.

4) ‘’Death of a desperado’’ Newsweek, March 8, 1965, Copyright @ 1965, Newsweek.Inc.

<http://europe.newsweek.com/death-desperado-malcolm-x-was-assassinated-50-years-ago-today-308253?rm=eu>

5) Selma. Dir. Avay DuVernay. Screenplay by Paul Webb. Perf. David Oyelowo and Tom Wilkinson. Celador Films, 2014. DVD.

6) Berman, Elizabeth. "The Photograph That Captured the Horror of MLK’s Assassination." TIME Magazine. Time Inc., 3 Apr. 2015. Web. 13 Jan. 2016. <http://time.com/3749091/mlk-assassination-photograph/>.

7) Caldwell, Earl. "Martin Luther King Is Slain in Memphis; A White Is Suspected; Johnson Urges Calm." The New York Times (1968): n. pag. Web.

8) "Viola Liuzzo." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Jan. 2016 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

9) Bartlett, Karen. "Why Malcolm X Is Getting Written Out of History." Newsweek. N.p., 20 Feb. 2015. Web. 13 Jan. 2016. <http://europe.newsweek.com/i-worry-my-father-being-written-out-history-307941?rm=eu>.

Flag of the United States

The flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the American flag is one of the symbols of this huge country. 

It consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed starts arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternate with rows of five stars. The proportion of the flag is 10:19. 





The 50 stars on the flag represent 50 states of the country and the 13 stripes represent the 13 British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. These colonies became the first states in the United States. 

The flag of the US is sometimes called "The Stars and Stripes", "Old Glory", "The Star-Spangled Banner", "Red, White and Blue".

The actual design of the flag is its 27th, so it has been officially modified 26 times since 1777. The flag with 48 stars was in effect for 47 years until the 49-star version became official on July 4, 1959. On August 21, 1959 former president Dwight Eisenhower ordered the flag with 50 stars on it and it was adopted in July 1960. It is the longest-used version of the U.S. flag - it has been in use for over 56 years. 

The first flag was called the Grand Union Flag or Continental Colors and looked like that: 

At the time of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, the Continental Congress would not legally adopt flags with "stars, white in a blue field" for another year. The flag earlier known as "the Continental Colors" has historically been referred to as the first national flag. 

On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." The flag looked like that:

The first official U.S. flag flown during battle was on August 3, 1777, at Fort Schuyler during the Siege of Fort Stanwix. Francis Hopkinson, a naval flag designer, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, designed the 1777 flag while he was the Chairman of the Continental Navy Board's Middle Department. 

The modern meaning of the flag was forged in December 1860, when Major Robert Anderson moved the U.S. garrison from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Author Adam Goodheart argues this was the opening move of the American Civil War, and the flag was used throughout northern states to symbolize American nationalism and rejection of secessionism.

Nowadays the flag of the United States is one of the nation's most widely recognized symbols. It can be seen not only on public buildings but also on private residences. The flag is also a common motif on clothing, e.g. on badges and lapel pins.

The U.S. flag is proudly flown on many occasions, it is often treated as a symbol of Americanism. What is interesting is the fact that desecration of the flag is considered a public outrage, but remains protected as freedom of speech. 

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes the US flag on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. 

US flag on Mars (Curiosity Rover, September 19, 2012.

There are numerous rules connected to the display of the flag on buildings, suits, vehicles, postage stamps etc. - it is called flag etiquette. 

US flag on Neil Armstrong's space suit

Traditionally, the flag of the United States plays a role in military funerals, and occasionally in funerals of other civil servants (such as law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and U.S. presidents). A burial flag is draped over the deceased's casket as a pall during services. Just prior to the casket being lowered into the ground, the flag is ceremonially folded and presented to the deceased's next of kin as a token of respect.

Task: try to collect information about your national flag and write a description of it - how it looks like, what is its history and rules.