United States History Theme – Individual Contributions

United States History Theme-Equality for African Americans
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United States History Theme-Equality for African Americans
African Americans have long been exposed to oppression in the American society. Coming from a background of slavery, the injustices and inhumane treatment levied on African Americans has been brutal at the very least. Unfortunately, even the Emancipation Proclamation was not enough to overcome the racial subjugation that this community was subjected to, and Jim Crow laws worked to keep this community oppressed and denied of their civil liberties and freedoms (Lieberman & Harris, 2013). From education to economic empowerment and everything in between, African Americans have been subjected to discrimination, and as such have constantly been treated as if they were second-rate Americans.
In spite of these debilitating conditions, inspirational figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X, to name a few, mounted spirited civil rights activism campaigns and played key roles in helping African Americans attain a semblance of equality (Lieberman & Ha...