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Civil Rights and Forrest Gump

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Civil Rights and Forrest Gump
Civil Rights In many parts of the South, blacks and whites are coming together to attempt to fulfill the agreements made in the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendment. These amendments give equal rights and chances to African-Americans. Despite these innovations, segregation is still very much alive. Many people started opposing segregation because of the Jim Crow Laws and how it supported segregation and restricted African-Americans to do certain things. One of the vital factors that are aiding the movement for civil rights is the people. Some people are rising up and taking leadership to give hope to the effort. One of these people is known as Martin Luther King Jr. Right now, he still seems like a large influence even though he is gone now. He has influenced and persuaded many people to his cause. Another widely known activist at the moment is Philip Randolph. He led the March in Washington in 1963 in hope for equal opportunities and access to jobs in the government. One of the most influential people at the moment is also Thurgood Marshal. He tells of how he had to move a long distance just to go to a college that accepted blacks. After finishing college, he joined the NAACP to help desegregate schools. A few years ago, the NAACP won in the great Brown vs. Board of Education case and schools now are being desegregated at a slow rate. Things are going out of hand fast and danger levels in the South are steadily rising. Many are creating chaos and violence trying to prove that they have equal rights. Other people are fighting in other ways also. Like the Montgomery bus boycott a few years ago sparked by Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. said that he was for nonviolent resistance and many people are still following the example that he set. Some of the important things that have helped kick off the movement was also some of the events. The famous speech that Martin Luther King Jr. made in Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial brought many more people to his cause. The unfairness between blacks and whites are being noticed by many people and that is causing an uprising. Some television shows are also showing all the violent acts that are aimed toward African-Americans which are also helping the movement. Not too long ago, a sit-in occurred in Greensboro, North Carolina where an African American student sat down at store and would not get up for another white man. Word of this got around quickly and many other cases like it started to appear. It is expected that over the next few years, the segregation will end and African-Americans and whites will be able to live in the same neighborhood and have equal opportunities and jobs.

Cites Used
-"Civil Rights Movements (United States)." Topic Pages. Boston: Credo Reference Contributors, 2013. N. pag. Credo Reference. 5 Nov. 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. .
-"African American/Black History Month." Pages- AfricanAmericanBlackHistoryMonth. United States Navy. 5 Nov. 2013

Forrest Gump Robert Zemeckis, producer of Forrest Gump, has created a thrilling and interesting story of a man who goes on many incredible journeys. This movie goes over some very important stages of America’s development up until around the 1980s. Tom Hanks, actor of Forrest Gump, brings the audience on an adventure filled with comedy, adventure, and drama. Forrest Gump is a man with the IQ of 75 and has been around to witness many historical events but does not know it. This movie is about the incredible life of a man who lives in Alabama from the mid 20th to the 1980s. In the movie, Forrest Gump meets several people at a bus stop on a bench and he continues to tell people his interesting life story from when he was a kid. Being a kid, Forrest Gump was not very smart and got by mostly on his athletic abilities. He goes on to tell of all of the opportunities that were offered to him and about his one true love, Jenny Curran (Robin Wright). He talks about how he graduated and went to the military for a while and made new friends. He eventually comes to the point where he explains why he is at the bus stop which is to visit Jenny. The set design and acting in Forrest Gump is very convincing. The outfits, buildings, and dialogue give the movie a feel of what it was like in the mid 20th century. The acting of Tom Hanks and Robin Wright makes one actually believe the characters that they are in. While I was watching, I actually felt sorry for Forrest Gump despite the fact that I knew he was acting. Another great attribute of this movie is the historical value. The movie shows some of the many stages that the United States went through. In the movie, Forrest Gump is around to witness and/or help with the Watergate Scandal, the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door, Hurricane Carmen, and the Apple Company become famous. On several occasions, he even got to be aired on TV and got to meet the president of the United States several times. This movie is a great movie if one is searching for an epic action-packed comedy-drama film. The profanity and sensuality much be a bit too much for viewers which is why it is rated PG-13 but other than that, Forrest Gump is totally worth your time to watch.

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