Hidden Behind the Veil of False Realism: the Idealism of Human Rights

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Hidden Behind the Veil of False Realism: The Idealism of Human Rights Human rights are universally understood as the basic fundamental rights of any person, no matter race, color, religion, sex or creed, simply because we are human beings. The rights of human did not just appear. It did not evolve out of a fabled nothingness, nor is human rights a new concept. What has changed, evolved I shall say, are the laws concerning and governing the ideas of what is morally right. Though hidden behind a thin veil of idealism and realism, human rights is the cornerstone of globalization and international peace and hopefully the end of senseless wars and genocides of people. The American Civil War was a civil war fought over the secession of the Confederacy. Due to the election of an anti-slavery Republican, President Abraham Lincoln, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America while the remaining states supported the federal government. After four years of warfare the Confederacy surrendered and slavery was outlawed everywhere in the nation (Chambers). Eric Foner expressed in his book entitled The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery that during this time Lincoln gave the executive order for the Emancipation Proclamation which immediately freed 50,000 slaves, with nearly all the rest freed as Union armies advanced. The Proclamation did not compensate the owners, did not itself outlaw slavery, and did not make the ex-slaves (called freedmen) citizens (239). It did, however set the stage for more outrage and future battles. The Battle of Gettysburg was fought in July of 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war 's turning point. Following the battle, President Lincoln delivered a very powerful speech called the “Gettysburg Address” dedicating and portion of the
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battlefield to the dead. The speech made indirect reference to The Emancipation Proclamation and the ending of slavery as a war goal. President Lincolns stated “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” (605) this proclamation solidified his support among the rapidly growing abolitionist element of the Republican Party and ensured they would not block his re-nomination in 1864. Issues that led to war were partially resolved in the Reconstruction Era that followed, though others remained unresolved for more than a hundred years (Nevins). First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s speech, “On the Universal Declaration of Human Rights” given on December 9, 1948, before the General Assembly of the United Nations, a day before the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN, where Mrs. Roosevelt both praises and critiques this global declaration (913). Roosevelt calls the declaration a great document, comparing it the Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, and the Charter of the United Nations among other things, while proclaiming it as the cornerstone of the globalization of international law. But Eleanor did not let the idealism of this new declaration sway her realistic views of the problems that may arise from such a document. Even though the United States government stood behind and supported the declaration, at that moment we just could not commit to it thanks in part to the problems of racial inequality in our own state. Like with all declarations, it is but a guideline of decrees we should follow and often time we consider ourselves’ above such petty ideology, and is not a statement of basic principles of law or legal obligation. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt believed that “the basic principle of equality and non-discrimination is sound, but the American government could not accept it with limitations” (914). Due to the American governments’ indecisive behavior and there wait-and-see attitude

Vaughn3 about human rights issues, prompted the African-American community to intensify their efforts in the pursuit of equality in the Americas. On April 6, 1963, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to his fellow clergymen, while being jailed for civil disobedience in Birmingham, Alabama defending and clarifying his actions and to argue in favor of equality and brotherhood. During this time, The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s, there was a great upheaval of social injustice and inequality in the southern states due to segregation, disenfranchisement, exploitation and violence. The black community tried to remedy this by non-violent protests, marches, boycotts, and sit-ins but that did little to dissuade the whites, in favor of the Jim Crow Laws, to change their views. When it seemed all hope was lost and the adults felt defeated, the kids answered the call of duty given by Dr. King to go to jail and fight for equal social rights that the whites enjoyed (892). The Children’s Crusade, so aptly named for the hundreds of black children that took to the streets May 2nd – 5th, 1963 to protest the racial discrimination and injustice plaguing the black community in Birmingham, Alabama. The adults felt defeated due to the intimidation tactics us by the authorities, an anxiety and metaphysical paralysis begin to strangle the community. The parents refused to picket on the front lines because of the fear of being seen by their employers and losing their jobs, having their cars repossessed or their homes burned. The children however choose to be a part of the change. They felt that if they were old enough to experience discrimination, then they were old enough to fight against it (Clayborne). The ideas and concepts this group stood for is the very same concept in which this country was built upon. “All men are created equal” from the Declaration of Independence and “Justice and liberty for all” from the Pledge of Allegiance are the ideas our forefathers had for this country. It is still what we fight for to this very day. The Civil Rights Movement re-
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established that concept and bought it back to the forefront for not only the Americans but, also the world. Dr. King stated “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (893), if we continue to deny certain groups of people their God given rights as a human, and then we send the message that we can do it to anybody. That concept goes against the ideas in which this country stands for. With the events that took place during the Civil Rights Movement, the fight for equality of human rights in America gained but a small achievement with the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 which outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the general public. That battle may have been won, but the war was far from over. This is a small victory, but a victory none the less. We have achieved yet another small victory, though some may look upon the election of an African-American as the President of the United States as a major achievement, it is but another small battle victory in the war for equal rights. Barack Obama, our forty-fourth president and also first African-American president, in his inaugural speech “A New Birth of Freedom”, a phrase from “The Gettysburg Address”, addressed many problems and concerns about the violation of human rights in our own backyards’ and that of our neighbors. President Obama touched on the subjects of unfair practices and narrow minded thinking that has brought not only our country but that of other countries that depend on us to take personal care of their needs. He also spoke out against tyrannical behavior and oppression of some of the worlds’ leaders, the fight against terrorism and how we need to fix the growing economic problem in America that has affected the global economy. President Obama goes on to say that the way to combat and

Vaughn5 overcome our concerns is to remember our past battles and achievements (Obama). This may have marked a great milestone but there are other specialty groups that also seek equal freedoms. The road to achieving equality amongst human rights has been a long and tidiest job, and our work is far from over. A future of true equality and peace is almost within our grasp. The evolution of laws instead of human rights, a concept that has always existed, has made it possible for world globalization. Tyrants that would try to deny their own people basic freedoms are now being taken out of the equation due to new enforcement of international laws based upon the ideals of human rights. Their narrow-minded views, relativism and barbaric ways have no place amongst a more civilized people. As the veil drops, we are able to see that the idealism of human rights and of its pursuit has now become realty, and those that so bravely gave their lives for the idea of true equality and peace have not died in vain.
“Whenever there is a conflict between human rights and property rights, human rights must prevail.”
-Abraham Lincoln

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Works Cited
Carson, Clayborne. ed., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., New York, NY: Warner Books, Inc., 1998 Print
Chambers II, John W. ed. in chief. “The Oxford Companion to American Military History.” Oxford University Press, 1999. Print
Foner, Eric. “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” Foner. 2010. Print.
Lincoln, Abraham. “The Gettysburg Address.” Peterson and Brereton. (605) Print.
Luther King Jr., Martin. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Peterson and Brereton. (892-93) Print.
Nevins, Allan. “Ordeal of the Union: Vol. 6. War Becomes Revolution, 1862–1863” (1960) Print
Obama, Barack. Speech. “A New Birth of Freedom Inaugural Address”. ABC News. 20 Jan. 2009. Web. 25 Apr. 2012
Peterson, Linda H., and John C. Brereton, eds. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. 12th ed. New York: London, 2008. Print
Roosevelt, Eleanor. “On the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights.” Peterson and Brereton. (913-14) Print.
Williams, Frank J. "Doing Less and Doing More: The President and the Proclamation-Legally, Militarily and Politically," Harold Holzer, ed. The Emancipation Proclamation. 2006. Print

Cited: Carson, Clayborne. ed., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., New York, NY: Warner Books, Inc., 1998 Print Chambers II, John W. ed. in chief. “The Oxford Companion to American Military History.” Oxford University Press, 1999. Print Foner, Eric. “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” Foner. 2010. Print. Lincoln, Abraham. “The Gettysburg Address.” Peterson and Brereton. (605) Print. Luther King Jr., Martin. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Peterson and Brereton. (892-93) Print. Nevins, Allan. “Ordeal of the Union: Vol. 6. War Becomes Revolution, 1862–1863” (1960) Print Obama, Barack. Speech. “A New Birth of Freedom Inaugural Address”. ABC News. 20 Jan. 2009. Web. 25 Apr. 2012 Peterson, Linda H., and John C. Brereton, eds. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. 12th ed. New York: London, 2008. Print Roosevelt, Eleanor. “On the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights.” Peterson and Brereton. (913-14) Print. Williams, Frank J. "Doing Less and Doing More: The President and the Proclamation-Legally, Militarily and Politically," Harold Holzer, ed. The Emancipation Proclamation. 2006. Print