Past Events That Have Shaped the Present
Past Events that have shaped the Present
Kristy Schlak
Axia College of the University of Phoenix
Past Events that have shaped the Present Remembering our past is important; events that happened yesterday can shape next week or next year. The interesting thing about history is that it is not always recognized as important until much later. When Britain and France tried to appease Hitler with part of Czechoslovakia in 1938, the significance of giving into Hitler’s demands was not fully realized until Hitler advanced further into Czechoslovakia and invaded Poland, (BBC, 2008). Giving in to what was thought of as a small demand set in motion a series of events that resulted in the loss of countless lives, destruction in many parts of the world and a new attitude about a global community. This paper will examine five events in American history that helped to evolve the way Americans live today.
Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement In December of 1955 civil rights activist Rosa Parks decided that she was tired of the way she had been treated and refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, AL to a white man, even though it was against the law. At the time she never realized what her actions would bring about, this is illustrated in her response to a question asked by a student during an interview conducted by Scholastic.com in 1997, I didn't have any idea just what my actions would bring about. At the time I was arrested I didn't know how the community would react. I was glad that they did take the action that they did by staying off the bus, (para. 11).
This event was an action without violence that was encouraged by civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King’s strategy of fighting back without violence proved successful in the effort to obtain civil rights for black people, (Davidson, 2006). The boycott that followed Parks refusal lasted 381 days and ended on December 21,1956. The black people of Montgomery faced long walks and the
Kristy Schlak
Axia College of the University of Phoenix
Past Events that have shaped the Present Remembering our past is important; events that happened yesterday can shape next week or next year. The interesting thing about history is that it is not always recognized as important until much later. When Britain and France tried to appease Hitler with part of Czechoslovakia in 1938, the significance of giving into Hitler’s demands was not fully realized until Hitler advanced further into Czechoslovakia and invaded Poland, (BBC, 2008). Giving in to what was thought of as a small demand set in motion a series of events that resulted in the loss of countless lives, destruction in many parts of the world and a new attitude about a global community. This paper will examine five events in American history that helped to evolve the way Americans live today.
Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement In December of 1955 civil rights activist Rosa Parks decided that she was tired of the way she had been treated and refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, AL to a white man, even though it was against the law. At the time she never realized what her actions would bring about, this is illustrated in her response to a question asked by a student during an interview conducted by Scholastic.com in 1997, I didn't have any idea just what my actions would bring about. At the time I was arrested I didn't know how the community would react. I was glad that they did take the action that they did by staying off the bus, (para. 11).
This event was an action without violence that was encouraged by civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King’s strategy of fighting back without violence proved successful in the effort to obtain civil rights for black people, (Davidson, 2006). The boycott that followed Parks refusal lasted 381 days and ended on December 21,1956. The black people of Montgomery faced long walks and the
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