The Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963, By Christopher Paul Curtis
“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of our skin, but the content of their character.” -Martin Luther King Jr. The historical novel, The Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis is about a typical family who has typical problems and they go on a trip to Birmingham. Because of the events in Birmingham, the Watsons changed. The change that happened in the Watsons is typical of the one that happened in America.
Many families were not aware of racism in other parts of America. In The Watsons, the oldest son, Byron, was a rebellious teenager. One day he came home with a Mexican- style hair do. Momma said, “Well, Daddy Cool, you enjoy your Mexican-style hair while you can, ‘cause I’m sure when your daddy
gets through with you, you won’t be enjoying too much of anything…” page 89. In the South on the bus, white people sat in the front and black people sat in the back. A woman named Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white man. That was when everyone realized that the rules weren’t right and started rebelling.
The people who lived in the North didn’t know about the racism in the South. In The Watsons, at Joetta’s Sunday School two white men dropped a bomb in the church. Kenny said, “I could see people everywhere making their mouths go like they were screaming and pointing and yelling, but I couldn’t hear it.” page 184. There was a group of people called the Freedom Riders, who rode the bus for seven months and six days around the South protesting to end segregation.
A lot of people got arrested, hurt, or killed while trying to end segregation and racism. In The Watsons, Kenny had a reaction to the church bombing. He was in awe and shock that some people would kill innocent little girls. Kenny said, “I just can’t believe people would kill little innocent girls with their whole lives ahead of them. Why?” page 193. Martin Luther King Jr. changed so many people's lives during the Civil Rights Movement. He was peaceful protester who did many protests and speeches to end segregation. He made a difference in so many people’s lives.
When the Watsons went to the South, they changed, just like America. The author include the church bombing to show all of the people that were affected, even though it was only a couple little girls that passed. By reading The Watsons, people may have learned how people affected the families and children in the 1960s. Perhaps if people were more welcoming none of the violence and hurt would have taken place.
Many families were not aware of racism in other parts of America. In The Watsons, the oldest son, Byron, was a rebellious teenager. One day he came home with a Mexican- style hair do. Momma said, “Well, Daddy Cool, you enjoy your Mexican-style hair while you can, ‘cause I’m sure when your daddy
gets through with you, you won’t be enjoying too much of anything…” page 89. In the South on the bus, white people sat in the front and black people sat in the back. A woman named Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white man. That was when everyone realized that the rules weren’t right and started rebelling.
The people who lived in the North didn’t know about the racism in the South. In The Watsons, at Joetta’s Sunday School two white men dropped a bomb in the church. Kenny said, “I could see people everywhere making their mouths go like they were screaming and pointing and yelling, but I couldn’t hear it.” page 184. There was a group of people called the Freedom Riders, who rode the bus for seven months and six days around the South protesting to end segregation.
A lot of people got arrested, hurt, or killed while trying to end segregation and racism. In The Watsons, Kenny had a reaction to the church bombing. He was in awe and shock that some people would kill innocent little girls. Kenny said, “I just can’t believe people would kill little innocent girls with their whole lives ahead of them. Why?” page 193. Martin Luther King Jr. changed so many people's lives during the Civil Rights Movement. He was peaceful protester who did many protests and speeches to end segregation. He made a difference in so many people’s lives.
When the Watsons went to the South, they changed, just like America. The author include the church bombing to show all of the people that were affected, even though it was only a couple little girls that passed. By reading The Watsons, people may have learned how people affected the families and children in the 1960s. Perhaps if people were more welcoming none of the violence and hurt would have taken place.