PILGRIMFATHERS

In 1620 a group of English Puritans, the PilgrimFathers, left Plymouth on the Mayflower to start anew life because their religion was forbidden inEngland, as they wanted to purify and reform theChurch of England. They landed where nowMassachusettslies.The Indians were friendly and helped them to growplants. When they heard that the Indians held aceremonyeveryyearatharvesttimetothanknatureforthefood,thePuritansdecidedtomakeitaspecialfeastcalledThanksgiving.They thanked God for all the food and this“thanksgiving” was heartfelt by all. In addition, theydecided to thank God for surviving a treacherousvoyage and the first very cold winter in the NewWorld.

It was George Washington, the first President of theUnited States, who inaugurated the ThanksgivingCeremony to commemorate the historic communion ofthepilgrimFathersandtheIndians.In 1863, another President, Abraham Lincoln, madeThanksgivinganationalholiday.ItwasadifficultperiodasthecountrywasstillinthemidstofaCivilWar,anditwasLincoln’sattempttounifyadividednation.Each year on the fourth Thursday in November, theAmerican population celebrates Thanksgiving Day. It’s aspecial day set aside to give thanks to God for all Hisblessings. It’sadayforeveryonetothankGod,nomatterwhatreligiontheyprofess.It’s a family holiday when people get together for atraditional turkey dinner. No Thanksgiving dinner iscompletewithoutaroastturkey,stuffing,cranberrysauce,sweetpotatoesandpumpkinpie!!

ThanksgivingDay

ABRAHAMLINCOLNANDTHECIVILWAR

Therewas a big difference between the northern andthesouthersstates: in thenorthslaverywasabolishedinthefirstyearsofthe19thcentury,buttheeconomyin the south still depended on slaves working in theplantations.Six states left the Union in 1860 when PresidentAbraham Lincoln announced his anti-slavery policy.Other states followed and they all formed theConfederate States of America. This started theAmericanCivilWar.On January 1, 1863 Lincoln issued the EmancipationProclamation.ThiswasanorderthatfreedtheslavesintheConfederateStates.Althoughnotalltheslaveswereimmediately set free, it paved the way for the 13thAmendment whichwould free all slaves in the UnitedStatesa fewyears later.Thewar lasted fouryearsandfinishedin1864.AmendmentsweremadetotheConstitutionabolishingslaveryandgivingequal rights to theblackpopulation,but discrimination continued and the Southern Statesneverreallyacceptedequalitybetweenallthepeople.

PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

IHAVEADREAMPoignantandsignificantextractsfromM.L.Kingmost

iconicspeech

Five score years ago, a great American, in whosesymbolic shadow we stand today, signedthe Emancipation Proclamation, but one hundredyearslater,theNegrostillisnotfree.(…)Black men as well as white men, would beguaranteed the unalienable Rights of Life, LibertyandthepursuitofHappiness.ItisobvioustodaythatAmerica has defaulted on this promissory note,insofarashercitizensofcolorareconcerned.(…) But in the process of gaining our rightful place,wemustnotbeguiltyofwrongfuldeeds.Letusnotseektosatisfyourthirstforfreedombydrinkingfromthecupofbitterness and hatred.Wemust not allow our creativeprotest to degenerate into physical violence. Again andagain, wemust rise to themajestic heights ofmeetingphysical force with soul force. The marvelous newmilitancywhichhasengulfedtheNegrocommunitymustnotleadustoadistrustofallwhitepeople,formanyofourwhitebrothers,asevidencedbytheirpresenceheretoday,havecometo realize that theirdestiny is tiedupwith our destiny. And they have come to realize thattheir freedom is inextricablyboundtoour freedom.Wecannotwalkalone.

We can never be satisfied as long as theNegro is thevictim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basicmobilityisfromasmallerghettotoalargerone.Wecanneverbesatisfiedaslongasourchildrenarestrippedoftheir self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signsstating: “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied aslongasaNegroinMississippicannotvoteandaNegroinNewYorkbelieveshehasnothingforwhichtovote.No,no,wearenotsatisfied,andwewillnotbesatisfieduntil“justicerollsdownlikewaters.Andsoeventhoughwefacethedifficultiesoftodayandtomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeplyrootedintheAmericandream.Ihaveadreamthatonedaythisnationwillriseupandliveoutthetruemeaningof its creed: “Wehold these truths tobeself-evident,that all men are created equal”. I have a dream thatonedayontheredhillsofGeorgia,thesonsofformerslavesandthesonsofformerslaveownerswillbeabletositdowntogetheratthetableofbrotherhood.Ihaveadreamthatmyfourlittlechildrenwillonedayliveinanation where they will not be judged by the color oftheir skinbutby the contentof their character. I haveadreamtoday!Withthisfaith,wewillbeabletoworktogether,topraytogether,tostruggletogether,togotojailtogether,tostandupforfreedomtogether,knowingthatwewillbefreeoneday.

ROSAPARKS

Example: Black people and white people had to sit incertain seats on the bus. If all the “white seats”weretaken then a black person had to stand up to let thewhitepersonsitdown!ThiswasthelawinAlabama!

Blackpeople(African-Americans)livinginAlabamawerenottreatedequallytowhiteAmericans.Theydidnothaveequalrights.

RosaParkslivedinAlabama,asouthernstateofAmerica.

On1stDecember1955aftercominghomefromaharddayswork, Rosawas sitting on the buswhen the busdriverorderedhertogiveupherseattoawhiteman,who couldn’t find a seat in the “white section” of thebus.On1stDecember1955aftercominghomefromaharddayswork, Rosawas sitting on the buswhen the busdriverorderedhertogiveupherseattoawhiteman,who couldn’t find a seat in the “white section” of thebus.

BoycottoftheBusSystem

Byboycottingthebusestheyhopedtochangethelawsofsegregation.ThebusesdependedonAfrican-Americanstokeeptheirbusinessrunning.

Theboycottwentonfor13months.Insteadofridingthebusestowork,manyAfrican-Americanpeople inMontgomery,Alabama, foundotherwaystogettowork.

TheboycottendedwhentheU.S.SupremeCourtruledthatthesegregationlawsonAlabama’sbuseswerenotlegal.

She will be remembered for standing up for what shebelievedinspiringotherstochangetheworldforbetter.

“TherealreasonofmynotstandingupwasIfeltthatIhadarighttobetreatedasanyotherpassenger.”

RosaParks,1992.

«Ihaveadream»

MartinLutherKing

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights activist inthe1950sand1960s.Helednon-violentproteststofight for the rights of all people including AfricanAmericans. He hoped that America and the worldcould become a colorblind society where racewould not impact a person's civil rights. He isconsidered one of the great orators of moderntimes, and his speeches still inspire many to thisday.Howdidhegetinvolvedincivilrights?In his first major civil rights action, Martin LutherKing, Jr. led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. ThisstartedwhenRosaParksrefusedtogiveupherseaton a bus to a white man. She was arrested andspentthenightinjail.Asaresult,Martinhelpedtoorganize a boycott of the public transportationsysteminMontgomery.Theboycottlastedforovera year. It was very tense at times. Martin wasarrested and his house was bombed. In the end,however,Martin prevailed and segregation on theMontgomerybusescametoanend.

MartinLutherKingIn1963,MartinLutherKing,Jr.helpedtoorganizethefamous"MarchonWashington".Over250,000peopleattended this march in an effort to show theimportance of civil rights legislation. Some of theissues the march hoped to accomplish included anendtosegregation inpublicschools,protectionfrompolice abuse, and to get laws passed that wouldpreventdiscriminationinemployment.ItwasatthismarchwhereMartingavehis"IHaveaDream" speech. This speech has become one of themost famous speeches in history. The March onWashingtonwasagreat success.TheCivilRightsActwaspassedayearlaterin1964.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4,1968inMemphis,TN.Whilestandingonthebalconyofhishotel,hewasshotbyJamesEarlRay.…Hashisspeechanythingtotellusnowadays?