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Helen Roberts

DAmura

English 11

April 25, 2012

American Experience Draft

Improving the way society lives has been a constant struggle throughout Ameri-

can history, but Americans have fought hard for this mission. This is shown through

group ambition to achieve a common goal. Throughout history, groups have worked to

better the living situation for people in the United States, through the abolition of slavery

and organization of labor unions, and during the Brown v. Board of Education case and

fighting for gay rights. Americans have shown great dedication over time in their search

for a more equal and peaceful society. The American Experience has been defined by

society working together to make life better for all citizens, not just the privileged few.

Slavery was an evil practice that destroyed the lives of many African Americans

since the founding of Jamestown. In the mid 19th century, the abolition movement was

an important step in improving the lives of all people in America. Abolitionists came to-


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gether to form groups to fight slavery and eventually put an end to it. In 1833, members

of the abolition movement formed the American Anti-Slavery Society, whos purpose

was to travel around the North and lecture about the evils of slavery (American Anti-

Slavery Society). It wasnt easy for the abolitionists to end slavery as many faced large

consequences for their brave actions. Despite the struggles these people faced, all of

the abolitionists hard work would pay off with the passing of President Lincolns Emanci-

pation Proclamation and the eventual adding of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution

which effectively ended slavery in all of the United States. These two steps allowed

African Americans throughout the nation to reach a social status closer to that of the

majority of the nation.

In the late 19th century, corruption covered the expanding business world. Robber

barons like J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller created monopolies in their fields of

work. As a result of this corruption, workers had harsh and unjust working conditions.

Groups formed to fight these corporations, and in 1886, Samuel Gompers combined

several skilled labor unions into the American Federation of Labor and built it into the

largest organization of its kind in the country (Labor Movement). This group created

unions to battle the corporations, representing people who may not have been very
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powerful as individuals taking on these big figures in the economic world. The labor

movement involved these unions negotiating for better wages and workplace conditions.

Thousands of workers joined the unions to focus on improving their work lives. The la-

bor movement was a difficult journey for workers to attain a better life.

The Brown v. Board of Education case was a group initiative to desegregate

schools. Oliver Browns daughter was forced to walk six miles to get to the bus for her

school rather than going to a white school that was much closer. Mr. Brown didnt see

this as being separate but equal as the Plessy v. Ferguson case suggested, so he

fought for justice. The NAACP, led by Thurgood Marshall, helped to end the injustice

that the Plessy v. Ferguson created, as eventually the courts ruled that separate educa-

tional facilities are inherently unequal (Brown v. Board of Education (1954)). This in-

stance shows the power that a strong group, with ambitious goals, can have when they

work for a common goal. The outcomes of this landmark case were a key victory for

African Americans in their fight against discrimination.

While the news today is flooded with information about the GOP race, crisis in

the Middle East, and how President Obama is going to fix the broken economy, possibly


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the biggest source of social conflict is the issue over gay rights. The Human Rights

Campaign, or HRC, is a group of advocates of gay rights. The HRC has made many ad-

vances in gay rights such as National Coming Out Day to promote the awareness of

gay pride in America. The head of the campaign, Elizabeth Birch, spoke at the Demo-

cratic National Convention to gain a much larger audience. Over 750,000 people are

part of this organization and it is only growing. The HRC makes life better for gay Ameri-

cans all over the country by giving them opportunity to express their beliefs without a

sense of fear or humiliation. In addition to the work of the HRC, the general gay and les-

bian rights movement has supported many acts against homosexual harassment. Fol-

lowing a Supreme Court case, Onacle v. Sundowner Offshore Services, in which homo-

sexual harassment was seen as in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 gay and les-

bian rights groups praised the decision as a significant step in extending protections to

all members of the workforce, regardless of sexual orientation (Onacle v. Sundowner

Offshore Services). The work of a single man in this instance was the extended work of

an entire movement, as the roots of desire of social equality that make up the gay and

lesbian rights movement were behind Onacles position.


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As a democracy, America was founded on the principle of working for the greater

good of all citizens. This principle of group ambition characterizes the American Experi-

ence, and gives America an identity of hard work and persistence to reach their goals.

Throughout history, America has been met with many social road blocks, but the brav-

ery of groups of people who are willing to fight against injustice they see in the world

has given America the ability to progress in their pursuit of social equality. The true am-

bition of opinionated groups will continue to define America until true the words of the

founding fathers, All men are created equal, becomes a reality.


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Works Cited

Abolition Movement. ABC-CLIO American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. The article

about the abolition movement addresses the institution of slavery in the post civil war ante-

bellum era of US history, and reviews the steps that many radical abolitionists took to end

it. Intended for the American public, this article serves to inform the American citizens

about the struggles these abolitionists had to go through to reach their goal. In the end,

however, the goal was met with the Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment to

the Constitution.

American Anti-Slavery Society. ABC-CLIO American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.

During the 19th century, movements against slavery were met with hostility, yet an organi-

zation was developed in the North to speak out against these actions. This group was, how-

ever, radical for not only did it speak out against slavery, women played a vital role in the

organization. This article, intended to inform the American people of this bold group, high-

lights the role of women in this group, which was much more significant than any role

women had in society as a whole. This societys goals, and its methods made it a very am-

bitious group as a whole.

American Federation of Labor. ABC-CLIO American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.

The late 19th century brought the gilded age, and with this era there was much corruption

in the business world. Robber Barons created many monopolies and trusts during the time

period. This harmed many of the lower class consumers creating a larger divide between

lower and upper classes. In addition, harsh and un just working conditions resulted from

the corruption. Eventually, groups were created to try and battle the trusts, and the AFL was


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born. This group created unions to battle the corporations of the time period, representing a

group of people who may not be very powerful as individuals taking on these big figures

in the economic world. The article, intended for the American public, represents the effect a

group of individuals can have on society, as they can fight against a larger more powerful

group, yet still prevail.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954). ABC-CLIO American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr.

2012. In reaction to the Plessy v. Ferguson case of 1896 which stated that segregation was

separate but equal, the NAACP, lead by Thurgood Marshall, acted out in response to this

ruling that they saw unfit. This article, which addresses the American Public, highlights the

path of this historic case. The case eventually resulted in the overturning of the 1896 ruling,

and schools began to integrate. The NAACP represented a group seeing an issue, and not

stopping until they found the justice they desired.

Human Rights Campaign and Gay and Lesbian Rights. Issues: Understanding Contro-

versy and Society. ABC-CLIO, n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. The HRC, or Human Rights

Campaign has made many advances in the field of gay rights. Nation Coming Out Day is a

day promoted to the awareness of gay pride in America, which this article tries to make

clear to the American people. The Campaign has gained a much larger audience after its

head, Elizabeth Birch, spoke at the Democratic National Convention. This organization,

which has reached over 750000, is expanding the horizons for gay Americans all over the

country. The lack of fear that this group has is what gives it the ability to succeed and grow.

Jacobs, Robert. Brown v. Board of Education. Salem History. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2012.


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board&searchHistoryKey=&queryHash=50c4a181544382aab7f51faa5836913f>. Oliver

Brown, an African American man, was just a normal railway welder around the country.

Mr. Brown, who would later become the plaintiff of the cast that this article, intended to in-

form the American public, was about, had a daughter who was forced to walk six miles to

get the bus to her elementary school instead of walking blocks to get to the closest white

school. Mr. Brown didnt see this as being separate but equal as the Plessy v. Ferguson

case suggested, so he fought for justice. Oliver Brown used not only the power of the great

Thurgood Marshall, but the entire NAACP to end the injustice that the 1896 case created.

This instance shows the power that a strong group with ambitious goals can have.

Labor Movement. ABC-CLIO American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. In the mid-

19th century, mass numbers of workers organized into groups to present their interests to

employers. These groups formed into unions who wanted to negotiate better wages and

working conditions. Thousands of workers joined these labor unions and were focused on

improving their workplace conditions. Women and children had especially hazardous

working conditions, and they worked longer shifts, making less money. This article informs

the general American public of the harsh conditions and difficult journey for workers to at-

tain a better life at work. This movement eventually led to the establishment of the United

Farm Workers of America formed by an activist named Csar Chvez.

Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services (1997). Issues: Understanding Controversy

and Society. ABC-CLIO, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. Gay Rights has been a developing is-

sue over the past half century, and today is a great source of conflict. One step in the right

direction for gays and lesbians occurred after the Oncale v. Sundower Offshore Services

case. The article, presenting this case to the American Public, explains the outcomes of this
http://history.salempress.com/doi/full/10.3331/1950_177?prevSearch=brown%2Bv.%2Bboard&searchHistoryKey=&queryHash=50c4a181544382aab7f51faa5836913fhttp://history.salempress.com/doi/full/10.3331/1950_177?prevSearch=brown%2Bv.%2Bboard&searchHistoryKey=&queryHash=50c4a181544382aab7f51faa5836913fhttp://history.salempress.com/doi/full/10.3331/1950_177?prevSearch=brown%2Bv.%2Bboard&searchHistoryKey=&queryHash=50c4a181544382aab7f51faa5836913f


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trial and how they affected the gay rights movement. The case applied civil rights act of

1964 to same sex sexual harassment. Gays and lesbians saw this as a victory, as the case

went to the Supreme Court, and was publicized nationally.

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Ae Draft With Works Cited