Demonstrating for change
Transcript: Demonstrating for change If you don't like something, what are some ways that you can help change it? Civil Rights- personal & property rights recognized by governments and protected by the constitution People have worked hard to gain those rights. Some Civil Rights Movements in U.S. history are the Movement for Racial Equality, Women's Suffrage for Voting Rights, Movement for Rights of Americans with Disabilities, and the Immigration Rights Movement. Human Rights- All humans are equal and deserve to be treated as such. Some of these rights are freedom to work at a job, freedom to marry who you want, freedom to raise a family, freedom from slavery, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. When people do not agree with the way a group of people are treated, they have the right to protest for change. Human & Civil Rights Boycotting A march is when a large collection of people move together to protest a government's restriction. Usually there is lots of chanting, sign-carrying, and speeches. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, more than 200,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The people called for equal treatment and opportunities for all Americans. This march ended with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream..." speech. A boycott is a coordinated effort to avoid purchasing goods or services or doing an action. When you stop buying a good or service, the company or person notices that they are losing money and they need to make a change. An example of a famous boycott in U.S. history is the Townshend Act boycotts of 1767. The British were imposing high taxes on products they sold to Americans, so Americans stopped buying them and made their own things. Another boycott was the Montgomery Bus Boycott that came about when Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting at the front of the bus. Supporters boycotted riding the buses in protest. A strike is what happens when a group of unhappy people stop doing what they are doing, like working. If workers are not happy with their pay or working conditions, and the employers will not listen to them, a strike can happen. Workers create a list of demands that must be met before they will return to work. There was a strike in 1997 by UPS workers. They wanted full-time work instead of just part-time, higher wages, and more benefits. The workers stopped making their deliveries. The media told the story in newspapers and television, which made the story very popular. Eventually, after losing about $600 million dollars in business, UPS agreed to all of the workers' demands. Strike Picketing Sit-ins are peaceful protests organized by an individual or in a collective unit (group). The protesters seat themselves wherever they are protesting- a restaurant, work office, street until they are forced to move or their demands have been met. A famous example of a sit-in was in 1960 at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Four African-American men were refused service at a lunch counter so the four students remained sitting at the lunch counter until it closed that night. Newspaper and TV reporters showed up to cover the story. The sit-in went on for several days. By the last day there was so much publicity that nearly 400 people showed up to sit-in. Sit- Ins Pickets are organized efforts by a collective of people to protest outside of a work place or event location. Picketers usually form lines or carry signs that talk about what they are protesting or what they are demanding from employers. People usually do not cross a picket line so other people do not go into the building. Media reporters like to share stories of pickets and this is one way those on protest draw attention to their cause. Marching