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JT Becker
4/8/14
L. Douglas Wilder
Lawrence Douglas Wilder is an African American who, with hard work, rose from his humble beginnings to become a decorated veteran serving in the Korean War, toxicologist, lawyer, politician and college professor. He has received many honors and awards during his more than 40 year career in public service.
Lawrence Douglas Wilder was born in Richmond, Virginia on January 17, 1931. He was named after abolitionist Fredrick Douglas and poet Paul Lawrence. He was from a large family, being the second youngest of 8 children, with one brother and six sisters. His father, Robert was a salesman and supervisor of agents for a black-owned insurance company. His mother Beulah (may also be Eunice depending on the source), worked as a maid. His grandparents, James and Agnes Wilder were slaves making him the grandson of slaves. His family lived in a poor and segregated neighborhood. Mr. Wilder said he remembered his childhood as “gentle poverty.” (Source 2)
At the age of thirteen he began working in order to earn money for college. He was a shoe shiner, an elevator boy, and a paper boy. He attended the all-black Armstrong High School, where he acted in plays, was a sergeant in the Cadet Corps, and earned good grades, graduating at the age of 16.
Lawrence was a very well educated man, but he did not have the best education until he was in college. He started college at Virginia Union University, an all-black school, where in 1951 he received a degree in chemistry and in science. After graduating he started working as a toxicologist in the medical examiner's office. In 1952, he was drafted into the army and served in the Korean War where he earned the Bronze Star for heroism in combat for ...
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...r also received the Roosevelt Medal of Honor Award for being a great person in public service. In May 2004, Virginia Commonwealth University named the School of Government and Public Affairs in his honor.
Lawrence Douglas Wilder has done a lot to help our country. Including establishing a state holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that became a national holiday. As a result of his actions, he has also received many awards. He helped end segregation and helped American blacks assume an equal place in society. After he was elected governor of Virginia he stated, “I read the writings of Abraham Lincoln about freedom and equality and I knew they were referring to me. My victory fulfills all of the dreams that could be dreamed by any person.” (Source 4) Mr. Wilder is thought of a very victorious man, elected official lawyer, solider, and politician.
First of all, the early life of Frederick Douglass was horrible and very difficult. He was born on February 1818 in Tuckahoe, Maryland. 7 His parents were from two different races. His father was white while his mother was a African American. At that time period slave auctions were held to sell black slaves to white land owners. It was at a slave auction that as a child Frederick Douglass was separated from his Negro mother. His mother was sold and Douglass never saw an inch of her again in his entire life.
At the age of fourteen he dropped out of school to work as painter in railroad yards (ffrf.org).
When he was fifteen years old, his mother died from appendicitis. From fifteen years of age to his college years, he lived in an all-white neighborhood. From 1914-1917, he shifted from many colleges and academic courses of study as well as he changed his cultural identity growing up. He studied physical education, agriculture, and literature at a total of six colleges and universities from Wisconsin to New York. Although he never completed a degree, his educational pursuits laid the foundation for his writing career.
After his high school graduation he enrolled at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. There he "discovered his Blackness" and made a lifelong commitment to his people. He taught in rural Black schools in Tennessee during summer vacations, thus expanding his awareness of his Black culture.
George Wallace was a man of his era who grew up under racist conditions. After the assassination attempt Wallace was a changed man. Later in his life, he admitted that he was wrong for being a segregationist. He has always said that he was not a racist, but he was for segregation. This visionary was responsible for the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, and Civil Rights Movement. Although he did not want them, his actions dictated the results of these Acts and changes. His dreams died, but they established rights for all minorities.
...uld continue his active involvement to better the lives of African Americans. He conferred with Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and recruited northern blacks for the Union Army. After the War he fought for the rights of women and African Americans alike.. He focused attention on Jim Crow laws in the North, by entering public places in which he knew these laws were enforced, sometimes risking physical ejection. He also gave his money to aid fugitive slaves, and used his printing
At about age 16 Booker set out for Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, which had been established by the chief of the Freedmen's Bureau to educate former slaves. He walked much of the way, working to earn the fare to complete the long, dusty journey to Virginia. For his admission test he repeatedly swept and dusted a classroom, and he was able to earn his board by working as a janitor. After graduation three years later he taught in Malden and at Hampton.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who believed in fighting for the rights of African Americans in the United States. He made many sacrifices for the people he was fighting for and never stopped until he was shot after a protest. MLK changed many people’s lives by standing up in front of thousands of people to share his “Dream” for America. No one can change the impression he made on not just the African Americans, but as well as the whites. He will forever be remembered for the changes he fought for when he never got the chance to actually see the change happen.
William Bradford is the epitome of somebody who never intended to become the person he became, never seeking out leadership, or fame, he just wanted to help his fellow man live a better life of religious freedom. However, once he did find himself in the role of leader, he is able to begin turning a few dozen men and their families from scared, sick, and unprepared, immigrants into vibrant, self-supporting compatriots, who together began rising a new country.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When most Americans hear that name the first thing that comes to mind is his “Dream”. But that is not all he was. His life was more than a fight against segregation, it was segregation. He lived it and overcame it to not only better himself but to prove it could be done and to better his fellow man.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great civil rights leader who gave his life in the name of freedom. The work of Martin Luther King, Jr. goes further than establishing peaceful social change strategies, he shaped America into the free country it is today. Before his protests in the south blacks, were treated like second rate citizens. It was uncommon to see blacks and whites using the same public restroom, or drinking from the same water fountain. Dr. King created a legacy that carried on far beyond his death. He had a dream that blacks and whites could live together in peace, free of segregation.
At 22, after two-thirds of a year at Berea College in West Virginia, he returned to the coalmines and studied Latin and Greek between trips to the mineshafts. He then went on to the University of Chicago, where he received bachelors and master's degrees, and Harvard University, where he became the second black to receive a doctorate in history.
...mined man, Martin Luther King was by far the most influential person in American history. He was fearless and fought for equal rights through speeches, marches and protests. He knew that his strong attitude and opinion on civil rights would cause many people to dislike him, but he didn’t care and continued to fight for African American rights. He has affected my life as well as the life my future children will live. I don’t live in a world of segregation and I’m not treated any differently than a white person because of his braveness to speak out. I am allowed to eat in the same restaurants, use the same public water fountains and bathrooms, ride the same buses and go to the same schools as a white person. If it wasn’t for him, that might not have been possible. His actions showed that one person can impact the country with a lot of effort and a humble attitude.
...anged those around him and changed the way people lived their lives. Robinson was someone who worked for a cause not only for himself, but also for his fellow Negroes, and his country. His work for civil rights not only came when he had to provoke a change for his advancement, but even after he had advanced, he did not forget his fellow Negroes. His acts in the 1950's, 1960's and shortly in the 1970's has helped and influenced America to end segregation and racism in the world.
...le. He worked through the struggles and difficulties to make sure that his goals were accomplished. The actions he took allowed African Americans to gather hope and lead a change in our world.