Civil Rights Persuasive Speech

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“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord” are lyrical words that echo in my mind when I think about my America. “Trampling out a vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored” commands tireless work to keep the foundation for which my America is built. I am reminded by the old spiritual hymn, each day is a “Battle of the Republic” to “be jubilant, to “be swift,” and to “die (to myself) to make men free.” Envisioning an America that encompasses the freedoms that our forefathers imagined must be foremost in the eyes of all Americans, or else the “march” will end, and we will suffer. What ammunition does a young person bring into battle for the war on apathy and ambivalence, on detachment, and divisiveness? How does one stomp, …show more content…

For two and one-half centuries Americans have endured horrific struggles and are still confronted with hatred and malice for the color of their skin, religion, and sexual orientation. There is wisdom in the old Native American proverb,”A person should walk in the moccasins of another man to really understand his journey.” During the Roman Empire a soldier could legally ask a citizen to carry his bags for a mile; it was the admonition of Jesus who encouraged the citizen to carry the bags an extra mile to demonstrate compassionately a greater understanding of the other’s lot. My vision is to accept each American as an equal under the Constitution and to have greater compassion for his …show more content…

I must not take for granted being able to speak freely, to own a firearm, to choose my spouse, to worship, to assemble, to petition for a cause, to have a fair trial, to choose my own destiny, and to be treated with dignity and respect. As the spiritual hymn challenges us to “...live to make men free,” I, too, follow the words of Peter Marshall, twice-appointed chaplain to the United States Senate, as he instructs, “Give to us a clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for

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