Why Have African Americans Granted Liberty?

Often many people think that citizens are granted liberties no matter what social factors are involved. But that's not always the case. In some of the articles I read such as ‘A Forgotten Piece of African- American History of The Great Plains’, ‘Evanston cops change policy in wake of ‘problematic’ arrest video’, ‘To Any Would-Be Terrorists’, ‘Blink Your Eyes’, and To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee the people are not granted liberty because of race and culture. Some people may argue America does administer liberty for all its citizens due to race and culture. Due to Race and culture peoples rights are restricted/limited because America does not administer liberty for all its citizens.

America does not assure liberty for its citizens

because people's’ rights are limited/restricted due to race. Atticus was explaining Tom’s jury, and he said “There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee 220).

No matter what an African-American man says the white man will always win so it will never be fair. Atticus says “they wouldn't be fair if they tried” he is referring to Tom and how he lost because he was African-American so Tom’s liberty was not being shown because he is American-American. Tom is not granted liberty in this situation because of his race his rights are restricted. Not only does Tom face unfairness so do the citizens of Dearfield. In, the article Piece of African- American History of The Great Plains by Luke Runyon “Elsewhere in the country, post-Reconstruction African-Americans were marginalized and disenfranchised in myriad ways. Their votes suppressed or never counted. Schools were off-limits to black students. Violence against black communities was commonplace”(Runyon 17). African Americans didn’t have the same liberty as the other citizens. The article says “ African Americans were marginalized and disenfranchised in a myriad way”, meaning they weren’t treated the same way. Due to race the citizens rights are marginalized and disenfranchised because America does not guarantee liberty for its citizens; likewise, the citizens in Dearfeld so they had to make their own town in order

to feel accepted. In, the Evanston article by Matthew and Luke Wilusz it says that a woman called the police and said an African-American man was trying to break into a car she later tells the police “I don’t know if I’m racial profiling,” the woman tells the dispatcher. “I feel bad” (Hendrickson and Wilusz 29). In, other words the women was assuming he was the one who broke into the car because he was African-American. The woman says she doesn't know if she is racial profiling if she doesn't know she most likely is and she was assuming that he did something because of what his race. Therefore the Evanston man was not guaranteed liberty because someone assumed he did something because of his race. As a result of race American citizens liberty are sparse because their rights are limited as shown in To Kill A Mockingbird, Evanston cops change policy in wake of ‘problematic’ arrest video, and Piece of African- American History of The Great Plains.
America does not assure liberty for its citizens because peoples rights are limited/restricted due to culture.

Aunt Alexandra was having a meeting with all her friends and Mrs. Merriweather said “ I tell you there are some good but misguided people in this town. Good, misguided. Folks in this town who think they’re doing right, I mean. Now far be it far be it from me to say who, but some of’ em in this town thought they were doing the right thing a while back, but all they did was stir’ em up” (Lee 232-233). Mrs. Merriweather is saying that there are good people but they show faulty reasoning or judgment so she doesn't think what they think is right. Mrs. Merriweather says there are misguided people who think they are doing right by this she it taking about Atticus means that she knows the people are good but she doesn't believe in what they think is right because in her culture she thinks the opposite. In their society there culture believes that it was wrong that Atticus was defending a African-American but they know he is a good man so this demonstrates that liberty is not administered because of culture. In the poem Blink Your Eyes by Sekou Sundiata it says “ New York City, they got laws can’t no bruthas drive outdoors, in certain neighborhoods, on particular streets near and around certain types of people” (Sundiata 5). In, other words if they drive on particular streets or near certain types of people it’s not in there culture too and they can get in trouble. The poem

says “they got laws can’t no bruthas drive outdoors, in certain neighborhoods…” so this means that in there culture they no not to go on certain streets or in specific neighborhoods. This demonstrates because of culture America does not guarantee liberty for its citizens. In the article To Any Would-Be Terrorists by Naomi Shihab Nye it says “ My hard-working American mother has spent 50 years trying to convince her fellow teachers and choir mates not to believe stereotypes about the Middle East. She always told them, there is a much larger story. If you knew the story, you would not jump to conclusions from what you see on the news” (Nye 25) . In other words we believe in stereotypes because of what we hear on the news. Strictly speaking the article said “ you would not jump to conclusions from what you see on the news” but in our culture we believe what we hear on the news is true so culture has an impact on how America does not administer liberty for its citizens.