The Importance of History USA in John F. Kennedys Speech Free Essay Example, 1500 words

In the era of 1965-1985, Shirley Chisholm shows the power of the individual who is fighting for social justice and individual liberties, just like FDR and Thomas Jefferson before her (p. 822). Chisholm was a woman who recognized that the country was being run by white men, and, as such, the country would work for the benefit of the leaders, and not for people like her. She successfully ran for Congress in 1968, then ran for President in 1972, declaring that other kinds of people can steer the ship of the state besides white men. (p. 822). She cobbled together a coalition of women, the young, and people of color, as these are the groups who are not represented accurately by the current leaders who were older white men. When she ran for President, she was defeated, yet still brought the struggles of these under-represented groups to the fore. Yet, according to the textbook, Chisholm underscored that there was a need that was not being addressed - that there were coalitions that wer e demanding more rights and resources, yet resources are finite, and cannot be expanded without everybody having to do with a little less. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of History USA in John F. Kennedy's Speech or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page History can instruct us on how to deal with these problems. Chisholm was not alone, of course she was but one voice in the 1960s that was speaking for the oppressed. She was joined by, among others, students around the nation who rose up in protest for their rights and freedoms, rebelling against the hierarchy of the white men who ran the universities (p. 816). Chisholm may have been one of the early pioneers as far as people who fight for social justice and equality, and Barack Obama has also carried on this tradition (p. 911).