To me social gospel is a movement that is derived from Christion ethics, which are then applied to social problems. There were many problems that this was applied to. Poverty, nutrition and health, education, economic inequality, alcoholism, racial tensions, slums, unclean environments, child labor, lack of unionization, poor schools, crime, and warfare would be such problems. “However social needs were emphasized, the doctrines of sin, salvation heaven and hell, and the future kingdom of God were downplayed.” Social gospel had inspired many people to create social institutions where people in trouble could go to escape their hardships. Some of the more famous institutions were the settlement house founded by Jane Adams which served the poor in urban areas by “living among them and serving them directly.” The YMCA was created to help young homeless men which surprisingly is still around today.



The social gospel led John Lewis towards a path of non-violence. The philosophy of John Lewis started to spread as the civil rights movements grew. It says in the book that johns love for the gospel was born at a very young age, his uncle even gave him his own bible when he was four. Even though he was unable to read it himself when his mother read to him, he was strongly impacted by the words. He said himself that “I’ll never forget my mother reading aloud to me the first words in that book ‘in the beginning God, created the heaven and the earth’”. Knowing early on that he wanted to be a preacher he would often preach to the chickens he was responsible for. He knew not that as he was preaching to these chickens, he was indirectly molding his own future. The social gospel helped society grow and reform past its barbaric beliefs. Many people dealing with problems were helped by this movement.

Reading March I see that the people of America back in 1961 were not accepting at all. This is only partially true considering a good portion of the North were accepting. African Americans were beaten in the streets just for trying to fit in. When they tried to combat this by protesting and boycotting they would just be arrested on site. In book two of March It talks about the Freedom rides to end bus segregation. during these freedom rides the passengers would all be African American or supporters of the movement. The riders would be in constant danger of being arrested or even death. One story that sticks out to me is when the bus gets to Montgomery Alabama and the bus was burned by the Ku Klux Klan. The thing that stcks out to me here is that the police department waited 30 minutes before trying to make any arrests. the only reason was because it was targeted at the freedom ride.

The difference between the people in 1961 and today is that it sort of flip flopped. The BLM movements become radical in my opinion. From my own experience I have been degraded by a protestor. I was walking outside of my school and a BLM protest was going on. Because I did not want to stand in the cold and protest with them immediately I was deemed racist. That is how it has been from my own personal experiences I believe the meaning that BLM wants to make an impact is amazing, however I do not like the way they are going about it. In a sense I feel like some African Americans make me feel worse about myself more than ever before all because I did not wish to drop what I was doing and scream on the side of a road for hours. I am for the movement I am not for the way they are doing it to me I felt racially attacked for the first time ever. It made me realize how white people made African Americans feel during segregation, not to the same extent but it gave me a sense.

#BLM #anti-racism #BeKind

 

When the sit-ins and protest were taking place in the 1960’s a lot of violence and anger were present in them. The African Americans were struggling to be heard and have changes made for their cause. They were seeking any possible way to be heard and to be seen. Everyone around during the time of violence who was not African American did not interfere in any way to stop the actions that were taking place. Some of the individuals who were present during these actions, were the ones who had planned them, such as the African Americans in the diner who refused to leave and the diner owner told them they could leave through the back door. Leaving through the backdoor was supposed to be those individuals leaving the diner to go home, instead they were fumigated. In no way or for any reason should they have deserved that. This made all African Americans call for freedom. They took the streets in protest, fighting for the freedom they deserved just as everyone else. “Letting freedom ring” referring to letting the freedom they’ve been seeking, finally being heard, and seen. Having that freedom finally being given after time and tine again of fighting for it. Freedom can be heard and passed on to all of those who have been longing it so dearly. These people have endured gruesome acts of violence, beatings, and some even getting killed. African Americans went through just as many things I feel I would to fight for my freedom. In my viewpoint, I feel it is awful to have to go to the point to having people have to get killed before actual action is taken seriously. In the text of March Book Two, I found myself on the outside field, as a watcher and bystander almost, as a Caucasian female, at that particular time white woman were not involved in most of the fights or crime on the African Americans and I personally feel awful knowing at the time these actions were happening and no matter even if the whites who felt it was very wrong to do what was being done to the African Americans, they could not prevent it. These events that took place I believe were worth and also not worth going through for freedom. In life we should not have to be beaten and killed to get our freedom, we should be able to have peaceful protest to get the point through. People do not let time and discussion take place when it comes to differences, instead they hop on the chance to use their fist rather than words. The overall text of March Book Two, comes to me and tells me the stories of struggle and grief that the African Americans had to endure for them to be able to hear their own freedom ring. Not only for them but for the future African Americans to still hear their freedom ringing.

Let freedom ring means that all the virtues that the American constitution has said that every person should have access to inside their country should be able to actually be experienced by everyone in the country. Maybe the phrase means that their voice should be heard throughout the country and by other people. Like rally to have everyone supporting their cause here and to spread awareness of the civil rights injustice. If I was never able to have access to the freedoms I have today I don’t know what I would do I’ve never really thought about it, maybe I would be part of the change or maybe I would be too frightened to do anything, honestly I would be apart of the protesting, I would write letters and be nonviolent in my ways of fighting against the injustice. I think I would try to stick up for myself and those I care about. As for where I see myself in this text I think I would be a part of the people getting beat up for standing their ground in what they believe in, I would be part of the people on the bus doing the stand-ins  for protesting, and on the streets marching holding up a sign. I do think that people today would be willing to go through the same hardships, just like how back then there were certain people who were more outspoken and willing to lose their life for what they believe in then there were those that did not believe in the fighting for change either because they were too scared or they felt ok with how life was. I just believe it depends on the person and how many people the issue resonates with. The perfect example is the black lives matter protesting that took place during the pandemic. These types of parts in history are important to tell the life stories of those who fought for our lives as black people to be better.

The second book was just as intense as the first. You saw just how much the Jim Crow laws affected people of color. In the book, I got this feeling that white people believed that Jim Crow laws were unconstitutional because why else would they be so adamant about the rules, then it could also be that people are just hateful and racist. In March Eugene Bull, the chief of the police department hated black people enough to give the Klu Klux Klan 15 minutes to do whatever they would like to the bus of freedom fighters. That type of hatred isn’t something that appears out of nowhere but is harbored by generations and generations. 

Another thing that the Jim Crow laws did was boost the confidence of white people to make them think they were superior to black people or people who wanted equal rights for all. When they finally made it to Montgomery, Alabama and as soon as they get off the bus they were bombarded by an angry mob of white people. They would beat them with bats, scream out racial slurs, and even get their kids to beat the freedom fighters. They treated this day as if it was a day at the fair, smiling and grinning as if the things they were doing were humane in the slightest. 

This is our history, unfortunately. Even though the school system is trying to hide it and cover up the past the curtains will eventually open and the newer generation will see the real America. The America that found it more difficult to give African Americans/ black people rights than anything else. The America that wanted to keep them as slaves or something much more keen to animals depriving them of their rights. And as the saying goes, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

I think the violence that the Freedom Riders went through is frightening. The fight for freedom was brutal and still is today. People were so hateful towards anyone who was black or accepted black people as equals. The violence was unnecessary and unconstitutional. Although they went through so much pain and suffering, the fight did not stop there. The Freedom Riders had bombs thrown at them and constant beatings. At times it wasn’t safe for them to walk the streets or even leave their homes. The Alabama National Guard had to come and set them free. It took all that for it to be safe for them to leave. A large group of citizens fighting for black people’s rights decided to march for their freedom. Imagine if we could not leave our homes because we were going to be beat or harrased?