During the 19th and 20th centuries Men reigned supreme. The lack of rights for women and poor people sparked protests and were the cause of the appearance of rights activists. Civil liberty issues in the American past have been resolved in the aspects of women’s rights and poor people’s rights but based on perceptions, little has been resolved.
Women’s civil liberty issues have been resolved through Women’s rights activists and many years of pushing for constitutional equality. A well known suffragist in women’s history is Susan B Anthony. She gave speeches, led protests, and formed committees to help the public realize that “women are citizens” and therefore should be able to participate in events that male citizens are authorized to (Source
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Martin Luther King was a determined activist for equality for all. King spoke for the weak that did not have the voices to speak for themselves; for example, he represented the poor. Recognizing that citizens in poverty were not able to support their families while away from home at war, Martin Luther King included that “ war [and being enlisted in battle was] … an enemy of poor” to demonstrate how even though any man could be drafted, the economically stable left behind support for their family while the impoverished were ineligible of doing so (Source A). Rhetorical devices are included in Martin Luther King’s speeches to prove conflict. For example, this quote personifies war as being an enemy. This quote is referencing how poor and rich people were drafted to war but the poor people had no one left to support the family. Issues have been resolved because now the draft is less common because more people volunteer for war so the poor are not forced. Likewise, during this time period, “America [put little effort into] ... rehabilitation of its poor” creating an even harder life for them (Source A). Encompassed within this quote is pathos because the harsh accusation leads the reader to think poorly of the government while pitying the poor. The rhetoric helps prove how the poor lived worse in the …show more content…
The goal Susan B Anthony was striving for was to “form a more perfect union” through her works and the works of fellow suffragists. The rhetoric used in this quote is important because it encourages people to strive to create a union with equality because we as a nation are still not living in one. This quote supports the idea that civil liberties have not been resolved because if the issue is still being discussed, it is still a problem in the world. A perfect union can not describe the United States because of perception and even though women can have the same jobs as men, there is the potential for a difference in wages and opportunities. Along with unequal opportunities for women, there was “cruel manipulation of the poor” as described in Martin Luther King’s speech. Readers can infer that poor people were deprived of food and possibilities because of the strong use of pathos and imagery. Also, the substandard jobs were reserved for the poor because they were ineligible of equal opportunities because they were deemed uneducated. Americans still view poor people as being uneducated and wrongfully inferring that as the cause of their poverty. This incorrect thinking leads poor people to have less rights than others because they have to