Chapter 13.
Civil Rights and the Struggle For Racial Equality.
The chapter deals with the topic of racial equality, the process of its development, legal basics and the difficulties in society's appreciation of the idea.
At the end of the 18th century democracy was made dominant again by Declaration of the Rights of Man in France and Declaration of Independence in the United States. The promises of both documents were rich, but it wasn't easy to fulfil them and still isn't. In the young American republic, slavery was legal and comfortable, so it took time to make it clear and acceptable that all the races are equal in their rights. More than a few examples can be found in Holy Scriptures, that support and encourage slavery, which was used
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Until the Civil Rights Act (1964) education was the right and the privilege of one race and one culture only, and the act opened the doors of education and opportunity for everyone. This didn't take anything from other students, it just meant that more students could get an education. The authors of the book believe, that the same algorithm is reflected in any human rights argument, like the rights of women to take part in combat or equal rights for marriage.
There rises an interesting issue of affirmative action, which is still an object for discussion. Quotas for African-Americans and other minorities in schools and workplace were intended to be beneficial for society, but the other side is that as a result there were those not included in the process because of the affirmative action. Further on some strong arguments for and against affirmative action are presented in the chapter.
In his remarks at the "Let Freedom Ring" ceremony, Barack Obama speaks for the importance of equal rights and opportunities for all people, independently of their race, sex, nation or