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CIVIL RIGHTS, THE MEDIA, AND THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

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CIVIL RIGHTS, THE MEDIA, AND THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

Civil Rights
There are many different civil right events that occurred in America’s past that have shaped the way that the populace and government interact today. These events had the power to shift American policy and influence a sense of social responsibility in the American government, leading them to change the way they responded to social justice acts in the future. Two events in particular helped to shape the way African Americans were seen and treated in our country. The first was the admission and enrollment of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi in 1965 (University of Mississippi, 2012). James Meredith was a brave African American who was the first black student to ever enroll at this University. His admission sparked riots and violence throughout the city as more bigoted people protested, which resulted in five thousand troops being sent to the state by President Kennedy (University of Mississippi, 2012). When Meredith was admitted, the Federal Government expected a response, as the state of Mississippi had protested and refused to comply with desegregation rulings. By the government standing by Meredith on his admission to the University of Mississippi, they paved the way for other students to gain the same opportunities, essentially battling for desegregation throughout the state of Mississippi (University of Mississippi, 2012). Since then, the University has continued fighting for diversity within its schools, and recognizes the struggles diverse students went through in the 1960s and 1970s through commemorative events, such as their 50 Years of Integration Event which took place in 2012 (University of Mississippi, 2012). The second key civil rights event to shape future American policy was the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 (Nobel Prize, 2016). King was a huge social activist, and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and throughout the 50s and 60s, spent much time appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action. He spoke for freedom and at the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize (Nobel Prize, 2016). His assassination sparked protests and movements across the United States, and as a tribute to him the government continues to further his causes through national holidays and memorials (Biography.com, 2016). In the present day, the contributions of activists such as James Meredith and Martin Luther King, Jr. have shaped the way Americans see public policy, and has forced the populace to remember and respect the sacrifices they made to create a better country. .  [“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]

The Media’s Influence on Public Opinions
The media is a powerful modern outlet of information that has a huge capability to influence the opinions of the public on matters pertaining to government agencies. While the media’s influence is largely deemed as a negative outlet, it has the capacity to produce positive ones as well. An example of the media producing a powerful positive influence was during the 1991 North Iraq Operation. During this operation, the media portrayed the Kurds as starving and freezing victims, making the public feel sympathy for them and demanding a response from the government (Guiboa, 2003). As a result of the American’s quick and effective humanitarian aid of the Kurds, potentially thousands of lives were saved, and the media portrayed the Americans and their government as heroes (Guiboa, 2003). The vividness of the television images displayed, and the effective aid of the government resulted in the media positively influencing the public’s opinion towards the American government and the military. While the media has the power to positively influence public opinions, it also has the ability to drastically influence pubic opinions negatively. An example of this is during the Somalia crisis of the 1990s. In 1992, positive support of Somalian intervention was created due to pictures of starving children within the country (Guiboa, 2003). After the American Military intervened later, the pictures of dead and wounded soldiers caused a public outcry demanding their return to the country (Guiboa, 2003). Due to the initial public outcry to intervene in the Somalian civil war, President Bush quickly sent in ground troops without carefully inspecting and evaluating the situation. As a result, the ground troops were sent in with a distinct disadvantage, resulting in injury and death (Guiboa, 2003). Once the media displayed these images and informed the public of what had occurred, there was a huge public outcry to bring all soldiers home (Guiboa, 2003). The media coverage of this incident negatively influenced the public’s opinion of the Bush Administration and the American Military, causing anger and distrust towards them. While the media has the power to strongly influence the public’s opinion of the American Government and its Agencies, this influence can go either way, resulting in drastically positive or negative outcomes. [Need an essay writing service? Find help here.]

The Republican and Democratic Parties
The political landscape of the United States is dominated by the Republican and Democratic parties. While both parties have policies that they agree on, there are many things that cause discord between them as well. The first example of the differences between the two parties are their stances on equality and gay marriage. The Republican Party tends to behave more conservative on these types of social issues, and as such, typically oppose gay marriage and instead promote marriage between a man and a woman (Enki Village, 2016). In contrast, the Democratic Party is much more progressive in its views and believe that marriage is based on love, and can be between any combination of man or woman (Enki Village, 2016). The ethical impacts of these views can negatively affect many different types of people. For instance, conservative Americans may take offense to these views, as they go against what they believe in, while liberal Americans may take offense to the views of the conservatives. Another example of the differences between the Republican and Democratic parties is their views on healthcare. The Democratic Party generally believes and prefers in government regulation and oversight of the health care system, through things such as the Affordable Care Act (Knight, 2016). Their underlying goal in healthcare policy is to make affordable healthcare accessible to everyone, regardless of economic standing (Knight, 2016). Conversely, the Republican Party opposes the Affordable Care Act, as they believe that too much government intervention in the industry will drive up prices and have a negative impact on quality of care in clinical institutions (Knight, 2016). These differences in opinion between the two parties results in much ethical discord among the American populace. Both examples show instances where refuting the attempts of the Democratic Party may adversely affect many American citizens, such as the LGBTQ community, and the low-income communities. In addition to this, the acts and the opinions of the Democratic Party offends members of the Republican Party, and causes them monetary distress in terms of taxes. Overall, both parties wish to positively represent the American people and make the country the best it can be, however the ways in which each party does this can either positively or negatively affect certain communities of American citizens. < Click Essay Writer to order your essay >


Reference

Biography.com. (2016). Martin Luther King Jr. Biography.

Enki Village. (2016). Differences Between Democrats and Republicans.

Guiboa, R. (2003, June 6). Media Influence of Public Opinion during War: A Good or Bad Capability? Retrieved from Stanford University

Knight, R. (2016, July 31). A tale of two platforms. Retrieved from The Washington Times:
Nobel Prize. (2016). The Nobel Peace Prize 1964 – Martin Luther King, Jr.

University of Mississippi. (2012, September 27). Legacies of the Battles of Ole Miss: The Meredith Crisis and the 1965 Southern Literary Festival.

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By Hanna Robinson

Hanna has won numerous writing awards. She specializes in academic writing, copywriting, business plans and resumes. After graduating from the Comosun College's journalism program, she went on to work at community newspapers throughout Atlantic Canada, before embarking on her freelancing journey.

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