SeniorResearchPaperwithRubric1 xRyansResearchPaper Sophie__sResearchPaper x
Thesis: Increasing the availability of mail in ballots was a positive and necessary change to the 2020 election. Possible topics to talk about: Covid Less people can vote in person due to Covid increased mail in ballots allows more people access to voting don’t want small sample size of votes bc of Covid Postpone election dates (bc crowds were not allowed) safety Election, More Access to voting More access to voting in minority communities I have attached the rubric and 2 sample ″A″ papers that I would like mine to be On Par with. Don’t write about integrity and voter fraud
SENIOR RESEARCH PAPER
Purpose: You will be working on all stages of a thesis-driven research paper. This is a process! The goal of this assignment is to prepare for writing a college research paper on a current issue or literary topic. You already have experience in doing research and writing reports. The purpose here is to continue to build and advance your skills. We will be working on two important skills: organization of information and argument. An argument is an opinion supported by evidence. You to figure out what YOU THINK about your chosen topic and form an opinion. Your college professors will be interested in your point of view, above and beyond the facts.
While completing this paper, you will practice the following skills: research note-taking, organization, building an argument, analysis, and written communication. Please select one of the following topics.
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Social/political issues: |
Literary topics: |
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· Mental health/illness or physical health/disease |
· A literary movement (Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Modernism, Post-Modernism) |
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· Poverty/homelessness |
· An author |
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· Education |
· A poet |
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· War and refugees |
· A film maker |
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· Immigration |
· A genre of literature or film |
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· Technology access or negative effects |
· The classics (Ancient Greek and/or Roman literature |
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· Drug abuse/addiction |
· Medieval literature |
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· Racism, sexism, homophobia |
· Renaissance literature |
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· Climate change |
· Enlightenment/Age of Reason literature |
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· Gun violence |
· Current trends in literature |
Government related topics: Constitution, founding fathers, origin/history of political parties, Landmark Supreme Court cases, and contemporary political/social issues, the Trump era, etc.
Research paper requirements:
· Research notes (a document with notes and quotes, 4-5 pages in length). Here’s why: each page of your final paper needs at least one page of notes and quotes for you to have enough material to write about.
· Outline: this will be developed in class
· A first draft with an introduction, body, and conclusion
· A final paper 4-5 pages in length, typed, double-spaced, using 12pt font and MLA format
· Works cited page in MLA format with at least 5 sources (credible online sources are fine)
· In-text citations for quotes and data
· Please see the rubric below for grading
Research-Based Expository Writing Rubric
6 Superior
5 Strong
4 Adequate
3 Marginal
2 Weak
1 Very Weak
Understanding and use of research
*Demonstrates mastery of the research process including use of highly credible sources, creative use of a variety of types of sources: print, field research, and others.
*Embeds ideas, quotes and data with expert attribution
*Includes a works cited list that matches the sources embedded in the paper and a skillfully annotated bibliography
*Approaches mastery of the research process, including use of credible sources, a variety of types of sources.
*Embeds ideas quotes and data using attribution
*Includes a works cited list that matches the sources embedded in the paper. Includes an annotated bibliography
*Demonstrates a solid understanding of the research process, including use of credible sources, some variety of types of sources.
*Uses some attribution when introducing ideas or data
*Includes a works cited lists and an annotated bibliography
*Demonstrates some understanding of the research process, but may misconstrue parts of it or make limited use of it in developing a weak response.
*Does not clearly show the use of source information in the writing
*Includes a bibliography but may be missing a works cited page.
*Demonstrates very poor understanding of the research process, does not use research appropriately in developing a response
*Bibliography may be incomplete
*Demonstrates little or no ability to research effectively; information gathered from sources with little credibility; no variety in types of sources
*Attribution is not used in the paper
*Bibliography may be incomplete or missing.
Quality and clarity of thought
Essay is exceptionally informative, thought-provoking; goes far beyond assembling information gathered to demonstrate a deep understanding of its meaning.
Essay presents very interesting and well put together information. Research objectives questions are thoroughly addressed.
Essay does a good job conveying information in response to the research objective and questions.
Some solid information about the topic, may seem randomly chosen; does not respond adequately to the research objective and questions.
Lacks focus and coherence, information bears little relevance to the research objective and questions or seems completely random.
Is unfocused, illogical, or incoherent.
Organization, development, and support
Is coherently organized and developed, with ideas supported by apt reasons and well-chosen examples.
Is well organized and developed, with ideas supported by appropriate reasons and examples.
Is adequately organized and developed, generally supporting ideas with reasons and examples.
Is poorly organized and developed, presenting generalizations without adequate support, or details without generalizations.
Has very weak organization and development, providing simplistic generalizations without support.
Is disorganized and undeveloped, providing little or no relevant support.
Syntax and command of language
Has an effective, fluent style marked by syntactic variety and a clear command of language.
Displays some syntactic variety and facility in the use of language.
Demonstrates adequate use of syntax and language.
Has limited control of syntax and vocabulary.
Has inadequate control of syntax and vocabulary.
Lacks basic control of syntax and vocabulary.
Grammar, usage, and mechanics (See list on back for details)
Is generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics.
May have a few errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics.
May have some errors, but generally demonstrates control of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Has an accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that sometimes interfere with meaning.
Is marred by numerous errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that frequently interfere with meaning.
Has serious and persistent errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that severely interfere with meaning.
Ryan Ramsdell
Irina Davidovich
English 12 Honors B
15 March 2018
It’s High Time to End the War on Drugs
At some point in your life, you’ve probably been told “don’t do drugs,” but is it
really as simple as “no drugs, no problems,” and is “just saying no” as easy as it
sounds? According to the CDC, “Between 2002 and 2013, the rate of heroin-related
overdose deaths nearly quadrupled,” so maybe it’s not that simple (“Today’s Heroin
Epidemic”). That said, humans have been using currently taboo drugs for thousands of
years without major issues (Crocq). Much of our current drug laws are from the
Controlled Substances Act, signed by Richard Nixon in 1970 as part of his War on Drugs
(“The Controlled Substances Act (CSA): Overview”). It classifies drugs into five
“schedules” with Schedule I being the worst and Schedule V being the least dangerous.
The act is receiving criticism right now because its classifications appear to be
arbitrary. For example, heroin and marijuana are both Schedule I (“The Controlled
Substances Act (CSA): Overview”). The War on Drugs was the Nixon administration’s
response to the anti-war hippies and African Americans expressing their First
Amendment rights with their anti-war and anti-racism protests (“A Brief History of the
Drug War”). Drug abuse is a major problem but the US’s solution, the War on Drugs, is a
complete failure because it ignores that safe drug use can exist.
There are many ways in which drugs can cause harm and overdose is just one of
them. It’s not limited to just “hard” drugs like heroin either. The most popular drug in the
world, alcohol, can be dangerous too. Underage drinking interferes with brain
development and can easily cause alcohol use disorder (“Alcohol Facts and
Statistics.”). In addition, the fear associated with being caught drinking can cause
teenagers to knowingly drive drunk, may prevent victims of sexual assault from coming
forward and may cause people to injure themselves and not seek proper treatment.
Another popular drug, nicotine, is primarily consumed through cigarettes. Smoking
cigarettes is extremely harmful to your respiratory system and is the leading cause of
preventable death (“Smoking & Tobacco Use.”). Drug abuse is also dangerous because
when there is a dispute involving users and dealers, they can’t use the legal system to
resolve it, so they resort to violence. Additionally, due to the lack of oversight and
regulation of the illegal drug industry, the safety of products cannot be guaranteed.
Further, addicts often don’t seek out the help they need because they fear prosecution
or resentment from their peers. Finally, non-functional abusers and casual, safe users
get grouped into the same category when employers perform drug tests. Clearly, drug
abuse can be extremely harmful. From addiction, violence, accidents, and overdose, to
the incarceration of otherwise innocent people, the dangers of drug abuse seem to have
no end, but is there a common theme here? Yes. They all stem from the illegal status of
drugs.
The use of drugs doesn’t have to be dangerous though. If someone is able to
research a drug, learn enough about it, use it in a safe, controlled environment, have a
safe, regulated supplier, and have a place to go in the event of an emergency, they can
have a positive experience without harming anyone. In fact, there can even be benefits
to moderate, intelligent drug use. The problem is that in order for these safety resources
to be easily available, the drugs in question cannot retain their illegal status.
Legalization of drugs results in huge tax revenue for cities and states. For example, in
Colorado, where marijuana is legal for recreational use, over $135 million in tax revenue
was collected from the marijuana industry. Additionally, North American sales of
cannabis products are expected to reach over $20 billion in 2021. California could even
reach over $3 billion in tax revenue (Krishna). In addition to boosting the economy with
taxes, it creates tons of jobs. Marijuana could create over one million new jobs if
legalized nationwide (Meza). There are even medical benefits. There are currently
studies that show that “magic mushrooms” are a viable depression cure (Gallagher).
Clearly, there is a drug problem, but the problem isn’t the users or even the
dealers. If the problem doesn’t lie with the demand, then where does it lie? In the black
market supply and the attempts, by the DEA, to reduce it. To understand that, it’s
important to learn why someone would decide to use a drug like heroin. No one wakes
up one day and decides that they’re going to buy some heroin. Usually, it starts with an
injury for which a person is prescribed an opiate painkiller. Perhaps the most popular is
Oxycontin™. It’s advertised as lasting for 12 hours, however, in reality, it only lasts about
8. Users need it to work all day, so Purdue, the maker of Oxycontin™, instructed
physicians to increase the dosage instead of the frequency (Ryan, Harriet, et al.). This
creates higher highs and lower lows, makes it easier to become addicted, causes worse
withdrawal when not on the drug and it doesn’t even reliably increase how long it lasts.
This causes patients that need longer relief to just take more pills and thus begins the
cycle of addiction. Eventually, the doctor stops refilling the prescription, but it’s too late.
The patient is already addicted and will get their high from somewhere else. Usually, this
is from the black market. Because users are addicted, they will do anything to get their
heroin and don’t care about laws or risks. The demand will never reduce no matter how
much you reduce the supply. Each time you shut down one drug dealer, supplier, or
producer, another one pops up.
If there’s a problem, there must be a solution. The US has one and it’s called the
War on Drugs. The philosophy of the War on Drugs is that all use of any drugs is
harmful, the focus should be to reduce demand, and the way to do that is by reducing
the supply.
The only problem with the War on Drugs is that it is a complete failure. Despite
DEA spending increasing exponentially from less that one billion dollars in 1970 to
almost $20 billion in 2010, the drug addiction rate has shown no change at all. Since the
War on Drugs has begun, the US has spent over $1.5 trillion on the DEA and the war
costs taxpayers over $50 billion every year (Coyne & Hall). The horrors don’t end at the
budget though. Our current method of fighting drug use has real human consequences.
In fact, every year over 50,000 students are denied financial aid because of past
non-violent drug convictions (Coyne & Hall).
Why might the War on Drugs not be working? The problem is how the failed War
on Drugs tries to prevent drug use by struggling to reduce supply rather than reducing
dangerous drug abuse through education. The war is fighting drugs, something very
neutral, instead of fighting the actual problem, addiction and unsafe use.
Of course, every problem has a solution. Other countries are handling drug
problems in vastly different ways that seem to work well for them. Each country has
different solutions but they all share one common theme. They don’t use a punishment
and justice based model. They use a heath based model (Baer). They treat drug
addiction as a health problem rather than a crime problem.
The first step is legalization or decriminalization. Those terms are often used
interchangeably but mean very different things. Legalization of a drug means that it will
be treated like cigarettes or alcohol. Everyone that meets certain requirements like a
minimum age is allowed to use the drug. Decriminalization is different because the drug
is not legal for use, but if caught you may receive a citation and the drugs may be
confiscated instead of being jailed. One example of a country that has decriminalized
the use of all drugs is Portugal. The positive effects of this are very evident. First, the
use of drugs among both adults and children has fallen since decriminalization
(Ingraham). Second, overdose deaths are the second lowest in the EU — less than 3 per
million citizens (Ingraham). This is in contrast to the UK which has very strict drug policy
but it has 44.6 overdose deaths per million citizens. Almost fifteen times more! Finally,
the rate of HIV infections has decreased (Ingraham). Clearly, decriminalization is
effective. It saves money, reduces overdoses, and helps addicts get clean.
The second step in legislation like this is treating addicts. The New York Times
says that “we must create well-staffed and first-class treatment centers where people
are willing to go without fear of being prosecuted and with the confidence that they will
receive effective care. The experience of Portugal suggests that younger people who
use drugs but are not yet addicted can very often be turned around” (Shultz & Aspe).
Treatment centers like this will provide medical care, clean needles and in some cases,
safe drugs. They will also offer detoxing and rehabilitation to addicts wishing to quit.
The most important part of a program like this is trust. Users and addicts must feel safe
and know that they will not be arrested or forced to quit, but that help will still be offered
when they decide to quit. The most common argument against something like this is
that rehab, medical care, and treatment cost money. This is true, however, they cost
significantly less than imprisonment. When Maryland attempted a treatment system, it
cost them $4,000 per offender per year. That’s an 80% decrease from $20,000 per
offender per year with a traditional prison and incarceration system (McVay, Doug, et
al). A system like this will also save money because when you treat someone’s
addiction, they are much less likely to continue to use drugs, as opposed to punishing
them, where their addiction still exists. Treatment is a much more effective option both
for the health of the user and for the taxpayer.
Finally, we must decide what to do with the nonviolent drug users that are
currently incarcerated. Some cities are simply releasing prisoners currently convicted of
nonviolent drug offenses (Lovino). This may work, but prisoners need help being
reintegrated. This could look like a slow shift from prison, to treatment in prison, to just
treatment. Simply releasing thousands of people back into the world all at once with no
reintegration plan is clearly not going to work. Experts must discuss and find a solution
that is beneficial and sensible for inmates, their communities, and the prisons they’re
housed in.
Clearly, there needs to be a major change in how we view drugs as a society, how
we deal with drug users, and how we view the drug problem. This is urgent and must be
done for the health of the people of our society and for the monetary health of the
United States government. The federal government must acknowledge everything that
is clearly not working right now and draft new legislation that undoes Nixon’s damage.
Next, addicts, both imprisoned and not, will have the opportunity to receive the
treatment they need. Legalization and decriminalization will start to cripple cartels,
resulting in a massive decrease in drug-related violence. Local drug operations will also
be able to use the legal system to resolve disputes. Additionally, the new tax revenue
will improve schools and their health classes and fund treatment for addicts. Finally,
society will begin to lose the taboo associated with drug use. The sum of all of this
being the War on Drugs shifting from the War on Drugs, to the War on Harm.
Works Cited
“Alcohol Facts and Statistics.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services,
www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-
statistics.
Baer, Drake. “5 Countries Experimenting with Liberal Drug Laws.” Business Insider,
Business Insider, 30 Mar. 2016,
www.businessinsider.com/countries-experimenting-with-liberal-drug-laws-2016-3.
“A Brief History of the Drug War.” Drug Policy Alliance, Drug Policy Alliance,
www.drugpolicy.org/issues/brief-history-drug-war.
“The Controlled Substances Act (CSA): Overview.” Findlaw, Findlaw,
criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/controlled-substances-act-csa-overview.hml.
Coyne, Christopher J, and Abigail R Hall. “Four Decades and Counting: The Continued
Failure of the War on Drugs.” Cato Institute, Cato Institute, 12 Apr. 2017,
www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/four-decades-counting-continued-failure-
war-drugs.
Crocq, Marc-Antoine. “Historical and Cultural Aspects of Man’s Relationship with
Addictive Drugs.” US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 9
Dec. 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3202501/.
Gallagher, James. “Magic Mushrooms Can ‘Reset’ Depressed Brain.” BBC News, BBC, 14
Oct. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/health-41608984.
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-experimenting-with-liberal-drug-laws-2016-3
http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/controlled-substances-act-csa-overview.hml
http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/four-decades-counting-continued-failure-war-drugs
http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/four-decades-counting-continued-failure-war-drugs
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3202501/
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-41608984
Ingraham, Christopher. “Why Hardly Anyone Dies from a Drug Overdose in Portugal.”
The Washington Post, WP Company, 5 June 2015,
www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/05/why-hardly-anyone-dies-fro
m-a-drug-overdose-in-portugal/.
Lovino, Nicholas. “San Francisco to Wipe Out Thousands of Marijuana Convictions.”
Courthouse News, 1 Feb. 2018,
www.courthousenews.com/san-francisco-to-wipe-out-thousands-of-marijuana-convi
ctions/.
Krishna, Mrinalini. “The Economic Benefits of Legalizing Weed.” Investopedia,
Investopedia, 7 June 2017,
www.investopedia.com/articles/insights/110916/economic-benefits-legalizing-wee
d.asp.
McVay, Doug, et al. “Treatment or Incarceration?: National and State Findings on the
Efficacy and Cost Savings of Drug Treatment Versus Imprisonment.” Justice Policy
Institute, Justice Policy Institute, Jan. 2004,
www.justicepolicy.org/uploads/justicepolicy/documents/04-01_rep_mdtreatmentori
ncarceration_ac-dp .
Meza, Summer. “Legalizing Marijuana Nationwide Would Create One Million Jobs, Study
Says.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 11 Jan. 2018,
www.newsweek.com/legal-marijuana-create-one-million-jobs-decade-778960.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/05/why-hardly-anyone-dies-from-a-drug-overdose-in-portugal/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/05/why-hardly-anyone-dies-from-a-drug-overdose-in-portugal/
San Francisco to Wipe Out Thousands of Marijuana Convictions
San Francisco to Wipe Out Thousands of Marijuana Convictions
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/insights/110916/economic-benefits-legalizing-weed.asp
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/insights/110916/economic-benefits-legalizing-weed.asp
http://www.justicepolicy.org/uploads/justicepolicy/documents/04-01_rep_mdtreatmentorincarceration_ac-dp
http://www.justicepolicy.org/uploads/justicepolicy/documents/04-01_rep_mdtreatmentorincarceration_ac-dp
http://www.newsweek.com/legal-marijuana-create-one-million-jobs-decade-778960
Ryan, Harriet, et al. “’You Want a Description of Hell?’ OxyContin’s 12-Hour Problem.” Los
Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2016,
www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/.
Shultz, George P., and Pedro Aspe. “The Failed War on Drugs.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 1 Jan. 2018,
www.nytimes.com/2017/12/31/opinion/failed-war-on-drugs.html.
“Smoking & Tobacco Use.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 20 Feb. 2018,
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/.
“Today’s Heroin Epidemic.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 7 July 2015,
www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/heroin/index.html.
http://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/
http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/heroin/index.html
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Sela 9 |
Sophie Sela
Irina Davidovich
Honors English 12B
8 June 2017
The Links in the Chain of Modern Slavery:
A Story of the Evolution of the Criminal Justice System
Racism; a barbaric, inhumane, cerebral pattern. It has had a cultural presence in America for over three hundred years. It targets African Americans in countless forms and its justification lies within The Constitution, the law, and most importantly, the criminal justice system (C.J.S.). The C.J.S. portrays African Americans as rapists, criminals, and most severely as animals. It is the C.J.S. that is responsible for the immense oppression that African Americans have had to endure since their first step on American soil. There is no longer slavery, but is there freedom for African Americans? No. The criminal justice system has transitioned African Americans from slaves to criminals based on a mindset of bigotry that has been a part of American civilization for hundreds of years. “Violence is as American as cherry pie.” (Jamil Al-Amin)
Section 1: The 13th Amendment’s Transitional Slavery
Following the Civil War, the 13th Amendment was constitutionalized in 1865 and gave African Americans nationwide their liberation from slavery. However, as most laws do, the amendment has a loophole that has continued to be exploited to today. The amendment states that, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States…” This means that slavery is allowed as punishment for a crime. The technicality that exists in the statement regarding criminals as slaves was the outlet for not only slavery to press forth, but for racism and bigotry to continue to have a place in American civilization. Following the passing of the amendment on January 31st, African Americans were hunted down by law enforcement for petty crimes such as loitering, and the nation saw its first incline in the prison population. Hundreds of African Americans were left homeless after gaining their freedom. Vagrancy was yet another petty ‘crime’ that landed hundreds of African Americans in prison. The freedom of African American citizens was shortly lived. The arrival of a different type of slavery led to the mythology of black criminology which still lingers in our country today.
When the film A Birth of A Nation came out in 1915, the portrayal of African Americans as corrupt animals only furthered itself into American society. It was truly the birth of a new age of apartheid. In a particular scene in the film, a young, white girl is confronted by a ‘dangerous black male’ seeking to rape her. The actress throws herself off a cliff as she would rather die than be raped by such ‘filth’. This image was striking and had a huge, lasting impact on how our society views not only African Americans but specifically African American males. Although the film falsifies the truth by depicting all African American males as rapists, it is proven that more white men rape African American girls than African American men rape white girls. In the film, leaders and followers of the Ku Klux Klan are seen as the heroes and ‘show the black rapist the justice he deserves’. Although the Klan was still prevalent at the time, the film’s depiction of their heroism contributed to an extensive spike in the number of followers in the terrorist organization. The KKK were the heroes of the South and they terrorized, lynched, and murdered the African American community. Although more heavily discouraged today, the Klan is still a prevalent organization in America. The most dangerous aspect about the Klan is that its members are hidden amongst us as our neighbors, policemen, and politicians. It was the film, A Birth of a Nation, that helped the KKK to blossom and what spread the vile idea that African Americans are nothing but criminals.
Section 2: The Civil Rights Movement: A Dawn in African American Criminalization
The Civil Rights era again roused a new age in the criminalization of African American citizens. The prison population grew immensely as African Americans were seen as enemies of the state for advocating for their liberty and justice. The formation of the NAACP was the spark that lit the flame for the African American fight against second class citizenship. Before the Civil Rights Movement (C.R.M.), it was the NAACP that organized an advocation association for African Americans. The NAACP was formed when ten prominent leaders, later nicknamed the talented tenth, allied with one another and began to lobby and fight against segregation. The group not only contained African American reformers but even white citizens who were outraged by segregation. The NAACP was the first well-formed African American organization to grapple with the United States’ court system. Although their main lobbying focused on job opportunities for African Americans, they also fought against segregation. Their modern ethics included the concept that “the spirit of the abolitionists, of Lincoln and Lovejoy, must be revived and we must come to treat [African Americans] on a plane of absolute political and social equality.” It was a radical idea at the time, but it is what encouraged and created advancement towards the C.R.M. Founder of the NAACP, William English Walling, lobbied with the organization for parts of the 1933 legislation passed by F.D.R., the New Deal. The measure gave the African American community more federal support for their causes, but it still allowed a fair amount of discrimination to continue. After investigating a race riot in Illinois, Walling wrote an article entitle The Race War in the North, which helped gain support for not only the African American community but also, the NAACP. The continual work on legislation and reporting on violence by the NAACP, in addition to an obvious unrest in the African American community, is what helped to lead the nation’s oppressed into the C.R.M. This is when the community’s building advancement for equal rights landed them in prisons. It was the dawn of a new age of criminalization and renewal of racism condoned by the government.
Today, the atrocities inflicted upon African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement are widely known and our nation while not altogether apologetic, recognizes the barbarity of it. However, widely unknown and unremembered are the events that followed the C.R.M. during Nixon’s and Reagan’s presidency. President Nixon’s “law and order” movement was on the surface a war on crime and drugs but in reality was a backlash movement against the C.R.M. John Ehrlichman, staff member of the Nixon presidency, came clean in recent years about the true intentions of “law and order.” Ehrlichman was quoted saying, “…the Nixon White House… had [an enemy]:… black people… We knew we couldn’t’ make it legal to be… against… black but by getting the public to associate… blacks with heroin and then criminalizing [them] heavily, we could disrupt [their community]. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying…? Of course we did.” This image presented all over the media is what began the age of black criminalization that we know all too well today. The entire African American community was depicted in countless forms as drug users and dealers, rapists, and thugs. The depiction however is not an image that has altogether become irrelevant in our society and many continue to wrongly see African Americans in this false light. After the Nixon presidency, presidents Reagan and even Clinton led the continuation of the crack down on African Americans. Reagan began a mass incarceration movement referred to as “The War on Drugs.” It was focused on arresting anyone with involvement in the then booming crack cocaine industry. Crack did and still has a larger influence in the African American community because it is cheaper than powdered cocaine. While many white people use cocaine, it is the African Americans who are targeted, arrested, and condemned. After Reagan’s mass incarceration movement, it was president Bill Clinton that took “law and order” to a whole new level. Clinton completely changed the court system and created laws such as the “3 strikes” policy and “mandatory minimums”. These laws made and still make it nearly impossible for criminals to be rehabilitated back into society. The whole point of a prison system is to reintegrate criminals back into society as productive, law abiding members, but these laws simply insure a lifetime of punishment with no chance of redemption. Through these presidencies, the African American community faced a continual onslaught of militarization of police that has continued on to our modern C.J.S.
Section 3: Modern Apartheid and Police Brutality
In 2017, our modern age, African Americans still have to struggle to fight against not only the C.J.S. and police brutality, but also they are forced to face the truth that they can at any time be victims of a police shooting. Our government is comprised of a C.J.S. that condones and ignores public, racist violence. This “… refers to structural and physical violence initiated, perpetuated, and justified by the government.” A well-known example of an unjustified police shooting of an African American is the Michael Brown shooting. Brown was seen having a verbal disagreement with two police officers and before he and the boy that was with him knew it, the scene dramatically intensified as one of the officers “fired his weapon out the window of the [police] vehicle.” Instinctively, the two boys ran from the gunfire, but the officers pursued them. Brown was shot down, but Officer Wilson continued to fire and shot Michael a total of six times; twice in the head leaving the boy dead on the scene. Brown’s family hired a private forensic pathologist (outside of the police forensic scientist), Shawn Parcells, who after examining Michael’s body, theorized that at least two of the gunshot wounds occurred after the teen had raised his arms in surrender. He was 18 years old, a newly graduate about to begin his life. Whether or not Brown actually committed a crime is irrelevant. He wasn’t murdered for his crime, he was murdered because he is black and our government condones this sort of blatant racism, which takes hundreds of names every year. Names such as Keith Childress, Bettie Jones, Tiara Thomas, and hundreds of others. Trayvon Martin is yet another case of police brutality. At age seventeen, Martin was murdered. On February 26, 2012, Martin was walking home to his family when George Zimmerman shot him because the boy “looked suspicious.” He was heard crying, “help me” as Zimmerman brutally killed him. The C.J.S. protected Martin’s murderer under a law known as “Stand Your Ground.” Laws such as this are written by an organization called A.L.E.C., which continue to persecute African Americans and leave them rotting in cells.
Today, the main battle for African American citizens is against organizations like A.L.E.C. who are responsible for creating laws that are meant to target and criminalize their community. A.L.E.C. is a lobbying organization that composes laws like “Stand Your Ground” and feeds legislatures, often with support of Republican groups, laws that are specifically designed to incarcerate the African American community. Their gain in targeting African Americans is that they, along with the monopolistic companies that support them, make trillions off of the prison system, modern G.P.S. systems (ankle bracelets), and parole and bail companies. Their legislation pushes for African Americans to wind up in jail so that they can make money off of them. In many instances they control huge parts of the government and all the while profit off of bigotry and racism. There only goal is personal gain and the organization has no real interest in the C.J.S. or protecting American citizens. It is our modern form of “Law and Order” and it has completely corrupted our local and state government systems.
The C.J.S. has metamorphosed our country from a land of freedom and hope to a place of fear and discrimination. Because of the C.J.S., African Americans have gone from slaves of the people to slaves of the government and it is due to a mentality of racism that has been passed down for generations. This concept and system that the C.J.S. condones has developed from the distorted images of Birth of a Nation. It has come from the civil rights era when African Americans were enemies of the state. It has blossomed from political movements like “Law and Order” and the “War on Drugs.” It has developed from the laws that are meant to condemn criminals rather than rehabilitate them. And now, it has turned into a system that condones the terrorization of the African American community. Mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters are shot by the very people who are supposed to be keeping us safe. They are wrongly sentenced and convicted; sometimes for crimes they didn’t even commit. It is an escalation and cycle that is not being broken but reshaped and reformed. The government is not only not breaking the chain of this cycle but they are condoning it and adding links. If change is to occur, it is up to the common American to lobby for change. It is within the power of every single American to make a difference and give the African American community the respect, love, and empathy that they deserve. Will you make a difference?
Works Cited
13th. Ava DuVernay. Netflix. 2106. Web.
Black Radical Congress. “Contemporary Police Brutality and Misconduct: A Continuation of the Legacy of Radical Violence.” Civil Rights Teaching, Teaching for Change, 21 March 2001,
http://civilrightsteaching.org/resource/contemporary-police-brutality/
“The Civil Rights Act of 1964: The Long Struggle for Freedom.” The Library of Congress. The Library of Congress. N.d.
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/segregation-era.html
“Ferguson protests: What we know about Michael Brown’s last minutes.” BBC.Com . BBC News , 25 Nov. 2014. Web.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28841715
“Police killed more than 100 unarmed black people in 2015.” Mappingpoliceviolence.org. N.p., n.d.
https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed/
“Primary Documents in American History.” Loc.gov. The Library of Congress, 30 Nov. 2015. https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/13thamendment.html
