Martin Luther King, Jr., giving his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, DC, U.S.
SUCCESS IN
CHANGING LAWS
Read the following article. Pay special attention to the words in bold.
Today all people in the United States have equal rights under the law. But this was not always the case, especially for African Americans. Even though slavery in the United States ended in 1865, blacks continued to suffer discrimination1 and segregation2, especially in the South. Many hotels and restaurants used to serve white customers only. Many businesses used to have signs in their windows that said, “Blacks Not Allowed.” Black children used to go to separate, and often inferior, schools. Many professions were for whites only. Even in sports, blacks could not join the major baseball leagues3; there used to be separate leagues for them. In many places in the South, buses used to reserve the front seats for white people. But that all changed. One evening in December of 1955, Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old woman, got on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, to go home from work. She was tired and sat down. When some white people got on the crowded bus, the bus driver ordered Ms. Parks to stand up. Ms. Parks refused. The bus driver called the police, and they arrested Ms. Parks.
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Martin Luther King, Jr., a black minister living in Montgomery, Alabama, wanted to put an end to discrimination. When King heard about Ms. Parks’s arrest, he told African Americans in Montgomery to boycott4 the bus company. People who used to ride the bus to work decided to walk instead. As a result of the boycott, the Supreme Court outlawed5 discrimination on public transportation. About 100 years after the end of slavery, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law officially gave equality to all Americans. The law made discrimination in employment and education illegal. King won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in creating a better world. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and other brave people succeeded in changing unfair laws. discrimination: unfair treatment, especially because of race, age, religion, etc. 2 segregation: separation of the races 3 league: a group of sports teams that compete against each other 4 to boycott: to refuse to do business with a company 5 to outlaw: to make an action illegal or against the law 1
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