電子課文Unit3TheStartoftheCivilRightsMovement

1、Unit 3 Fairness for allPre-reading1 Look at this list and work out the problems of the blacks in many parts of America before1955.Blacks must: sit at the back of buses or trolleybuses drink from a particular fountain for blacks only eat in a sp ecial part of a restaurant register to vote (but if the

2、y do they could lose their job) go to special schools for blacks go to a black university for higher education take jobs with lower pay than whites2 How would you feel if you had these restrictions in your life? What would you do?ReadingThe following passage is taken from the diary of Maryann Jones,

3、 a black woman who livedin Montgomery, Mississippi.THE START OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTSunday, December 4th, 1955Today we went to church where our minister, Martin Luther King, Jr, announced that aboycott of the buses and trolleybuses will begin tomorrow. I've always hated having to sitin the

4、worst seats on the bus so I'm happy to support it. Dr King encourages us to fightagainstthis unfairsystemwhichprohibitsus blacksfromsittingwherewe like.It isregarded as an offence if we sit at the front of a bus and if we break this law, we receive a heavy punishment. But on Thursday, I'm gl

5、ad to say, this unjust separation of people onthe basis of skin color was challenged. A black lady, Rosa Parks, got on board a city bus and sat in the fifth row with three other blacks. Gradually the seats for whites filled untilone white manremainedstanding.By law he could not sit with Rosaand by t

6、raditionblacks were expected to move. All four were asked to stand. The other three submittedbut Rosa was unwilling to do so and she refused. She was arrested. How brave she was!I'm not sure if I would have had enough courage to refuse like that.Kingandthe otherblackleadersin Montgomeryhaveseize

7、don this incidentanddecided on a collision course to change the law. They're hopeful that they can negotiate afairersituationif all the blackssupportthem.But I do worryaboutwhatwill happentomorrow. Will it be chaos ?December 5th, 1955This morning I yawned as I woke even earlier than usual, but m

8、y sister, Serena wasalready up. Sheurged me to dress quickly andto wear my most comfortablesandals.Immediately I jumped out of bed. I like to be punctual for work and no boycott is going tomake me late. By coincidence a bus arrived as we reached the empty bus stop, but weignored it. Normally we woul

9、d have been only too happy, as it would have guaranteed us aseatfor the wholejourney.But nottoday!Taxis passedall full of passengersas wepedestrians marched on the pavement. Thosein the cars wavedand we salutedthemback. The whites, on the other hand, shouted abuse at us. We felt their hostility but

10、it only made us firmer in our resolve. Luckily when I felt I could walk no further, a black taxi driver offered us a lift. It seemed like an answer to a prayer! No chaos after all and I even arrived at work on time!The boycott continued very successfully for a year. Maryann Jones became accustomedto

11、 travelling to work without the bus. Meanwhile the hostility of the whites grew.January 25th, 1956What excitement! Serena came home to say that the news that the boycott was overwas going to be all over the newspapers tomorrow. I was eager to know the result. "It's not true," she shout

12、ed at me. "It's just a story made up by the whites to stop our campaign. We've been too successful for them. Martin Luther King, Jr came and told me himself thatit was just a trick. We must continue till we win." I've never seen her as angry as that, so Ikept quiet.Maybewhitebu

13、sinessesare sufferingnow sincewe don'tshopdowntownanymore. But it must mean we're winning. I won't mind my tired feet tomorrow. I wonderwhether they'll try other tricks?They did. The houses of Martin Luther King, Jr and the other leaders were bombed. Butthisdid notstopthe boycott.Enc

14、ouragedby aSupremeCourtdecisionthatpubliceducationmustbemixednationwide,theleaderswenttocourttoargueagainstseparationon buses.It was not until November13, 1956that the US SupremeCourtdeclared separation on buses was not constitutional.November 13th, 1956Today is a red-letter day! In court we won a f

15、undamental victory in the battle for our civil rights. If black and white students must now be educated together, why should people be seated in buses according to the color of their skin? The Supreme Court agreed it waswrong,so from now on we'll be able to sit wherewe like on buses.My happinessiscomplete! We may only have struck one small blow for liberty but who knows wh