Influence of Civil Rights Events on Social Responsibility in America

Civil Rights Movements

Civil rights have centred around Americans' fundamental rights to be free from unfair treatment based on protected characteristics such as disability, race, and gender, among others. Several civil rights events shaped the national political atmosphere, establishing feelings of civic obligation in today's America. Martin Luther King's most significant civil rights movement in 1963 was marked by freedom marches, freedom schools, and freedom rides (Hall, 2005). The banner energizing and motivating participation in the movements depicted Martin Luther giving his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech. The speech not only restored black Americans' constitutional rights, but also ensured appropriate education and jobs for all Americans. Core to black philosophy had been the thought that freedom encompasses the totality of individual's lives. The movement further rallied a cry of the deprived. In that era, private individual-determinism took a new prominence in regards to freedom. The sixties also witnessed a rise of an association for gay rights demonstrated by the demonstrations at Independence Hall on July 4 to remind Americans about the denial of 'liberty and rights' to homosexuals in tandem with the Independence Declaration.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

The next civil rights event was experienced in 1964 when President Johnson Lyndon passed the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed prejudice premised on skin color, nationality, race, religion and sexing public accommodation. The civil rights movements and the Civil Rights Acts are responsible for the current social responsibility in America presently (Hall, 2005). The events brought tremendous changes making the country a better place. Presently, causes have been expanded to accommodate more rights. For instance, there is more recognition of the rights and equality of LGBT, the right from bullies, and the right from cyber security and internet security.

Media Coverage Influence on Public Opinion on Governmental Agencies

The media plays a key role in passing information to the public regarding the happenings around the globe particularly is those aspects in which the public lack direct experience or knowledge. Consequently, media coverage plays a part in influencing public opinions and beliefs about a certain social situation. The effect can be positive or negative. In January 1968, there occurred the Tet Offensive, an event, which marked a huge turning point in coverage of the war by the media (An, & Gower, 2009). Although the offensive was obviously a military blunder for North Vietnam, the media reporting elicited a contrary narrative. While laying focus on a few unfavorable military actions comprising the attack of the U.S. embassy by Viet Cong or the Battle of Hue, the media overlooked the victory story of the bigger picture. Consequently, the media misled the public by who viewed the attack as a victory triumph for the communists changing their perceptions quickly against the war. After the Tet attack, coverage by the media of the war turned predominantly negative. The military and civilian and military casualties' images were progressively televised. After the Tet offensive, the percentage of triumph stories reported by journalists decreased. Furthermore, numerous iconic pictures of the combat comprising The Napalm Girl or the destruction of the Vietcong Guerrilla rendered a negative and permanent impact on the public perception, and, as the war turned uglier on television, its public support also decreased considerably.

Another event that received predominant media coverage was the FEMA's (Federal Emergency Management Agency) response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The main criticism demonstrated in media outlets revolves on FEMA's slow reaction (An, & Gower, 2009). The FEMA at that time, Michael Brown, defended against the accusations by stating that he had no power to evacuate the city under the Constitution and thus local and state were autonomous governmental units. In Mr. Brown's view, the blame fell on the city's mayor, who delayed evacuations despite the recommendations to do so even from President Bush (An, & Gower, 2009). The narrative and the opinion that FEMA has a huge responsibility in the ineffectual reaction to Hurricane Katrina led to distrust among many Americans towards political management.

Differences in Values, Morals, Goals/Ideals between the Democratic and Republican Parties

Democrats are regarded as liberal while Republicans are conservative. In regards to political philosophy, the critical aspect of liberalism forms is individual liberty. Historically, liberals have assumed an optimistic perspective of human perfectibility and human nature. They hold what Graham, Haidt, and Nosek (2009) terms an "unconstrained vision" wherein people ought to be left as free as possible to follow their individual courses of personal growth. In dissimilarity, conservatism is best considered as a "positional philosophy," response to the challenges to institutions and authority, which are so often straddled by liberals. Conservatives have historically assumed a more pessimistic perspective of human nature, considering that individuals are inherently imperfectible and selfish. Thus, they hold a "constrained vision" wherein people require the constraints of traditions, authority, and institutions, to reside civilly with one another. The differences in ideology render a moral and ethical effect on Americans.

Democrats and Republicans view the moral acceptability of different actions and behaviors in significantly diverse ways (Graham, Haidt, & Nosek, 2009). Republicans find acceptable items such as death penalty, medical tests on animals, buying or wearing fur clothes while Democrats rate embryonic stem cell studies, divorce, premarital sex, and the death sentence as acceptable. These differences have an influence on the way morality is viewed by Americans from both divides.

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