Is Justice Blind?The first recorded case of the disparity in the legal system after a trial took place in a courtroom in Virginia in 1640. Three indentured servants ran away from their master - one white Dutchman, one white Scotsman and one black man. Due to the poor living conditions they were living in they decided to run away and have a "fresh" start. The three men were captured and stood trial together. The two white men were sentenced to an additional one-year to their current master and an additional three years serving the colony. The one black man was sentenced to being indentured to the master and/or the colony for the rest of his natural life. This was the case of In Re Negro John Punch (Higginbotham 1). Why did this man get singled out for the extra-severe punishment? Was there disparity even before the case was brought to court? Has the relatively recent Civil Rights Movement of the mid-twentieth century made any positive effects on the legal and judicial system when it comes to the differences in the ways that blacks and non-blacks are treated?In many ways, the United States has made significant progress over the last half century toward the objective of ensuring equal treatment under law for all citizens.
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Civil Rights March on Washington, leaders marching...
Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy speaking to a c...If someone were to look up the definition of Civil Rights Movement in the United States, they would see that it is a political, legal, and social struggle by black Americans to gain full citizenship rights and to achieve racial equality. Even if the person understands the definition, there is no way you can sum up what it really is in one sentence. Black Americans have been fighting for decades to gain their freedom and receive their equal rights. But in one critical area - criminal...