Civil Rights: Theater of 1950s
The 1950s was the time that Civil Rights issues were comingto a head. African Americans were making bold stepsforward, becoming heard and becoming seen. Unfortunately,many Whites resisted these steps forward, refused to hearand recognize these "invisible men." People's ignoranceclosed the doors of opportunity to many well-qualified anddeserving Black people. Even though many laws were passed,the South was predominantly and publicly against integrationand the North was secretly racist and openly opposed. Morethan laws had to change in American society. America's eyeswere soon wide open to the injustices that happenedeveryday, all over the country. The social upheaval of the1950s took place, not only on the streets, the court-rooms,and in the home, but in the theater as well. While CivilRights were finally coming in to the public eye through thenew television media, play-writes pushed the issue further,putting racial stereotypes and discrimination in the The inspiration for plays such as Member of theWedding, Trouble in Mind, A Medal for Willie, and Raisin inthe Sun came from the everyday living conditions thatAmerica had been turning a blind eye to. The publ
The big Black mothering slave who hands outcandid sage advise. This was atypical, hard-working, honest family that just wanted theAmerican Dream: They wanted a house of their own. Later in the play, theyoung Black man is thrown in jail for fighting with a Whiteman and while in jail "commits suicide" by hanging himself. A town preparesfor a distinguished Army General to present Willie's motherwith a medal of honor because Willie died in combat. Censorship was running rampant thoroughHollywood and much of the script was horribly altered. Childress provides classical characters andthrough dialog with other characters, shows the audience whythey are thinking what they are thinking. Testimony from his Uncle who saw the men take Emmitt fromhis house, evidence of the cotton gin fan and otherobviously incriminating evidence was obviously not enoughfor the men to be convicted. The most severe show ofresistance was in Little Rock, Arkansas, where GovernorOrval Faubus was openly against nine high achieving Blackstudents entering all-white Little Rock Central High School. It really brought Black play-writes, women, and actors intothe hearts of indifferent, uninvolved Americans. Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun brought an evenmore intimate look at a struggling Black family. But somehow progress was being made. Willie's mother breaks the mold inthe end by not accepting the medal and refusing to read thepre-written speech that she was told to read. This decision was practically impossibleto enforce on the Southern States that held that thedecision to segregate, or to DEsegregate for that matter,was completely up to the State.
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Acceptance Essays
