Monday, February 24, 2014

PERIOD 2: THE CHILDREN'S MARCH

You recently watched the documentary, The Children's March. Please post any thoughts you have about the film and what did you learn that you did not know before watching the documentary.

25 comments:

Kelley Falanga said...

Before watching this film, I only heard about the Children's March but I didn't know much about it. This film really changed my perspective about how people should always stand up for what they believe in. Dr. King really knew how to get the message across to the whites and that was by having the children march and not the adults. I feel that Dr. King did this was to show how much the children really wanted and also deserved to have freedom. Even throughout the film while the blacks were being tortured by the whites, the blacks still kept their heads high which was an important thing to do in order to get the message across.

Ashley White said...

I honestly hadn't heard of the children's march before this film. I knew there was a march but I wasn't aware of all the children. This film showed me how horrible the people were treated rather than just hearing about it. Seeing the real thing makes a big impact on my opinion of people at that time. King was extremely smart and presented all effective ideas, specifically making the children march to try to avoid violence even more. I'm glad I got to see the film to get a better understanding

Nick Graham said...

I learned a lot from watching The Children's March that I did not previously know before. Before watching this film I assumed adults made up the march on Birmingham Alabama and they were the ones who were arrested in mass. To find out children were the ones who made up the march shocked me because usually children are afraid easily and not willing to do something so bold. This film truly made me understand right from wrong when it comes to segregation. The whites in Birmingham were treating the blacks so harshly that any clear minded person would be horrified. Looking back on the event, I cant believe someone would do something so harsh to another human being solely because of their race.

Alexandra Romano said...

The Children's March was a very inspirational video and very informative. It's amazing to think that kids changed the world and became the heros. Sometimes I think that people don't understand how terrible blacks were treated during the time of segregation. It's one thing for the whites to abuse and arrest the adults, but when they attacked the kids it was very extreme. I was very surprised the whites didn't stop after arresting so many kids and conditions only got worse. These times were awful and I couldn't imagine living in them.

Kathryn Hally said...

The March of the Children was an inspirational and moving film to watch. It's truly remarkable how the African Americans of Birmingham, Alabama came together and protested unfair treatment through the use of peaceful resistance. I think the most incredible part of this event was the fact that black children were so willing to stand up for themselves and their race that they were eager to march and get arrested. They were so brave and bold in this act and it goes to show how standing up for yourself can certainly get you very far. I had previously known about this march in Birmingham but I was not aware that children participated in it. These people are truly an inspiration.

Nick Snedegar said...

Before today I only only briefly hear of The Children's March. I did not know how much all these kids had to go through to get freedom in the City. It was inspirational how they were all able to outsmart the system and keep holding on to get the privileges they deserved. This film showed just how awful people were to Blacks and how they were able to get what they deserved peacefully which is a lesson everyone should learn.

Unknown said...

I had never in my life before today heard anything about the Children's March. I found it to be weird watching the way white people treated black people especially kids. it was crazy how they took out the fire hoses and open fired on crowds of people and even sometimes picked off people running away. this should never be allowed by the government never mind run by it. Thank God for M.L.K. Those kids sitting in the jails were really brave and in there own way heroes.

Aishwarya Ganguli said...

This film made me realize that a single individual can bring lot of change to the society. Dr King not only lead the movement but also motivated several children to fearlessly join the movement. The children were the one who motivated me the most. Just joining a procession without aim or will is not actually what is called a reformer. A reformer is a person who fearlessly join the revolution to bring change in society and doing something for the rights of the people. The children were not afraid to get arrested neither they wanted to listen to their parents. They just wanted to promote equality , get their civil rights and to be treated with respect. I am glad they were able to achieve it. Their pain did not go in vain. Those small children could bring change to the society

Courtney Ho said...

Before watching this documentary, I may have briefly heard about the children’s march but I didn’t realize what an impact it had on the country as a whole. This video really stood out to me because it showed how strong the African Americans were during the time period. Their boycotting and civil disobedience were two strategies that may not have showed any results at first, but have a significant impact in the long run. I think that having the children march instead of any adults was a very smart because of their innocence and their youth helped to gain supporters of civil rights. This is because the showing of white violence towards harmless black children did not help the cause for inequality. Something that stood out even more to me was when the fireman used their high-pressure hoses to clear the black children from boycotting. Seeing people get thrown and dragged across the street because of the water was not okay. The African American people and especially the kids were very brave and persistent.

Tracey Mugi said...

I thought that "The Children's March" was very inspiring. I also thought it was interesting to see the people who apart of the march, reflect back on it in the documentary. Seeing the children march and fight for what they believed in a civil way really made what was being done to them stand out even more. It was incredible how many children showed up for the march and volunteered to go to jail. That showed their motivation and determination to fight for their rights.

Michael Hachey said...

Before watching this film I had read some things about the children's march but seeing it in film made a much bigger impact on me. I had known that the children were sprayed by hoses, beaten by police, and attacked by dogs but watching it take place and seeing the violence was revolting. It is hard to imagine that this could take place in the United States. Protests happen all the time in the world today and the violence is seen throughout them however the blacks in this case were very peaceful in their protests. After clips of the violence spread around the country it would be hard to believe that anyone wouldn't speak out about this issue.

Tori Handell said...

"The Childrens March" was a movement I had never heard about. I give so much credit to those black kids who stood up for themselves and how they all came together as a family. Its crazy how age really does not have much of an impact. The kids were very strong and brave to take the abuse they got.

Tori Handell said...

I always thought it was adults that let the march. We have came a long way since 1963. I cant even relate to the fact that people were legitimately treated so poorly for no real reason besides that they were black.

carlos vivar said...

After watching "The children's march" I was amazed how whites had treated these black kids based on the belief of them not being equal as whites. I found impressive how martin Luther King was such a role model for the black community. Dr.king always influenced blacks to fight for there freedom that they deserved.

Brianna Greene said...

I had heard about the Children's March before but I had never seen actual footage from the event. I thought that the movie was very inspirational and was very powerful. It was so sad to see how the children were getting harmed by the police with the fire hoses and other physical violence. I thought that the children's march was very successful, because the videos of children being hurt tends to send a greater message than when adults are being hurt because children represent innocence. This movie showed how bad segregation was in the United States and how change was able to happen.

Kiran raza said...

There are so few films left as riveting as the Children's March was. I had heard about the march a ton of times but to watch this film was actually very chilling and the cleverness of the children was even more so. I doubt that today's young kids would ever recognize such codes in their music and could ever pull off something like this march again. It was despicable to see the children flying across streets due to water pressures too strong for adults to handle, but its peacefullness and to see the fun the children were having made the march the success it was.

Stephen Falvey said...

The Children's March was a very inspirational video that made me think a lot about how times have changed. I had never really heard about the Children's March so it was certainly eye-opening. It's amazing to think about how much children did to end segregation. If it wasn't for their guts and work they wouldn't have gotten out as fast. I believe that the hard times payed off in the end. These children teach a lesson that most people don't even discover in their lifetime.

Samuel Hastenreiter said...

I don't believe I've heard of the Children's March before. If I did, I don't recall but I was really fascinated in what I saw today. I always believed it was the adults who made the change but apparently that wasn't everything to it. I'm impressed at how the young children and the young people made the change and even though faced with all that, they managed and won. The whites tried any means possible to tame the protest by using these violent means but even so, the young people kept fighting. Another thing I also caught my attention was the way they acted during the protest. They didn't fight back with violence, even though they were beaten brutally by dogs and hoses. This documentary gave me a new perspective of the conflicts regarding the blacks and whites and has opened up my mind a little more.

Natalie Wolpert said...

As sad as it is to admit, I hadn't heard of the Children's March before watching the film in class. This is so surprising to me because it seems like such an influential event that triggered one of the biggest changes in our society. I think that the boycott couldn't have been more successful. Birmingham, Alabama was known as the most racist/segregated city in the south, and this march changed all of that. It captured the attention of the nation and the authorities couldn't handle it so they had to react violently in their defense. The President himself stepped in to help solve the issue and created racial equality as a solution.

Raissa Silva said...

I had heard abut the Children's March prior to viewing this documentary, but I was only taught that this was a milestone in the Civil rights movement. My understanding of the human element of this march was limited. All i knew was that it was children that took Birmingham. Im glad I viewed this film. As I sat and watched I smiled to see the courage of children my age and younger defying authorities in the name of their freedom.It amazes me in the first place that it was them that agreed to Dr.King's plan of overwhelming the system.I almsot wanted to laugh to see them happily going to jail as if it was a party. Those children had a lot of gall to do what they did. They braved authorities, water hoses, vicious dogs, and jail. Most importantly though, they won. A bunch of kids took on the most violent city in the south, inequality, and Bull Connor, and won, That and they did it in peace. Seeing that amazed me. I could not imagine having that same courage, gall, and glee when faced with such powerful opposition. Viewing this documentary has given me a whole new respect for those who fought for their freedom.

Sofia Berg said...

Before watching this documentary based on the events that took place at the Children's March, I hadn't much knowledge about the historical milestone. While watching this film, I gained a greater sense of respect for those who stand up for their beliefs. It showed the cruel brutality that many people endured, and these images not only impacted me but also impacted those who saw them at the time of the event. Dr. King was incredibly wise in the sense that he knew exactly how to present the message of peace among men and women of all races. King asserted the statement that every person is equally deserving of freedom, and his method of gathering the children to proceed on their march created an uproar that alerted the nation of Birmingham's social unrest. I found that children hold much more power than we give them credit for, and that their sway can promote a greater change; the kids are the heroes of this historical event.

Nic Ross said...

To be honest I wasn't very familiar with the children's march in Birmingham until viewing this movie. The film really gave me the perspective of the blacks during this era by showing the brutality of racism. By having the kids march instead of the adults, it only promoted their non violent philosophy to a greater extent. Mr. Luther King Jr. was a rational thinker, great leader, and had many fantastic ideas. To think that this event happened less than a century ago is baffling and humbling to our society today.

Scott Radogna said...

I had never heard of the Children's March before until watching this video. I was aware that there were many protests and parades such as this, however I never knew that children ever got involved. I knew how horribly blacks were treated during this time period but I had no idea of the extent of the violence and brutality of police officers and white men. The film showed me not only the powerful message that can be sent by children, but of how much every single individual's voice and actions means, no matter their age. I thought it very mature and smart of the blacks to not fight back because it allowed people who were watching the march to realize how violent and unfair white people were being.

Chris Eames said...

I was aware of the children's march, and the brutal response of the police in Birmingham. I also knew about their use of fire hoses and dogs to fend the crowds, however seeing it with different eyes than when i last saw this was opened my eyes to certain things. This time, i was shocked at how deeply but especially open the racism against blacks was in Birmingham. The way the white police officers addressed their fellow man, and the way they said it was disgusting. One thing i forgot about the march was that the fire hoses and dogs were used on kids, and one horrific story about a little girl that was bit in the throat by a police dog. What amazes me the most about the march was that blacks were able to keep peaceful for so long against the whites. That really takes a determined, compassionate mindset.

Dan Zabielski said...

Before watching the film in class, I had heard of the children's march in Birmingham, but I didn't know much about the event. I was surprised to see that large amounts of the children involved in the event were arrested by Birmingham police and put in jail together for protesting. Additionally, I thought that the measures that Birmingham authorities took to stop the protests were brutal, like allowing dogs to attack protesters and firing high- pressure water hoses at crowds of black children. As Martin Luther King may have expected, the news footage of Birmingham police threatening, attacking, and arresting thousands of children attracted nationwide attention to the prejudicial nature of people's treatment towards people of color in the south at the time.