Freedom in America

PSC 218W Paper 1

Dr. Neal

March 1, 2006

When I think of freedom I think of our American rights to do what we want and live how we should with out restrictions on our rights as humans in society. Although where does freedom begin for the African American community? Some would say that it was when Abraham Lincoln freed the enslaves that they were entitled to they freedom as everyone human should have. That was not the case for the African Americans it was years of struggle and segregation, until the civil rights movement, which ended segregation but not the racism that comes although with the struggle of being African American. It was once said by Albert Camus “Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better” if this is the case then many African Americans are still being held back from being totally free to better them selves from the way American society still judges and puts restrictions on them in many cases. So do African Americans have the totally freedom and rights that deserve as any human being? Lets explore situations that have given them freedom, but yet taken it away at the same time.

In class we watched the movie “Slam” which was a movie about an African American male trying to survive in the Washington District area known as “dodge City”. The character Ray Joshua was a young poet trying to make a living by selling drugs and ends up in a cross fire of a drug deal gone bad and finds him self ended up in jail. Where he is put in a situation between the gang wars inside of the prison, “thug life” and “Union”. When he is a situation of trouble he stands in the courtyard and bolts out his struggle, and pain through his life in such words of poetic justice. Lauren Bell teacher in the prison hears him and invites him to the class. Also in all of this it stands out to the rest of the inmates.

So one of the headmen of the gang “Union” understands this concept of thinking and bails Ray out jail. When he meets up with Lauren and her inner circle...