Conflicts and Changes

“Houston, we have a problem!” Why is it that people take different situations the wrong way and cause trouble? So many have different perceptions of what problems, or conflicts are. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, a conflict is categorized as three different things; a struggle for power or property, a strong disagreement that leads to angry arguments, or a difference that prevents agreement. A battle, if you will. Throughout history, there have been plenty of social, economic, and political battles that have shaped the way that society is today. These “battles” or conflicts throughout history are what led to the most dramatic changes that the United States of America has experienced.

Social battles arose in the United States during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. During that era in time, blacks were in conflict with anti-abolitionist whites in regards to segregation issues and voting rights. The leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., heavily encouraged and led plenty of marches in the South that sometimes led to chaos, fighting, and even death. The conflict between blacks and anti-abolitionist whites led to the marches of people around the United States, which eventually led to a change in the civil rights of African Americans. This is something that changed American society in a dramatic way. More people could vote now, and African Americans had as equal of an opportunity to make it in America, or somewhat equal, as White Americans did.

Economic battles transpired in America during the times of the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was a period of time during the late 19th century in which all of the wealth that the big industries, political machines, and company owners earned were not trickling down to the poor. This left the workers, farmers, and the rest of the poor with a sense of hopelessness and in extreme poverty. The conflict of only a few big business men making money while everyone else was poor...