Rachel Lopez

Ms. Devoy

U.S. History

5 May 2017

Eyes on the Prize Reflection

To begin with, Eyes on the Prize is a film about the civil rights movement and how it

affected the African American community. This movie was a long story on how African

Americans tried to gain their independence. The Separate but Equal act was not enough for

African Americans they pushed the limits to get their rights. It was a bumpy road from the

beginning but nothing stopped Martin Luther King Jr. and many other African Americans from

getting their freedom. There were tragic events along the way that affected African Americans

during the years of 1954-1965, those events included many tragic deaths such as Emmett Tills

death and the church bombing that killed four innocent girls. Those tragic events affected the

civil rights movement because people were angry about them. Emmett Tills death was painful

for the African American community because when the two men that killed him went to trial they

were found not guilty after nearly beating him to death and letting him drown in the river. This

event made the African American community thrive for their independence even more. The

struggle that African Americans went through was terrible, the racial slurs, and unnecessary that

were made were horrific. For example, if any other person was given a certain name that they

didnt want to be called that would be offensive. Many people did not see what kind of impact

African Americans went through, the road to their independence was a huge struggle for them.

In all, they had some gain to their independence despite the struggle that activist went through,

this shows capability.