The Edmund Pettus Bridge - which in 2013 was declared a National Historic Landmark - isn't symbolic of the Civil War in a meaningful way. It is, however, the modern-day battlefield where the voting rights movement was born.
One thing 'not right' on the 50th anniversary of the Selma marches is the sad fact that the Edmund Pettus Bridge hasn't been renamed the John Lewis Bridge.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the need for recognition of civil rights leaders by suggesting a fitting tribute through renaming a significant landmark.
Douglas Brinkley's quote reflects on the importance of honoring John Lewis, a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement, especially in the context of the Selma marches. The reference to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a site of historical significance, illustrates a failure to commemorate Lewis's contributions appropriately, suggesting that a name change would serve as a powerful acknowledgment of his legacy and the ongoing struggle for equality.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a civil rights seminar to emphasize the importance of recognizing historical figures.
More from Douglas Brinkley
All quotes βIt's very important that we keep these special, wild places. It defines the United States. Imagine our country without our national parks and our monuments. Here in California, imagine if you didn't have in Southern Cal the Channel Islands or the great Highway 1, Big Sur up to Point Reyes up to the Redwood country.
It's Nixon who created the Environmental Protection Agency. Clean Air and Water Acts. Endangered Species Act. Promoted affirmative action. One could go on and on with Nixon as a New Deal liberal on domestic policy and a hawk, but one with great geo-political skills.
While the old spiritual 'Slavery Chain Done Broke at Last' was sung by blacks in the hours following the Appomattox surrender, racism sadly continues to be a crippling national scourge.
When we settled our country, the dark forest was considered in some ways evil and something that you needed to plow or, later, bulldoze. We now have a new understanding of the interconnectedness of ecosystems and the need for bird flyways and why all species matter.
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The eyes of all America are upon us, as we play our part posterity will bless or curse us.
When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race; they understood this well, and, in their conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to conceal the fact⦠I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915.
The shot heard round the world.
The Cold War was over long before it was officially declared dead.
It is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced.
Finally, I wish to remember the millions of Allied servicemen and prisoners of war who lived the story of the Second World War. Many of these men never came home; many others returned bearing emotional and physical scars that would stay with them for the rest of their lives. I come away from this book with the deepest appreciation for what these men endured, and what they scarified, for the good of humanity. It is to them that this book {Unbroken} is dedicated.