Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness summarizes our unalienable rights given as stated in the United States Declaration of Independence. Rights given to us from our creator. However, these rights for the majority of this nation's existence appeared to only benefit a select few, mainly white males. In the United States women have fought for decades for equal rights. Despite the what's stated in the Declaration of being the nation of freedom and equality women were treated as second class citizens. It was not until the year 1920 when the 19th amendment was passed that women were even allowed to vote in this country. .
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It was the woman's suffrage movement that fought to ensure that all women received fair and equal treatment. Despite these changed black women were practically forgotten about. Being a woman and also being black were as if already having two strikes against them. From this thrust forth a new movement and new leaders of this movement to ensure these basic rights were also shared by black women as well. .
Angela Davis is a well know civil rights activist that contributed vastly to the cause. She was born on January 26, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama. Her parents, Sally E. Davis and B. Frank were educators, which had a great influence on her. Unlike many, she grew up in a middle class neighborhood in a nicer area of town. The Klu Klux Klan held a strong presence in her neighborhood, thus being the reason it was referred to as Dynamite Hill in reference to the occasional bomb attacks. .
Angela Davis was raised very different from most children. She was pressed into fighting for civil rights as early in life as elementary school. She was raised to be an activist. Not only did she partake in activism at an early age she even joined a communist group in her teens. This could not be further from ordinary for a young girl. By the age of 15, she left her segregated school in Alabama for the Elizabeth Irwin School in New York City.