My Take on the World 2015-09-18 23:18:41

On April 9, 1968, Richard Eggers from Red Buff, California wrote to Congressman Harold “Bizz” Johnson to give his insight on two topics that were swiping the country: civil rights and the Vietnam War. Mr. Eggers starts off by saying that he’s studied these two topics rather well, so his opinions aren’t just made on the “spur of the moment.” He also mentions that he is a history teacher and has had to deal with all sorts of questions from his students. However, Mr. Eggers goes on to say he knows that he doesn’t know everything about these topics. Despite this, he feels as if it is his responsibility to let Mr. Johnson know of his opinion so that the congressman could represent him. Mr. Eggers talks about his experience in Washington D.C. shortly after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. He was completely appalled at how people were reacting to King’s death, how he deserved to die, and how the areas where the African Americans lived were in horrible condition. Mr. Eggers mentions that the type of reaction of King’s death was “based on racism, which is based on fear; which in turn results from ignorance and lack of education.” His solution is to fight with federal and state programs that provide better housing, education, jobs, and welfare instead of guns, fire, and violence. He states that he is willing to pay the higher taxes to make this possible. Also, towards the end of his letter, he mentions that he doesn’t see the need to be in Vietnam and wishes that the troops be removed.

While reading this letter, I couldn’t help but think, “Why can’t everyone think this way?” Mr. Eggers seemed to have common sense and saw how inhumane it was to treat other human beings with such disrespect and actually wish death upon them. He saw African Americans as actually people and not a nuisance like many other Americans did at the time.