Segregation has been a major problem for hundreds of years. It wasn't until 1964, when the Civil Rights Act was passed, that African Americans and other races were required to be treated equally. The truth, however, is that it's not over. When people think of segregation, they think of separate water fountains, schools, restrooms, buses, and even churches. Segregation is not a thing of the past as many of us would like to believe. In fact, it's still a persistent problem today. In Little Rock, Arkansas, we are witnessing “one of the oldest and most notorious cases of school desegregation in the country” (Elliott). To understand continued segregation, one must understand the history and the key people who played a role in it. Flight from Britain led to a different type of slavery in the new world. The Africans arrived with Spanish and Portuguese explorers in 1619 and were sold by the captain of a Dutch warship to the settlers at Jamestown (Drewry). It was their first encounter with American culture, it goes without saying that the welcome was not the warmest. Over time, Americans found it beneficial to deny African Americans the right to learn to read and write. “For many slaves, the ability to read and write meant freedom – if not actual, physical freedom, then at least intellectual freedom” (I Will Be Heard). ). To eliminate even this variety of freedom, the Supreme Court passed a bill in 1830 to prevent anyone from teaching literature to slaves: "Be it enacted by the General Assembly [sic] of the State of Carolina of the North, and it is hereby enacted by the same authority, that every free person who shall hereafter learn or attempt to teach any slave in this State to read or write, except the use of figures, will be liable to indictment in any ...... middle of paper. ....003.web.1/9/14""I will be heard!" Abolitionism in America." “I will be heard!” Abolitionism in America. Np, and Web. January 18, 2014. Lewis, David Levering. “King, Martin Luther, Jr.” Grolier multimedia encyclopedia. Grolier online, 2014. Web. January 22, 2014. “Parks, Rosa Louise (1913-2005). » American Encyclopedia. Grolier online, 2014.Web. January 24, 2014 Rubinstein, William D. "Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Major League Baseball." History Today 53.9 (2003): 20. Historical Reference Center. Internet. Jan. 24 2014, “American Civil War and Reconstruction.” The new book of knowledge. Grolier online, 2014. Internet. January 23, 2014. "5.9 Bill to Prevent any Person from Teaching Slaves to Read or Write, Except the Use of Numbers (1830)." A bill to prevent any person from teaching slaves to read or write, except the use of numerals (1830). Np, and Web. January 15.2014.