Michael Furgiuele

HIST 604

Viewing and Reading Journal

[email protected]

 

Lectures and Episode Notes and Reflections:

 

1/13/05 – Video Lecture One

 

·        I am surprised to see that African-Americans owned a great deal of land and a level of participation in government except in court proceedings. Was it solely economic reasons, which brought slaves to America?  Did anyone think that someday these people would need to be cared for outside of servitude?

·        If Slavery was already abolished in the “civilized world” by the 1600s, why does America believe they are any different?  Again, if by the 1730s, “English” society were considered the highest in the world – would they have considered slavery to be beneath them?

·        It appears that the 1600s brought a change in the political and social order in America shortly after the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620.  Need to review what the cultural issues were and why the rights of blacks were changed in 1660s.

o       Review of America in 1600s by Encarta: http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761554429

·        While viewing “the civil rights” as a “black power” agenda, I did not realize the need to include the Jewish, Asian and American Indians in the scope.

·        With the Industrial Revolution starting in the early 1800s in England, how far behind was America in converting their agricultural implements into machinery, reducing if not eliminating the need for manual labor in the fields and in production?

o       According to Britannica 2001, the cotton gin developed at the end of the 1700s actually brought about a greater concentration of cotton exports to Europe in the south, reinforcing and not eliminating slavery.

·        The idea of “gradualism” lasted over 100 years (see Book Reviews)

·        Politics and the frequency of interpreting the Constitution for one group over another.  The New Jersey constitution was formatted on the U.S. version and amended to remove women and African Americans from owning property – negating certain rights.

·        While viewing the segment on FEARS – of course whites were afraid of slave rebellions.  Any violence should have shaken them up.  How many times does it take a group to rebel before people begin to realize that something has to be done – for all!

·        Just like the government vacillating between helping and hindering the civil rights campaign, the churches – institutions which are dedicated to charity and mercy – moved between good and evil (and many of them are still around? Scary!)

·        It is comforting to see the maternal instinct of black and white women taking on the responsibility for reducing/removing boundaries.

·        I can understand the feelings of the southern states to the movements from the U.S. government and the concept of “outsiders” taking over.  Living in North Carolina for five years after living in Chicago for over thirty, there was a mocked refinery of white citizens – and uneasy, unwritten understanding of the roles of whites, blacks, middle easterners, Asians, etc. that was very difficult to assimilate after working in the south-side of Chicago which was predominately African-American and very open about the roles of African-American (especially women) in big-city society.

·        It was very interesting to note Abe Lincoln’s ideas on slavery, freedom and equality. 

 

1/13/05            Video Lecture Two

  • 14th – 16th amendments of the US Constitution regarding slavery and civil rights.  Who wrote/sponsored them?  What is their background, thoughts on the issues?
  • Interesting to note that most southerners were not slave owners but had a feeling of superiority (presumably left over from 1700s) above African Americans.
  • The idea of “Jim Crow” laws.  I did not understand the bases for these laws and the attitude the north had on former slaves.
  • After the U.S. government passed the three posts Civil War amendments aimed at securing civil liberties for former slaves, it is distressing to read about the 1896 Supreme Court ruling Plessey vs. Ferguson.
    • Need more details about this ruling and how the vote came out.
    • Holding an undergraduate degree in both marketing, accounting, and having several years of experience in many industries and fields, it is surprising to see how states could have survived in the ‘separate-but-equal’ measures that this law produced.  Today, I watch as the Green Bay Board of Education is televised and how heated the debates become over referendums to increase school sizes.  I don’t think that today’s local or state governments could afford to even entertain the idea of ‘separate-but-equal’ and still  provide even the minimum for the “preferred classification of student” as it appeared in the 1800s and early 1900s.
  • The organization conducted to provide a cohesive stance from the African-American community from 1868-1963 was interesting to note. 
    • Interesting to note the socialist context that W.E.B. DuBois held regarding projecting “Black Power” to the majority and while he aided in the establishment of the NAACP, he believed the organization was too limiting (Britannica 2001).
    •  
  • I had heard of the Pan-African Congress and the gradual removal of colonialism from Africa.  It is interesting to tie the impact that these meetings held in the African-American community.
  • Another African American nationalist, Marcus Garvey and how his life and reputation was destroyed by the government in an effort to silence his reforms is another indication of how government will sway based on the political pendulum and not on the actually needs of the people.
    • An interesting PBS special on Garvey, especially the presentation in his own words:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/garvey/
      • His idea of “A Place in the Sun” (PBS special)
      • His hatred of the NAACP at the time of his arrest in 1922
  • Starting with FDR through Kennedy, there is a highlight of political ambiguity about the needs of the African-American societies.
    • What happened between Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt (and World War I) regarding race relations – primarily within the Executive Office?  Need to gain some perspective on the attitudes of Presidents in race relations.
      • Andrew Johnson: How he was considered incompetent and was actually impeached for being ineffective in government. He was a southerner who remained loyal to the union, opposed government intervention and formal reconstruction activities.  He was also considered a racist. http://virtualology.com/uspresidents/presidentjohnson.com/
      • Grant:  Of course, Grant led the north to victory over the south in the Civil War.  As such, he was unpopular with southern voters.
      • R. Hayes:  Was President at the end of the southern occupation/Reconstruction.  He was very principled, but limited in power. He believed in supporting African-American rights, but was limited (like other Presidents before and after) by southern votes

Hayes pledged protection of the rights of Negroes in the South, but at the same time advocated the restoration of “wise, honest, and peaceful local self-government.” This meant the withdrawal of troops. Hayes hoped such conciliatory policies would lead to the building of a “new Republican party” in the South, to which white businessmen and conservatives would rally.

Many of the leaders of the new South did indeed favor Republican economic policies and approved of Hayes’s financial conservatism, but they faced annihilation at the polls if they were to join the party of Reconstruction. Hayes and his Republican successors were persistent in their efforts but could not win over the “solid South.”  http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/rh19.html

 

  • World War II and Executive Order 8802 regarding job discrimination.  Again, the President appears to promote a show of good faith, but it falls too short for African-Americans.  Like others, he has to worry too much about the politics to provide any substantial reward.  With war closing in and efforts directed toward Europe – FDR appears to be the last President, before Johnson, to act on any internal issues – proactively!  During the war, the war itself was the main issue and after it – the cold war threatened world issues.  I can understand why King believed that this period promoted a gathering cloud of tensions for which he would act in the 1960s.
    • The cartoon by Jay Jackson and posted in a 1946 edition of The Chicago Defender sticks in my mind.  Why would anyone want to die for a country that has no use for him or her? returning_vets_022346_14.JPG

 

1/19/05 Introduction to Episode One

  • As a product of the late Baby Boom era – I can understand how the traditional values of the World War II veterans were no longer valid for their children.  The cold war, Korea, Viet Nam – too many people dying to protect the interests of institutions, policy makers – everyone but the people. 

 

1/19/05            Episode One – Awakenings

  • Unbelievable visions of defiance.  The southern states almost 100 years after the end of the Civil War and they are still fighting against the majority, almost denying that they had lost their fight and were still independent from the national scene.  The rejection of the Supreme Court is unbelievable.  More unbelievable is the fact the President allowed this to go and on – worrying about votes, too often they worried too much about the second four years than the first!
  • Very interesting to see the youth of America standing up for themselves and each other.  In high school, we had a group called “Kid Power” which, like the “Students for a Better Tomorrow” formed during the 1960s, took aim at the continuing issues facing students and young adults.  Coming from a conservative, predominantly white, upper-middle class suburban neighborhood in the Chicago land-area, this was a time before issues with truancy, drugs, guns in the schools – but nevertheless, we talked about the issues emerging on the horizon such as teenage pregnancy, tuition costs, and AIDS.  Seeing the students sitting in the lunchrooms and taking to the streets reminded me of some of the impact that we had (albeit, relatively little in comparison) in bringing “hidden” issues to the attention of administrators, parents, and the community.
  • It was interesting to see the rows of American flags paraded by demonstrators – reminding people of the American in African-American.
  • The comment by Amnie Moore regarding the superiority of whites due to possessions – yet the circular reference of African Americans not being able to hold property kept them as second-class citizens.
  • The marches show well-dressed African-Americans, organized and committed.
  • I can understand the self-confidence that the African-American felt after the passage of Brown vs. the Board of Education.  The images of the all-black schools, dark, visibly in need of repair and crowded vs. the images of the white schools – with their large classrooms, class materials on the wall show a more progressive view of education.  There is clearly no equality in the school systems – even under the ‘separate but equal’ viewpoint.
  • It was hard to watch the sequence on Emmett Till – the body, the mourners, the overwhelming sense of grief and the great outpouring of emotions.  In the interview – Mami Till Bradly, Emmett’s mother is calm and understands the role that the death of her son played in the civil rights movement. While she is calm in her interview – the mourners at the funeral have hatred and revenge in their eyes.
  • Although King and others continually reinforce the possibility of bloodshed and death as a means of obtaining their total equality – it is still hard to reconcile the sheer hatred that the “God fearing people” of the south had toward another human life.  Even Roy Willkins, the southern sheriff says “save our southern niggers”
  • The courtroom scene and the shabby trial.  It was interesting to note the presence of the Honorable Charles Digg at the trial and how he was not allowed in the courtroom until someone identified him – and then he was segregated to a part of the courtroom for African Americans with the judge saying, “Have that boy sit with the other news reporters”.
  • The images of the determined Rosa Parks during her interview.  The national press of her stands regarding bus discrimination practices.  Good for her!
  • The confederate south and the Georgia and Mississippi state flags, which still bear the confederate symbol.  History and tradition or a continuing show of defiance over the north?
  • We start to see the role of women – both black and white – in race relations.  JoAnn Robinson and her phone calls and copies of materials, Rosa Parks and her tenacity; Frances Belser checking buses and schedules.  In other scenes, the images of white women using their cars to pick-up their maids and other servants.
  • The use of religious sites to hold meetings and the influential roles that the ministry of the south will play in the movement was clear in the 1955 scene of the freedom meeting during the bus boycott.
  • Prior to the course, I believed that the young adults of the 1960s made a majority of the movement’s progress – the same era as hippies, free love and a new sense of goodwill.  In the episode, I saw Ed Nixon who wanted to fight for his children, yet he realized that he too wanted some of the freedoms – now!
  • King’s images during his meetings and as head of the Montgomery Improvement Association – he begins to use the system, which has used his people for so long. King stated, “If we are wrong, so is the Supreme Court and the Constitution are wrong”.
  • Rugus Lewis was another example of organization needed to ensure that everyone was covered while boycotts and demonstrations were active. Lewis’ role in securing private cars during the bus boycott showed determination.
  • After the reprisals from the boycott – the strong words from King and Abernathy, which recharge the mass of, people who crowded into the church to hear their words. 
  • With the creation of many African American organizations (NAACP, SCCL, MIA, etc) attacking the ‘white establishment’ from legal and direct methods, I can understand the white ideology of the south and the creation of the White Citizen’s Council.  From viewing the film and various readings, I can begin to see the crumbling of the white supremacy of the south.  Even though, nationally, I do not believe enough was done to stamp out discrimination during the 1940s to 1960, the white majority were beginning to realize that change was coming and a few banded together to ensure their traditions and values – which had been established for over 100 years – were to survive.

1/19/05            Introduction to Episode Two

  • The gathering momentum of the civil rights movement reflects the organization and dedication of the people throughout the country towards liberty. 

1/19/05            Episode Two – A New Civil War

  • The use of scripture (Genesis 9:27) in support of slavery.
  • This episode appears to summarize the role of education in the civil rights movement.  The segment on Autherine Lucy and the University of Mississippi.  While her struggle for acceptance at the University – whites and blacks were calling for gradualism.  Eisenhower stated they were moving “too far, too fast”; Thurgood Marshall believed in gradualism.
  • Little Rock as the scene of integration of secondary education.  The images of the town as the Little Rock 9 were moved to and from the school.  The children are well-dressed and very stoic in their demeanor as they are moved to and from the school.  Yet, it was the behind the scenes and away from the press that we hear of the harassment that plagued the children.
  • Governor Faubus mirrored the local and national ambiguity of the civil rights.  Like the Presidents from Roosevelt to Kennedy, Faubus was actively engaged in trying to keep his job and to cater to the white people of the state.
  • With Little Rock, we see the defense of the state against the national (outsider) intervention.  Faubus’s statement “occupied territory” is a strong sentiment among many of the clips and reading selections.
    • Eisenhower and Faubus meeting regarding the use of US troops to occupy the area and retain order.
    • The view of a white woman helping one of the students to the bus.
    • The fact that the students were admitted through the back of the school – and the crowd hearing ‘they’re in’.  The image of the white woman who hits one of the guardrails in disgust and then realizes she is on camera and shies away from it.
  • It was interesting to hear from the students, themselves, about the episode and how they felt pride, hope, and a renewed hope that the American system worked for all.
    • Viewing the images of the children around Minni Brown’s home and hearing that everyday was the same – harassment from reporters to make statements, the appearance of solidarity – and yet I felt as though they were also just children who wanted to fit in, enjoy school and have a circle of friends like everyone else.
  • I could not believe the shortsightedness of Faubus (and other politicians) that went around closing schools, parks, restaurants, libraries, etc. just to make sure they do not fall into the hands of African-Americans.  The United States had a feeling of a totalitarian system that controls the images, thoughts and movements of its people to ensure a single way of life.
    • The militant actions of Ross Barnett, Governor of Mississippi in dealing with the James Meredith issue.
    • The Citizen’s councils being developed warning that integration would ‘bargain your heritage away’ and encouraging whites to fight for their status quo.
  • The phone call between Kennedy and Barnett – the behind the scenes actions that most of the U.S. would never know about regarding James Meredith.
    • I felt sorry for the poor man when they asked him if he felt responsible for the deaths of two people who were killed in the aftermath of violence over his enrollment to the university.  How could he have been even asked that question – why didn’t they ask the Governor, local police who did nothing.

Viewing and Reading Journal

Assigned Books

1/13/05      Why We Can’t Wait – Martin Luther King, Jr.

·        King’s identification of the early 1960s as the turning point in the race wars and his rationale for making a stance for equality.

o       After 100 years of ‘freedom’ as marked by the Emancipation Proclamation, King identified the progress and need of the African-American citizen in securing and promoting their identity.

o       Why gradualism was no longer possible – and why equality had to be achieved.

o       His review of the school systems after the Supreme Court decision of Brown vs. the Board of Education.

o       It was interesting to note King’s organizational ability and research – especially with the African nations securing their freedom from colonialism.

o       King’s words on self-respect and the meaning of a solid job, collecting a fair and reasonable paycheck without being influenced by the color of their skin.

o       The ideology of King and Gandhi against the ideology of Malcolm X.  It was easier to read of King’s philosophy of love and tolerance rather than the militant view of Malcolm X. As a white male, I can understand how the view of Malcolm X would immediately be refused.  Death to all whites does not engender any wish or desire to listen to what he has to say.  Reconciliation and tolerance makes much more sense.

o       It was very interesting to have a copy of the Volunteer Commitment Card (King 1964, p51) reinforcing the values of the movement.

o       Like images from our videos, you can sense the organization and eloquence of King’s ideas and how well they all worked together to ensure that his nonviolent army covered every aspect from making food, phone calls, securing bail to demonstrating and providing legal support.

 

1/14/05            Why We Can’t Wait – Conclusion

·        King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail was wonderfully executed against his own people.  In clear words, he isolates the reason why gradualism was no longer an option.

·        The organization and execution of demonstrations and boycotts aimed at securing the basic of freedoms was hard to take when reading the final chapters of King’s book.  I understand that it was a different time than today – but it is hard to understand how basic things like eating in a restaurant, using public restrooms, drinking fountains, playgrounds, etc. was so difficult to allow.

·        You can sense from the book that there was so much politics in the movement – from both sides.  Procrastination from the President(s); the unwillingness of state and local leaders to adapt; the southern states mentality against national intervention – one hundred years after the civil war.

o       It was interesting to see the pictures, which accompany his book.  The bombings, the hoses being used against demonstrators; the view of both the churches and the jails – overflowing with faithful supporters.

 

2/7/05  Howard-Pitney’s Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s

  • While other videos and readings describe King’s background – it was interesting to read of the chronology of events against his own background.  How the impact of a higher education promoted his analytical and organizational abilities to lead. 
  • King’s essay Pilgrimage to Nonviolence in 1960 shows his spirituality as well as his tenacity over the methods to employ during his struggle. The combination of Gandhi and Christ in his works “This principle became the guiding light of our movement.  Christ furnished the spirit and motivation while Gandhi furnished the method” (Howard-Pitney 2004, p.43).

 

1/15/05            To Secure These Rights

  • I never knew about this council or its recommendations.
  • It is so politically correct. Truman’s selections show the balance of life – business, education, governmental, even the southern representation shows the sensitivity of the circumstances.
  • Overall, the report makes note of key problems in race relations – not only within the African-American community, but also with Jewish, Asian, and American-Indian populations a well.
  • I do not understand why many of the recommendations outlined by this committee were not followed immediately.  More politics.
  • It was interesting to note that the committee was established using an Executive Order rather than having to deal with delays that our democratic society engenders at times – especially when there is no and will be no consensus on how things work.

1/17/05

  • While reading the introduction to the report, we are presented with a combination of facts including the role that international politics and the cold war played in the creation and execution of this committee.
  • In defining the ideal of freedom and equality – the committee understands the totalitarianism that is being empowered by religious, political and social entities against race relations.
  • The Essential Rights – Safety and security; citizenship and its privileges; conscience and expression and the right to equal opportunities appear to be so standard and basic to all American citizens. It was somewhat disturbing to realize that a committee had to be organized to tell Americans what American should stand for and against.
  • It was good to see the committee attack the inconsistencies within the various branches of the government against its own people.  The Executive Office not using their powers when it needed to; the Supreme Court ruling, overruling and enacting judicial processes aimed at benefiting a small segment of the country rather than reinforcing the basic principles under which the country was founded; and the legislative defaults and stalemates at eliminating the inequity within.

 

1/18/05

·        It was very good to read of the committee’s review of the armed forces and the reinforcement of lives for the safety of the country.  Why would anyone defend a country in which you were not free!

·        While reading about the limitations to human freedom – I could see the underlying image of the cold war, communism, and the fear that the country felt about instigators from within.  Would the reaction be the same today if the struggle were beginning during an era of the Iraqi war?  Would African-Americans be associated with terrorists and terrorism?  What would the Department of Homeland Security do with demonstrations, boycotts, burnings and random lynching?

·        The final report of the federal fair employment practice committee was written in 1941.  What did it say? What advancements have been made since then?

JSTOR review of the Fair Practice Committee: The Fair Employment Practice Commission Movement in Perspective

Louis C. Kesselman

The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 31, No. 1. (Jan., 1946), pp. 30-46.

Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-2992%28194601%2931%3A1%3C30%3ATFEPCM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-I

·        The committee reviewed not only African-American, but Mexican, Indian, and Asian-American issues within the job market.

·        The “wartime gains in the elimination of unfair employment practices” (p. 95) reinforces the committees understanding of progress made and ‘best practices’ which could be achieved.  It appears that the inequality of employment practices was not only within the racially diverse communities but also within the gender as well.  Women who went to work during the war were now ‘required’ to stay home.  The committee does not isolate those issues – which would have advanced the equality for women earlier.

·        The committee approaches the inequality of education standards, the fiscal commitments, and the problems with supporting a mirror infrastructure.

·        While discussing equality in housing, the committee refers to Canadian comments on segregation of large masses of people and its negative consequence, reinforcing the need for American political structures to understand how others view us.

o       What is the position of countries on America today?  About race relations?

§         The web site Americans and the World addresses the image of American’s in global issues.  Today we are still seen as a country that needs to identify their issues and to take a lead in global policies: http://www.americans-world.org/digest/global_issues/human_rights/HR_Summary.cfm

·        It was satisfying to see the committee address the issues of housing, education and employment across the nation – but also provide an in-depth look at the nation’ capital (A Symbol of Freedom and Equality? – p.119).

·        Need more information on the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations, which was working on a bill of rights during the writing of the To Secure These Rights report.

·        The report is extremely comprehensive – taking on various issues and even outlining problems with administering the reforms and possible sanctions for non-compliance.

·        While outlining the recommendations of the committee, it was interesting to note the dissenting opinions regarding the speed of desegregation, schooling issues, and the impact that federal sanctions would have on the problem.

 

1/12/05            The Struggle for Black Equality (Sitkoff)

  • The opening statement set the tone for reviewing this book.  In his opening paragraph, Sitkoff stated, “Nourished by anger, revolutions are born of hope” (Sitkoff 1993, p.3). 
  • The background for racial indifference, according to Sitkoff, included the scientific, religious, social and intellectual arguments that the African-American was inferior to whites.
  • I cannot imagine what it was like to walk through life being hated simply for the color of my skin.  Studying the civil rights and the history of black progress allows my mind to wander through the injustice of the persecution of Jews during World War II, the supposed heretics of scientific achievement during the height of the Renaissance, as well as the expulsion of people from city-states during the time of exploration.  It does not seem that injustice – racial, social, religious, philosophical – will ever leave us.
  • Sitkoff’s comments reflecting the need for stability after the depression and war seems to make sense in isolating the need to preserve the status quo in American during the 1940s and 1950s.
  • The organized slap in the face of the Supreme Court Ruling regarding school desegregation is very interesting.  Members of Congress signed a “Declaration of Constitutional Principles” just put a legal face on illegally banning the decision in the southern states.

 

1/28/05

  • In addition to being a supporter of the philosophies of Gandhi, King was also influenced by A. J. Muste.
  • “We will continue to use the nonviolent approach because we believe non-violence is not the weapon of the weak and the coward; it is the weapon of the strong and the brave” (Sitkoff, 1993, p.65).  The division between the nonviolent approach by King and the radical methods of Malcolm X produced a series of problems within various African American organizations on which avenue should be taken to secure liberty.

 

1/31/05           

Allida M. Black

Review author[s]: Susan Ware

The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 63, No. 2. (May, 1997), pp. 442-443.

Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-4642%28199705%2963%3A2%3C442%3ACHOSER%3E2.0.CO%3B2-G

  • I was very disturbed by the recount of the Freedom Riders through the south.  In particular, the Montgomery incident which Jim Zwerg waited for over two hours for medical attention.  The news media being present for his comments from his hospital bed – all seem to reinforce the ‘do whatever is necessary, regardless of cost’ policy of the movement, but it was sickening to see the suffering.
  • Again, it took a long time for the Executive Office of the U.S. to act and stop the bloodshed.  In 1962, the Attorney General (Kennedy) moved the ICC to integrate.
  • Throughout the book, there is a reinforcement of the ‘outside’ feelings that the south had – first with the blacks that they felt were ‘troublemakers’ and then the Federal government’s ‘occupation’ of the south.
  • The 1963 ‘Negro Revolution’ sponsored by King and his followers.  The execution of ‘Project C’ with mass arrests, use of media coverage to secure a national interest, and nonviolent means of protests overtook Montgomery.
  • It was interesting to note the dissention within the African American organization for the use of children in their protests.  It appeared to the viewers that King was manipulating the process by using the children and it lost him some credibility.
  • The use of spiritual music was always present to the slaves as a means of coping with their plight prior to the civil war.  It was interesting to see the role that music played in ‘advertising’ the civil rights.  With songs like We Shall Overcome and Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing
  • Sitkoff summarizes many of the goals and strategies of King and others as a means of respect – self-respect for the African-American in their lives, work, school, community, state, and nation as well as mutual respect from the world toward each other.
  • Several key names appear on the movement of Montgomery including James Farmer, Whitney Young, Roy Wilkins, and James Forman.  Who are these people? What did they contribute?
  • Sitkoff commented that the newspapers were continually filled with stories regarding demonstrations and brutality throughout 1963.  Any way to view this?
  • Governor Wallace and his discriminatory stance.  When he died, there was little mourning for him in the African-American community. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wallace
  • King’s I Have a Dream speech in Washington as the culmination of the year’s activity is still very purposeful today as it was then.

 

2/18/05            In the Shadow of Selma – The Continuing Struggle for Civil Rights in the Rural South

  • Fleming shows the small communities of Wilcox County as a microcosm of the nation-at-large.  The fight for equality in schools, housing, employment, and even in politics are mirrored between national and local contexts.
  • The book doesn’t present the graphic depictions of the civil rights as profoundly as others have in the past – showing a subtle acceptance of the ‘black situation’ in the south and even presenting the stories of black and white residents being civil to one another throughout the history. 

 

2/20/05

·        It is interesting how the desegregation of schools was presented in this book and how missionaries accomplished the actions that state and national governments were unable to handle.

 

2/24/05

·        When reading the political struggles that African Americans undertook – it appears that the rural south lagged behind the nation in asserting the need for Black Power.

 

Cold War Civil Rights

 

2/21/05

·        This books was an easy-read.  It was so well conceived that I was able to complete it in one day.  I enjoyed the amazing amount of facts and supporting documentation that Dudziak presented regarding the global view of America.

·        I was surprised by the treatment of foreign dignitaries - and I can definitely understand how their experiences with discrimination in America (the trips between New York and D.C.) would lead to government intervention.

·        The propogranda machines of the Soviet Union and American were working overtime.  Instead of hanlding the issues at home, America used every means possible to ‘cover-up’ the inside stories.  The correct question presented by Dudziak is whether the Soviet Union did more to change the racial issues in America than American values, themselves.

·        From other readings – especially those of the President from Lincoln to World War I – I was not surprised by the ‘private’ reflfections of Truman, Roosevelt and Kennedy toward the African American.

 

Viewing and Reading Journal

Selected Websites, Suggested and Required Readings

2/7/05  From Different Liberal Perspectives: Fiorello H. La Guardia, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and Civil Rights in New York City, 1941-1943

Dominic J. Capeci

The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 62, No. 2. (Apr., 1977), pp. 160-173.

Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-2992%28197704%2962%3A2%3C160%3AFDLPFH%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M

  • LaGuardia’s background shows similar problems with racial and ethnic discriminatory practices as the African-Americans.  It was interesting to note his work with African American leaders as early as 1935.  He appears to have been a progressive administrator – although considered a gradualist, his positioning of blacks in high-profile positions helped.
  • Powell has similar roots as King – educated, religious and conscious of the role that politics and religion played in civil rights.

 

2/14/05Resurrecting Emmett Till: The Catalyst of the Modern Civil Rights Movement

Clenora Hudson-Weems

Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 29, No. 2. (Nov., 1998), pp. 179-188.

Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9347%28199811%2929%3A2%3C179%3ARETTCO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-0

 

·        The overall story of Emmett Till is still very disturbing.  I am glad to see that more attention is being given to this tragedy – although I do not have enough background in this subject to judge whether his death was the catalyst for change.

·        I appreciated the comments of the northern whites who believed enough was enough.

 

2/22/05 Mississippi Delta Planters and Debates over Mechanization, Labor, and Civil Rights in the 1940s

Nan Elizabeth Woodruff

The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 60, No. 2. (May, 1994), pp. 263-284.

 

·        It is interesting to read of the lengths that the southern planters went to in order to maintain their laborers – providing housing, education, medical, everything (at minimal levels) that someone would need – and no need to roam.

 

 

2/05/05Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Third World
James H. Cone
The Journal of American History > Vol. 74, No. 2 (Sep., 1987), pp. 455-467
Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8723%28198709%2974%3A2%3C455%3AMLKJAT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Y

 

·        While reading this article, it reinforced the world’s impression of the American struggle for equality in the African American movement.

·        King’s travels to the nations of the Third World reinforced global opinion of the movement and with their support, it was time for change.

 

2/5/05

Fannie Lou Hamer: The Unquenchable Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement

Janice D. Hamlet

Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 26, No. 5, Special Issue: The Voices of African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement. (May, 1996), pp. 560-576.

  • I love the spirit that embodied Fannie Lou Hamer.  In all the materials I have read so far in this course, we discuss the leaders of the movement – most of which were extremely educated and very spiritual.  Here is Fannie who spoke plain english, appealed to so many people, and said what she felt.
  • He story of persecution at the hands of the law enforcement officers is disgusting!  This article is offensive – but reflects the reality of American police enforcement.  Look at the impact that the detainees are facing during the Iraqi War. 
  • I appreciate the context that this article was written – identifying the role that ethos has in appealing to masses based on character, intelligence, goodwill, and charisma.
  •  

 

2/10/05Ella Baker: Free Agent in the Civil Rights Movement
Aprele Elliott
Journal of Black Studies > Vol. 26, No. 5, Special Issue: The Voices of African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement (May, 1996), pp. 593-603
Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9347%28199605%2926%3A5%3C593%3AEBFAIT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q

 

  • From our lectures, I am gathering information on how women – both African American and white – worked for the civil rights movement.  Women like Rosa Parks, the mild mannered visage of an unlikely activist or Fannie Lou Hammer who spoke in plain language and from her heart – to Ella Baker, who worked the background of the movement machine.
  • It is a story of discrimination within discrimination.  Black men held to their own traditions, just as the white had for so many years, denying women their equal share in the game that would make them free.

 

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