Blog #4 post 3 (conclusion)

While each leader in the civil rights movement strived to be equal to whites, it was a dangerous place to be because there were so many roads to get there. Booker Washington and Martin Luther wanted to win the country over through patience, hard work, and proving they deserved to be equal. On the other side sat W.E.B. Du Bois who was more forceful and openly opposed Washington while Luther supported his ways. Malcom X was a fearful leader whose followers learned the importance of self-image and how important black people are as individuals, despite what white leaders may say. Throughout each movement of these leaders, they had a common theme, which was to raise up a generation who is viewed as equals. However, with the mixed messages each was going off to the people of America, it is easy to see how the message was sometimes blurred. Through it all, African Americans were ultimately able to pull their forces together and break down the wall of cultural hegemony that they were facing. 

Blog #4 post 2- (thesis and outline)

Thesis: During the civil rights movement, there were two very different views in how the black community should break the walls of cultural hegemony. Looking through 21st century eyes, it is know that both methods, one of violence and one of peace, were effective while at the same time were counterproductive because instead of uniting, there was a lot of conflict between the leaders of the movements.

1. Peaceful protests- Washington and Luther
2. Pushy protests and violence- Malcom and Du Bois
3. How they counteracted one another
4. How they helped each other
5 How they overcame cultural hegemony... the effect of Martin Luther's death because he was peaceful  the success of Washington's school, the success Du Bois had in the law, and Malcom's confidence booster to the African American culture.

Blog #4- Post 1 (bibliography)

Secondary:
W. A. T. E. R., 17. 2013. "King was more than just a dreamer." New York Amsterdam News, January 24. 4-43. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed May 15, 2013).

James Davidson and Mark Lytle. After The Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2010. 366-395. 

Cone, James. Martin and Malcom and America: A Dream or a Nightmare. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1997. 

Norrell, Robert J. 2009. "Reshaping the Image of Booker T. Washington." Chronicle Of Higher Education 55, no. 25: B5-B6. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed May 10, 2013).

Primary:

Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. New York: Norton and Company, 1999. 

Wachington, Booker. The Souls of Black Folk. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2007.

Blog #3-3 (topic chosen)

I decided to do a mix of different people during the civil rights period. I will compare and contrast the effects of violence and non violence protesting and which one was more effective or if both were unnecessary in the battle. In particular, I am going to write about Martin Luther King Jr.and Booker T. Washington on the non violence side, and Malcom X and W.E.B. DuBois on the violent and more forceful side.

Having taken African American History last semester, I know a lot about Washington and DuBois and how they contradicted one another. For primary sources I will use both DuBois's book The Souls of Black Folk, Washington's book Up from Slavery, Malcom X's autobiography, and Martin Luther's I Have A Dream speech. I will also use secondary sources that compare the tactics of each of these men and the influences they had on society and the knowledge I already know from the previous semester. 

Blog #3- 2

option 1- Martin Luther King Jr. was a very inspirational leader in the civil rights movement using non violent tactics. With his interesting start as a Baptist pastor in Montgomery, Alabama, King was born an enthusiastic leader who was right in the middle of the issue of racial segregation by coming from Alabama. One of the first start to King's inspirational life was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He became the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association which was created during the boycott and he became a prominent leader of the boycott. Here King was arrested for helping start this protest. 

From here King continued to increase his influence on those around him and continued to become more and more involved. He believed in the power of peaceful protests by stating "Not one hair of one head of one person should be harmed." With the church to back him and his inspirational speeches, Martin Luther gained followers and support. 

It will be interesting looking at how he had an effect on the Greensboro sit-ins by students in North Carolina. I have a book that I am using another class that talks about the Greensboro sit-ins and what had caused them. 

For a primary souse, I want will use Martin Luther's speeches and sermons to prove what his message was. Also, I want to use the book "Souls of Black Folk" because this gives another perspective on the civil rights movement that talks of peaceful protests and the faults an good of it.  

option 2- For research about Upton Sinclair, I think it is most helpful to find books about that have exerts from The Jungle and then commentate on the exert from the book. I think this is the most helpful because then that gives me an idea of the political sides behind the writings of the book and what it would have meant to those in that time period. One book i have is "After the Fact" The Art of Historical Detection" which does this exact thing. It talks about The Jungle  not only helping to improve meat packaging companies, but many food places. U have also found many .edu sites about this topic. 

I think in writing on this i would have to focus on the outcomes this book had on the economy and political aspect of laws that were passed and how the society responded. 

option 3-  One thing I found while researching was the importance of the public opinion on this topic. I want to use newspaper clippings as well as cartoons that depict how the view on the railroad was different from one person to another. Also, I have looked up the history and the politics behind the railroad and what it means fr different people.

I also want to look at the benefits of having the railroad, the conflict it cause, and the disadvantages. I wold look at the effect big businesses had on the railroad companies and how it progressed the building of the railroad. 

Blog 3- proposal

I would be writing about the role of  Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights movement during the 1950's and 60's.
     My questions: How did He become involved? Who inspired him? How did people respond to his peaceful response? What was hid influence on the people as well as politicians and law makers? What did his death do to promote equality?
(http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086)

I would be writing about the role Upton Sinclair had with his book The Jungle and what it did to improve factories and work conditions during the early 1900's.
       My questions: How did the public respond to this novel? Was there other things before that were promoting the fixing of factories and this was the final string, or was this the first eye opener? What improvements were made after this novel was published?

I would be writing about the transcontinental railroad and the people who were involved to get that started during the 1860's.
       My Questions: How important was this railroad to the economy? Who opposed it and who was for it? Who laid the tracks? Was it controversial? How did the bill get passed to make this railroad?
(http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic2b.html)

Secondary and Primary

           The letter written by Charles White is a good source to look at the cultural biases of the time and a good source to look at the events of the Harpers Ferry raid.

From looking at the primary source and other historical information that backs up this information, I believe this source is one that accurately describes the situation at hand. Historians have a pretty good idea of how the raid was started, which was also present in the letter from Mr. White. It tells of the time they arrived, which was about eleven the night before to prepare for the actual attack. This man, like many others, was startled when the attack started. He spoke of being quickly open up by a friend who explained the attack had already started. By cross referring this with the secondary source, it seems that many people were still at home or just waking up when the raid started so were not completely aware of the situation.

            The secondary source talks some of different perspectives of people living at that time. First, you have the slave holder who thinks of blacks as property as well as the majority in the South. The secondary source talks of white northerners who also look at black people as a lower sort of people yet wanting slavery to be outlawed. What the primary source did not talk of was the long term effects the raid had on America and the abolitionist movement. In the chapter The Madness of John Brown, the authors speak of how this raid “was to the Civil War what the Boston Massacre had been to the American Revolution: an incendiary event. (James, 149)” This raid, although an unsuccessful immediate impact, the raid aroused passions, made people suspicious of the opinions of both the North and the South, and made differences between the abolitionist and pro

slavery people.

            I believe my interpretation of the primary source being a good source because it is backed up by secondary sources who talk about the events of the raid as well as immediate and long-term effects that incorporate cultural opinions.