Civil Rights Seminar Notes - Monday Feb 13

Civil Rights Seminar Notes - Monday Feb 13

Malcolm X (1925-1965 )

• What definition of integration does the document give?

Integration: Malcolm does not want to define it as it would create even more tensions; white people would be confused and angry because it would suggest that white and black people should live together. Also suggests inequalities

His definition: equal rights and equal dignity without living together. For Malcolm X, integration with white society is not the goal.

→ Separation of the communities : BLACK diff. from WHITE

GOAL = dignity & self-respect → radical critique of American society

Document 2 : 1963 - Malcolm X

• What does Malcolm X advocate in this passage?

creation of a black community → avoid black society to be patronize

allow black society to grow at their own rate

be equal because they will end up having the same rights on their side

integration impossible because there are differences in the laws themselves

asking for the same opportunities → but dividing the communities to reach this goal.

Document 3 : 1965 - Malcolm X

• Malcolm X’s opinion evolves, contradicting his past opinions

Human beings, in general, whether they are separate or united should be equal

human beings are human beings → everybody should be equal → diff. from his previous speeches and opinions ( evolution )

denounces the wrongness of society → laming the previous communities for inventing segregation

he’s not saying how everybody should be equal but he thinks it

GOAL → changing society’s mindset, it doesn’t matter how they get there

change of opinion : trip to Mecca → sees all sort of different people together worshipping as Muslims.

Brown v. Bd of Education

• How does a segregated educational system maintain power over Black Americans?

Importance of education

Different schools: not the same right or educational level, less knowledge, always will be inferior inthe white society. Lower education: cheaper workforce, more easily “exploited”.

Without education→ majority = illiterate → for literacy tests : problem to vote = no representation ( oppression ) & cannot defend themselves against the unfair system

fundamental rights are undermined because they have them but cannot exercise them because of other means of pressure

Inequalities in voting: literacy test was unequal as it was very hard, even americans with a good level of education would not be able to answer those questions

hypocritical system : cartoon denouncing it (ironic)

Southern Manifesto

Supreme Court : own moral laws → not apply the Constitution

main argument to go for segregation = unconstitutional

state segregation system → unconstitutional → needs a federal institution (Supreme Court) to overrule

To what extent was the Southern Manifesto successful in blocking the Brown decision?

Put into place but contested like in the LR School

NEXT YEAR : Little Rock High School 1957

Little Rock School

President Eisenhower relied on law in order to change society’s mindset, but he was not optimistic that people’s attitudes about race could in fact be changed by laws. But, federal law must be respected and enforced.

Unconstitutional to act against the black community

according to Pr. E → federal power > society’s opinion & strength

federal law : what everyone should act upon // precursor to changing society’s mindset → not that easy : mob = violence

Lunch Counter sit-ins

Use of the sit ins? CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE against white priviledge of white people being allowed to sit in cafeteria/ lunch seats.

Restaurant tables/counter reserved for white people only

Fine line between acting against what is happening and defensive/not offensive enough to be reprimanded for it.

Sit ins were planned and ORGANIZED to occur in a non violent way (moral reasons as well as don’t want to be marginalized as violent).

Perspective: Sports were first “social” events to include black players, but Jim Crow laws in the South in motels or restaurants that they stayed in. Not just a trivial issue.

No violence, respectful conduct of the Black students; sit-in would make it difficult to justify and violent intervention, and even the arrest of the students; enforcing the law made to seem so unreasonable.

Desegregation of the larger community - Montgomery Bus Boycott

Civil disobedience once again

“good citizen” VS “good black citizen” > by Americans for Americans rather than by blacks for blacks.

Strong sense of religion, which unites people over mutual values.

Rosa Parks - symbol of civil disobedience

Religious morality put into contrast to the immorality of racial segregation

MLK I Have a Dream speech

Oratory skills

Famous speech calling for the moral/ethic and almost philosophical aspect of the social acceptance of black population that needs to be internalized through social values, without laws.Distinction between the variety of ways that change can occur.

Legal desegregation without social acceptance and values would result in chaos/anarchy.

Washington D.C., August 28th 1963

According to King, social attitudes can change w/o laws, it’s an ethical issue

Spreading of the movement “Go back to …”