African American Politics

Radical Egalitarianism

Belief in universal equality of opportunity and believe in activism

• Emphasizes pressuring society to achieve freedom and a strong belief in central/national authority over state and local authority

• Proponents include: Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, and Martin Luther King

Black Conservatism

Less emphasis on issues of race and a strong belief in free enterprise, private power, and private sector remedies to social problems

• focuses on individual drive rather than the government assistance

• Prominent figures include Booker T. Washington

Black Nationalism

The belief that the black community should be political, economically, and to some extent culturally independent from mainstream society.

• Its core components are self-determination (group controls its destiny), self-reliance (group relies on its own efforts), and a distinct community

• Proponents include Martin Delaney, Marcus Garvey, and Malcolm X

What three provisions of the Constitution set the stage for race relations in the US

• 3/5th Compromise: Slaves counted as three-fifths of a person on the census and were denied the right to vote

• The Prohibition of Ending the Slave Trade: Prohibited Congress from ending the slave trade before 1808 and limited taxes on slaves to ten dollars each

• The Fugitive Slave Clause: Required that escaped slaves be returned to their owners

Who was Frederick Douglass? What ideology was he associated with?

Born into slavery in Maryland, became a famous writer and abolitionist and influenced Lincoln’s push for abolition.

• Associated with Radical Egalitarianism

Who was Booker T. Washington? What ideology is he usually associated with? What did he advocate for in his speech for the Atlanta Exposition?

He was a leader of the Tuskegee Institute, born into slavery and associated with Black Conservatism

In his Atlanta Exposition Speech:

• He advocated for technical and industrial education

• economic self-reliance

• and offered to give up political and social rights in exchange for economic integration

What was the early stage of Black Nationalism characterized by?

Characterized by Black Emigration

• Efforts to populate an African nation, specifically Liberia because leaders believed black Americans couldn’t acquire full rights in the US

What versions of black nationalism does Dawson describe as having started int eh 1990s and is the most popular form today?

Community Nationalism

• Focused on community control of political, economic, and social institutions to gain greater influence in the system

Who was Martin Delany? What political ideology was he associated with?

He was a journalist, doctor, Harvard Medical School attendee and army solider during the Civil War. Advocate for Black self-reliance and famously coined the Pan-African concept of “Africa for Africans”

• Was considered the “father of black nationalism”

• Associated with Black Nationalism and Black Emigration

Marcus Garvey

Early black nationalist leader who championed back-to-Africa movements

• Founded the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association)

• Associated with the Pan-Africanism and Black Nationalism movements

How was the Black Power Movement different from earlier versions of black nationalism?

The Black Power Movement focused much more on independent economic and political institutions and community control within domestic black communities rather than focusing on creating an overseas nation-state or emigration

Who was W.E.B DuBois? What organization did he help found?

A sociologist, historian, author, and civil rights activist. First African American to earn a Ph.D from Harvard University. He wrote The Souls of Black Folk (1903)

• introduced the concepts of the “veil” and “double-consciousness”

• He helped found the NAACP in 1909

What role did the NAACP play in the early stages of the movement? What strategy did they rely upon?

In the early stages, it had little mass base.

• relied primarily on legal action, persuasion, and the court system rather than mass protest

• utilizing a hierarchical structure driven by lawyers

What was the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education? Did it lead to immediate changes? What was the South’s reaction?

It overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and ruled that “separate but equal” public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment

• It did not lead to immediate changes

• The south reacted by widespread massive resistance, violence, economic pressure against the NAACP, state injunctions, and refusal to comply

During what period of American history were the first African Americans elected in Congress?

During the Reconstruction Era

• Joseph Rainey in the House

• Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce in the Senate

What were three strategies used by many southern states and municipalities to limit African Americans’ access to the vote?

• Poll taxes (fees required to vote)

• Literacy tests (rigged exams administered to block black citizens)

• Grandfather clauses (voting restricted to those who’s grandfathers could vote before the end of slavery)

• They also used economic pressure, intimidation, and violence

What was the most dominant institution in the black community during the modern civil rights movement?

The Black Church

• served as an autonomous body controlled by Black people that provided a ready-made mass audience, a financial base, meeting places, and charismatic leadership

What began the Montgomery bus boycott? Explain the way it financed its activities?

• Began when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the segregated bus

• Financing: Financed locally through donations given at night-rally meetings and sustained via an organized community car-pool

What types of leaders were most prominent in the Civil Rights movement? Describe the characteristics they usually held

Charismatic black minsters were the most prominent leaders

• They typically held high standing/stature in their communities

• advanced theological training

• captivating oral skills

• Deep connections to church networks

What contributions did the Montgomery bus boycott make to the rest of the movement?

It built a complex financial and planning framework

• Introduced Martin Luther King JR as a national leader

• The Carpool Network allowed residents to refused to ride the buses which impacted the economy

• introduced a non-violent approach to the masses

• proved that economic boycotts could successfully dismantle segregation

What was Morris’ stance on the importance of financial resources from white northerners as compared to blacks from the north and south in the movement?

Morris emphasized that financial resources from local Black communities (both North and South) were the primary and foundation lifeblood of the movement

• Outside white northerners funds played a secondary or supplementary role until later stages

What role did the Southern Christian Leadership Conference have in the movement? What part did Martin Luther King play in the organization?

The SCLC served as a network for souther minsters and local church affiliates that coordinated local direct-action protests

• MLK was the top charismatic leader who made final decisions, aided by specialized committees and advisors

What contributions did the SCLC make to the movement?

• Built an organizational network across the South

• provided monetary and advisory support for local protests

• prepared local communities for direct action

• anchored the movement in the moral and religious framework of the Black church

What sort of relationship did the SCLC have with the NAACP? Why did tensions emerge? What strategies were used to strengthen their relationship?

• The NAACP deeply resented the SCLC.

• Tensions emerged because the SCLC threatened the NAACP’s status as the premier protest organization

• poached its local leadership base, competed for its financial base, and held greater mass appeal

• SCLC leaders publicity praised the NAACP, encourage protests to also buy NAACP membership, split collections father at mass meetings, and stressed that their legal and direct-action strategies complements one another’s

How did the organization structures of the SLC and NAACP differ?

• NAACP: Hierarchical, bureaucratic, top-down structure focused on a legalistic lawyer driven approach

• SCLC: Decentralized network of ministers and local church affiliates focused on mass-based social action and direct protest

Was CORE a central organization in the Civil Rights movement?

Initially, no it was not centralized or mass-oriented

• It stared in Chicago as an interracial secular organization fueled by a philosophical attachment to non-violent tactics for social change

What were the three reasons CORE was not originally successful

• Consisted predominantly of white intellectuals and lacked integration into the Black community, was viewed as paternalistic

• Had very few organizational resources

• Black communities in the South were largely unfamiliar with CORE

What did CORE do to become more central to the movement?

• Secured increased funding from northern/western whites

• gained a crucial public endorsement from Martin Luther King Jr. (vouched from them to donors)

• Utilized the Black church to help them establish an authentic organizational base in the South

What two reasons made Birmingham an ideal place to protest?

It was considered one of the most racist and strictly segregated cities in the South

• Was led by Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connor, a devoted segregationist who’s hostility guaranteed national attention

What were the three stages of the boycott? What did they involve?

• 1st stage: Economic Boycott and sit-ins, Black citizens refused to buy from segregated downtown businesses, and sit-ints drove white patrons away

• 2nd stage: (Mass Marches) mass marches on City Hall

• 3rd stage: (Student Protest) students and youths entered the protests, leading to mass attests and violent police crackdowns with dogs and fire houses

Three things the Birmingham movement accomplished

• Desegregation of all public facilities in Birmingham

• An end to hiring discrimination against Black workers in the city’s industrial sector

• The formation of a bi-racial committee to maintain communication between Black and white communities

Essay: Differences in organizational structure between NAACP and SCLC. What consequences might it have for their effectiveness?

• NAACP: Bureaucratic, hierarchical, lawyer-driven, top-down. Consequences: Highly effective at securing landmark legal victories in federal courts (e.g., Brown v. Board), but slow to produce grassroots mobilization and poorly suited for rapid, mass-based social protest.
  
  

• SCLC: Decentralized, network of ministers, church-based affiliates. Consequences: Highly effective at mass mobilization, rapid community organizing, and utilizing nonviolent direct action (boycotts, marches) to force immediate public and economic change, though it relied on local networks to function.
  

Essay: Points of Agreement and Disagreement between DuBois and Washington.

• Agreements: Both agreed that Black advancement would not happen overnight and that Black people needed to handle their money carefully. Both saw some initial value in industrial/technical education.
  
  

• Disagreements: DuBois fiercely disagreed with Washington's willingness to surrender voting rights and civil rights. Furthermore, DuBois argued that liberal arts/higher education for the talented tenth must be prioritized alongside technical education, rather than abandoning political agitation for economic accommodation.
  

Unique contribution of black church to civil rights movement

• The Black church provided an autonomous institution completely free from white economic and political control

• It uniquely supplied a ready-made mass audience

• stable financial base through organized collections

• safe meeting spaces for planning

• a clear internal division of labor (committees)

• A moral/religious framework centered on nonviolence and equal treatment

What was the strategy of the Birmingham protest? Why was Birmingham chosen? Discuss the tactics that they used. Why was the effort successful?

• Why chosen: Extreme segregation and the presence of Bull Connor, who was guaranteed to overreact.
  
  

• Strategy & Tactics: Stage-based escalation moving from economic boycotts of downtown stores to mass marches on City Hall and youth/student-led protests designed to fill jails and paralyze the city.
  
  

• Why successful: The strategy successfully provoked violent, televised police repression (dogs and fire hoses), which shocked the nation, horrified the federal government, forced local economic elites to negotiate, and resulted in the desegregation of the city while fueling the national Civil Rights Act.