History

read through your essay and here are some suggestions.

 

Part (i) – needs more specifics about what changes. See the powerpoint lecture or textbook, but what shifts from 1895-1954 to make it possible to convince the US public that they need to change? Part of this is WWII, part is the progressive movement, part of this was popular culture (baseball, etc.). Be sure to explore these to provide a useful answer to this section.

 

Part (ii) – Remember that the federal government was largely opposed to de-segregation. They provided no support to the NAACP-Legal Defense efforts and did little to stop the lynching campaigns. This changes after 1954 when the federal government first struck down segregation laws then passed the Civil Rights and Voting Rights act. The question asks you ro relate some of this narrative at the FEDERAL level from 1896-1965

 

Part (iii) – here the focus is on King. Again, refer to the powerpoint slides in terms of King’s approach. I stressed in class how King focuses on the moral/ethical questions. Is it “right” to treat people in this manner? Is it American? Why are so many ethical, non-violent people being beaten and jailed? King forces mainstream white America to come to terms with these hypocrisies, he doesn’t allow them to look away or excuse racism because “those people” are acting violently or breaking the law. His Letter from a Birmingham jail and March on Washington speech are great sources of evidence to use for this section.

 

Hope this helps. Regards,

DB