Post World War II and Early Civil Rights Movement
Executive Order 9981
-1948 -goal was to desegregate the military -passed by Truman (who was a southerner) -brotherhood of the sleeping mat Why now? -1948 world recognizes declaration of human rights -also an election year for Truman (so he wanted AA vote and that would be a way for him to get it) -Speech he gave in Missouri 1940 (wanted equality) -- even before war (big for Missouri) -the success of the Tuskegee Airmen -made the issue more of the forefront of people's minds 1946-- Mendez vs. Westminster- gave Mexican American children the right to equal education because it violated the 14th amendment (which was the same reason used for Brown vs Board of Education) -Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Baseball in 1947 Integrating Military was a stepping stone to integrating other things and making more equality
Heydrich
-2nd in Command of the SS -did a lot of planning for the final solution for Jews -Wannsee Conference decided this -some call him the worst Nazi ever
Little Rock 9
-9 kids who integrated Little Rock high -governor Oval Faubus said I disagree with Brown Vs. Board of education - so the governor called in 10,000 Arkansas national guardsman to prevent their enrollment Daisy Bates made sure these kids would be right for the movement and would not fight back Eisenhower though was forced to act because he believed this was an attack against the government -so he told Fabus he had control of national gaurd so he made sure they got to school -though he did not do this out of sympathy of Blacks but for the negative press it would get from the international press In response to this Fubus closed all the public schools in little Rock in 1958- 1959 (known as the last year) -most whites found other ways to get education though most blacks lost a year of education -poor would need to leave to get education -had televised learning -home schooling -Little Rock 9 tried to recover but it is hard
Origins of the CRM
-MLK helps to carve the CRM from Ghandi's idea of civil disobedience and forms the SCLC (Southern Christian leadership conference) which was a young group of pastors
Mendez vs. Westminster (1936)
-Mexican children get equal rights in school -Marshall -- used some of the same tactics in Brown vs. Board of education
McCarthyism and the Red Scare II
-Nixon advised McCarthy that if he was an anti communist fighter then you will get your chance -McCarthy was a senator from Wisconsin -he claimed that there were 206 communists in the Federal Gov't -senator operation committee -was doing this from 1950-1954 -this whole this was similar to Salem Witch Trials Robson- old man river -- claimed he was communist thought it would bring equality for blacks There was limited evidence in most of these cases -the great fear allowed this paranoia to be real
GI Bill
-Serviceman's readjustment act of 1944 Gave: -college education -grad school education -housing with no down payment -job training TO former soliders -helps them to transition successfully back to civilization -today only pays for a portion
Southern Manifesto (1956)
-South did not support brown vs. Board decison (said we will blockade schools so no blacks will be allowed in)
SNCC (1960)
-Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee -student activist group organized chapters in south cities -job was to foster non violent confrontations to challenge Jim Crow Laws (sit ins, freedom rides, Marches) Result- both major parties addressed the problems of the civil rights issues Training for SNCC: -practice non-violent resistance -make sure do not get involved -make sure can be face of movement -mental training to be arrested and how to take beating -know how to stand for themselves -when beaten curl up in ball and take blow -help victim (don't hurt aggressor) -everything was very well thought out (no mistakes allowed) Core or CONGRESS OF RACIAL EQUALITY In the early 1960s, CORE, working with other civil rights groups, launched a series of initiatives: the Freedom Rides, aimed at desegregating public facilities, the Freedom Summer voter registration project and the historic 1963 March on Washington. CORE initially embraced a pacifist, non-violent approach to fighting racial segregation, but by the late 1960s the group's leadership had shifted its focus towards the political ideology of black nationalism and separatism.
1948
-Universal Declaration of human rights -first year Jackie robinson was on Baseball Card -executive order to integrate the military -Aparteid was passed in South Africa
Levittown 1957
-cities with houses in communities that all looked the same were being built up quickly in the burbs -there was a housing boom in the 60's -houses went up fast and were not very advanced -helped people achieve that American dream of owning a home -it was very uniform (like Russia) Ironic??
Post WWI VS. post WWII
-expressive and changing -opposite of WWII (very uniform and not individualized) WWII: -outside the norm would be miss fit -individuality should be hidden -family roles -no blacks in films -very communist seeming (ironic?)
Hollywood 10 (1947)
-group of big shots in Hollywood (screen writers mostly) who were accused as communist supporters and were kicked out of Hollywood (didn't agree with the HUAC) -infusing communism in their movies (they claimed) -- like the smurfs -Hollywood supported them at first
Harry Truman Approval Rating
-he was extremely anti-communist and believed that if you were a socialist/ communist you need to say it and make it public Truman in Feb 52 lowest approval rating ever because he tried to take over the steel industry and lower price (many people thought it was unnecessary)
Church Bombing
-killed 4 little girls Kids would lead to people wanting to lead the movement and for the US to act
Earl Warren
-led to first state to complete integration (California) -picked by Einsenhower to be head justice -- though he was extreamly against civil rights -the case of Brown vs. Board won unanimously -brought a liberal era to the court -wanted change -established lots of presidents for many laws in the 20th century - he believed in equality and rights should be given to everyone -he stuck to his course (no matter the criticism) -helped Americans get the right to be councilled -Miranda rights -accused got deserved rights -really thought about rights of the individual -simplified the constitution (decisions made easy)
Rock and Roll
-look at Matt's notes What influences their music to Rock? What were they wearing? What were they doing? Buddy Holy- Texas -upbeat (but not totally) -not as extreme as Elvis -no Earth-shattering lyrics -conservative dress -easy to follow lyrics -catchy -repetition (so people can sing along) -simple notes Bill Haley- rock around the clock -innuendo's to sex (only kids understood (like secret language) -- parents do not understand it -conservative fashion
The Rosenberg Trials and Execution
-made people look suspiciously on their neighbors -Venona intercepts- Mr. Rosenberg on list with Alger Hiss claimed that he gave nuclear secrets to the soviets -Rosenberg's were supposed to be a lovely couple David Greenglass- worked in New Mexico on Manhattan Project accused his brother in law but he gave the secrets and he passed this information to Harry Gold who passed the information to Russia and Anatoli Yukovled Rosenberg's were sentenced to the Electric Chair and the country was shocked by this
Baby Boom 46-64
-massive growth in population -changed the economy -first it boosted about Gerber baby food and led to more baby furniture and toys (like GI joe, Barbie and Matel) 60's fast food chains came up (DQ, Mcdonald's KFC) so teens could work and go there Ford, Chevy and Oldsmobile came up in 60s for new teens to drive Real estate companies came up in the 70s cause those boomers are now buying houses
Freedom Rides (1961)
-media attention was huge for it -like pictures of white men being beat who were on it -used to test the interstate commerce commissions ban on discrimination 1946- Morgan vs. Common Wealth challenged ruling in that buses needed to be segregated -protester threw molitov cocktails at the bus -brought to rural area to be beat (much worse then in public) -most buses could not make it all the way to New Orleans -vast majority were communists -good number of white and young participants
End of Brown I
-only said Topeka needed to integrate
Frank Vincent
-only took 90 cases in 10 years -south -died suddenly in 1953 -not loved by the judges on the court -inherited a broken court -one wanted more cases other didn't -If Vincent died later in history could have the course of history significantly
Rosa Parks
-peaceful (higher status) -was inspired by claudette Colvin -older -would be nonviolent and be a good poster woman for the movement so it looks good not bad -was the poster woman NAACP needed to start the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)
Migration
-people ran from Russia to central and Western Europe to run away from stalin (especially to to west Germany) US -people went from East coast to the Sunbelt-- South (better weather and better standard conditions -- easier/ cheaper to live)
Bormann
-private secretary for Hitler -controlld the domestic policy -next in line for Reich -shades made out of human skin -chair made of Jewish skeletons -monster
Literature of late 50's early 60's
-reaction to growing conservatism On the Road (1957) (Alan Ginsberg) -beet writers who did not accept society as it was - wanted to be freely homosexual -Jack Kerouac said he didn't want to live the American Dream (job, home kids) -tells of his journey of going around America going from job to job and living free -he alienates those he loves revolutionary Road 1961 (Richard Yates) -points out all of what is wrong with suburban culture (deevolutionilze relationship) really could be family on any street The Feminine Mystique 1963 (Betty Friedman) -talks about how woman were not so excited about there future --- woman should do what they want -it questioned role of the house wife She also started an organization called NOW (for woman's movement) So there were people were not fans of the norm
Brown II (1955)
-said all school should be integrated with "all deliberate speed" -though convinced many schools to integrate quicker by threatening to take away money
Woman
-second tier role in the movement
Interstate System
-started by Eisenhower -41,000 mile road system (covered the whole country) -lots of jobs were created though it was expensive to make What did it do to help America? -helped transport products -more tourism throughout America -companies could franchise and expand -gas stations, hotels created along the roads -allowed people to live in suburbs so it is easier to commute -car industry benefited -long straight roads for emergency planes to land on highway
Brown Vs. Board of education of Topeka (1954)
-started to try to intregrate grad schools first (1930's) because place people elect to go to not many blacks could go to these graduate schools -had qualifications (hard to deny them) -elementary school based on where you live -how can you deny a 6 or 7 year old education -- makes them think of there own children -brought up the 14th amendment for the issue: and specifically the "equal protection under the law" -they believed in separate but equal BUT the schools were not the same-- kids felt superior or inferior based on their school (would feel that way for the rest of their lives) (used phycologists to help them in their case)
Modern Republicanism
-supports individual freedoms -preserve market economy -aid unemployment and senior citizens -supported gov't construction of low income housing -created the department of health, education and welfare (health important because of Polio outbreak post WWII) -increased minimum wage and expanded social security
In what ways was the CRM an invention of the youth?
-the young were rebels and did crazy things -willing to do crazy things for equality - or just really make the older sympathize for the movement (emmet Till and Linda Brown) -people could accept lighter skinned more -youth provoke the actions and adults feed off it
Educational Videos notes
-they were very idealized -gender roles (boy marries girl) (girl at lower level than the boy) -very generic -one correct way and thats it (in washing hands video and generally as well) -behave properly -make complex problems seem very simple
Emmet Till
-was brutally murdered in Mississippi while visiting cousins -said "thank you baby" to white woman Husband was not too happy so he found him that night, beet him and hung him (they found him in a river) -savage murder -open casket at funeral so people knew of the problems out there in the world
Medgar evers
-was killed the day after Kennedy -secretary for NAACP -nation's blacks mourned for his and Kennedy's deaths -which proved the point that anyone could be targeted
Alger Hiss Trails 1948-1950
-worked for the AAA -assistant secretary of state -Yalta conference believed from there he went to Moscow and became a communist spy Whittaker Chambers - (a USSR spy) -- told the authorities that Hiss was a spy -Nixon worked on the Alger Hiss trial -Pumpkin Papers (claimed notes of communism were on pumpkins though it was actually just instructions on how to use a fire extinguisher -they claimed he lied under oath so he spent 3 years in Jail (they rushed to judgement with no evidence)
Klaus Fuchs
-worked with British on bomb passed secrets to the soviets
Young Activism
Greensboro NC (1960) -some Black college students had a sit in on a lunch counter for whites only (stayed there until they got fed) -Result was that 70,000 people participated in the sit in. SNCC formed
Human Rights
How did WWII shape the modern understanding/definitions of genocide and human rights?
Ole Miss Scandal
James Meridith- wanted to integrate Ole Miss Ross Barnett - said HELL NO -students wanted him to come to school -Kennedy sent in 5,000 troops to make sure he gets education -put himself in harms way for civil rights
Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)
MLK Jr. got his congregation (Dexter Ave) on board with the boycott and got other pasters in it too (turned into a religious movement Blacks were the majority of of montgomery Bus Company so they carpooled walked, biked Browder Vs. Gayle 1956- allowed desegregating of the buses in Montgomery (claudette testified)
Birmingham Alabama march
MLK brings SCLC to march peacefully -the white launched dogs and fire hoses at blacks -Connor (an extreme racist) controlled the police and fire departments -Project C (confrontation) was what it was called -youth were used even (televised them going to jail made others have more pity towards the movement) -JFK watches this and starts the civil rights Bill to end segregation in Public Places
Claudette Colvin
March 1955 (as a 15 year old) -refused to sit on black seat -she was first -was canidiate for the face of the movement but she pregnant and not so quiet when police took her off bus
Civil Rights
Rights involving equality (political- voting right) (economic - jobs) (social - Jim-Crow Laws)
Lynching
There was alot of it in the South (between 1877-1950) -deep south was the worst
Conservatism in America
What did 50s censorship reveal about American society during the decade? Haze Code- afraid that youth would be corruptive -parents had different beds/no alcohol no smoking, no public affection -had a comics code to make sure comics good for kids TV ratings were created The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) -investigated allegations of communist activity in the U.S. during the early years of the Cold War (1945-91)-- Redscare II -so free speech was limited -smith act passed (can't advocate or overthrow the gov't) -they tracked down USSR spies in the government and they did send spies to look for the nuclear bomb technologies President Truman believed in American ideals that are broken by the red scare acts (even though he was an anti- communist)
Dec 1948- UN created first human rights document on genocide
Why do this first/ why would people care about this? -its just so bad -new technologies people now saw it happening -Jews are all over the world and have a lot of power -people have regret for not helping Jews enough (like USA)
Alfred Kinsley
he created a code for youth (very liberal) -wrote about about Sexual behavior in the human male/female -people did not know who to talk to about sexual practices -people thought his writing were crazy Wrote the male book first because female first then people would be shocked about what wives and daughter were doing -It took stats of people so it exposed infidelity and homosexuality - inner most fear of the parents--- made them more strict on children
Ghettos
lots of ghettos in Europe (way more than expected) 42,500 Ghettos and concentration camps -also now 15-20 million people exactly died during the war
