Blog Smith: Day 5 The Death of Liberalism

Prompt Question for Next Lesson:

· In the latter 1960s, what separation took place between the American civil rights movement and black power?

Day 5

Objectives:

· SWBAT explain the split between the civil rights movement of the early 1960s and the radical black activist faction of the late 1960s.

Sources/Handouts that will be used for discussion/evaluation for this lesson:

· Source #17 (“Black Power,” Stokely Carmichael, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee [SNCC]),

· Source #18 (“Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,” James Brown)

· Source #19 (Excerpted from "I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing [Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself], James Brown)"; “America Is My Home,” James Brown)"

Review/Key Question (s):

· What had happened to the African-American community according to David Burner (Source #12)?

· Why did the “New Left” radicals of the late 1960s adopt new slogans, new thinking, and split from the traditional American civil rights movement of the early 1960s?

· How can social progress best be made: by government planning or the free-market system?

Suggested Key Discussion Points/Questions:

· Why was 1968 such a critical year?

o Emergence of the Black Power movement

o Martin Luther King was assassinated

o Robert Kennedy was assassinated

o Attempted assassination of George Wallace, a presidential contender

o The Democratic Party Convention in Chicago

o Youth riots, demonstrations in urban areas resulting in the “Long Hot Summers”

o Student protests against the war in Vietnam

o Election of Richard Nixon as President

· The 1960s were characterized by two contrasting viewpoints on civil rights as represented by Malcom X and Stokely Carmichael as opposed to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and James Brown.

o Integrationist (King) Brown = Freedom Now Black Power separatists = Black Power

· How did the Northern Black Nationalist movement differ from the Integrationist Civil Rights movement of Dr. Martin Luther King? (As the civil rights movement fought its major battles in the South during the early 1960s, a new Black Nationalist movement was rising in the North).

· Who led the Black Nationalist movement and what did he say? (The Nation of Islam and its charismatic spokesman, Malcolm X, attained prominence for criticizing the timidity of mainstream civil rights protesters.)

· What did the Nation of Islam call for? (The Nation of Islam’s leaders rejected the integrationist perspective of these leaders, calling instead for an independent and separate black nation-state).

· What racist policies did they initiate? (They demanded that black Americans patronize only black-owned stores.)

· What did the Nation of Islam think about Dr. King’s movement? (They declared that nonviolence was fruitless.)

· Why did the Nation of Islam appeal to some blacks? (The Nation of Islam seemed for many black people to be a more realistic solution than nonviolent resistance.)

· Why didn’t Malcolm X and Dr. King see eye to eye?

· "You don't integrate with a sinking ship." This was Malcolm X's curt explanation of why he did not favor integration of blacks with whites in the United States.

· What did Malcolm X argue?

o Malcolm X argued that America was too racist in its institutions and people to offer hope to blacks. The solution proposed by the Nation of Islam was a separate nation for blacks to develop themselves apart from what they considered to be a corrupt white nation destined for divine destruction.

· How did Dr. King’s movement differ from black separatism?

o In contrast with Malcolm X's black separatism, Martin Luther King, Jr. offered what he considered "the more excellent way of love and nonviolent protest" as a means of building an integrated community of blacks and whites in America. He rejected what he called "the hatred and despair of the black nationalist."

o How American was Dr. King?

§ Dr. King believed that the fate of black Americans was "tied up with America's destiny" despite the enslavement and segregation of blacks throughout American history.

· What was the American religious impulse of Dr. King’s message?

o King had faith that "the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God" could reform white America through the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement.

o A point to consider is to contrast the respective aims and means of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. to evaluate the possibilities for black American progress in the 1960s.

o Despite the political gains of the 1960s, Black Nationalist militancy continued to gather strength, mainly because social and economic discrimination persisted. Beginning in the summer of 1965, following riots in the Watts section of Los Angeles, urban unrest became endemic to many northern black communities. The Watts riot exploded when a seemingly routine traffic stop erupted into violence. The riot lasted six days and left thirty-four dead and more than one thousand injured. Persistent racism was certainly one cause of the riots, but so was the civil rights movement’s strategic decision not to address urban poverty. The “long hot summers” continued throughout the late 1960s after Dr. King’s assassination.

· The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (or, SNCC—pronounced “snick”) hoped to tap into the urban rage by establishing chapters in the North and developing programs to channel energy into constructive activities. Yet the increasing anger soon changed SNCC itself.

· What significant event for black power happened in 1966?

· In 1966, after being attacked by police during a peaceful march in Mississippi, SNCC chairman Stokely Carmichael rallied a crowd by calling for “black power,” and the crowd began chanting the phrase.

· What happened to white people who supported SNCC after black power emerged?

o White people were purged from SNCC.

· How did American civil rights leaders react?

o This development alarmed many: Roy Wilkins, the head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (or the NAACP), called it “a reverse Ku Klux Klan.”

· Read Source #17. What is Carmichael’s goal of Black Power?

o The first popular use of the term "Black Power" as a political and racial slogan was by Carmichael and Willie Ricks (later known as Mukasa Dada), both organizers and spokespersons for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). On June 16, 1966, in a speech in Greenwood, Mississippi, after the shooting of James Meredith during the March Against Fear.

· What is Carmichael’s goal of Black Power?

o Carmichael said: “This is the twenty-seventh time I have been arrested and I ain't going to jail no more! The only way we gonna stop them white men from whuppin' us is to take over. What we gonna start sayin' now is Black Power!” (Carmichael saw the concept of "Black Power" as a means of group solidarity, take over, society is at fault with institutional racism. Instead of individual achievement Black Power meant taking control based on racial differences).

o With his use of the term, Carmichael felt this movement was not just a movement for racial desegregation, but rather a movement to help end how American racism had weakened blacks.

o He said, "'Black Power' means black people coming together to form a political force and either electing representatives or forcing their representatives to speak their needs."

· By the late 1960s, Black Power emerged as a movement bridging the gap between Black Nationalism and the civil rights struggle. Leaders in the Black Power movement argued that black people should have control over the social, educational, and religious institutions in their communities. Black Power advocated black pride at a time when blackness was stigmatized.

· Perhaps no Black Power organization captured the attention of America more than the Black Panther Party, founded in 1966 in Oakland, California. The Black Panthers believed that providing goods and services to the most downtrodden people of the black community would be essential to a black revolution, and they developed free clothing and medical programs, as well as a free breakfast program that fed thousands of poor children each week. They began patrolling the streets in armed groups in an attempt to end police brutality. The Black Panthers were also frequently associated with the urban unrest that swept through many black communities in the late 1960s, particularly the riots in more than one hundred cities following the shocking assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1968.

o What was the essential difference between Stokely Carmichael and Martin Luther King? (Stokely Carmichael argued that the “white power structure” was the ultimate cause of such spontaneous upheavals. There was a division between those aligned with Martin Luther King, Jr. and those aligned with Stokely Carmichael, marked by their respective slogans, "Freedom Now" and "Black Power.")

§ Carmichael (June 29, 1941 – November 15, 1998), later known as Kwame Ture, was a Trinidadian-American revolutionary active in the Civil Rights Movement, and later, the global Pan-African movement. Growing up in the United States from the age of 11, he graduated from Howard University. He rose to prominence in the civil rights and Black Power movements, first as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), later as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party (BPP), and finally as a leader of the All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP).

· 1968 was contentious as the separate impulses of the civil rights movement bifurcated between the non-violent integrationist wing of Martin Luther King and the black power separatist factions of the Black Panthers, Stokely Carmichael, and the Nation of Islam.

· The liberals of 1968 were conflicted as anti-war movements had grown stronger and liberalism was split between the New Left radicals and mainstream liberals.

‘60s civil rights movement

Integrationist (King) Black Power separatists

James Brown The New Left Radicals

Liberalism

New Left Radicals Mainstream Liberals (JFK, LBJ, Hubert Humphrey)

· The integrationist wing of civil rights is to be distinguished against the black power separatists. A good example of individual achievement, hard work, and pursuing the American Dream is illustrated in a song by James Brown, “I’m Black and I’m Proud.” It is a song which is easy to misinterpret as a simple, Black Power song but an examination of the lyrics is revealing.

· Read Source #18. How is the song in contrast to Stokely Carmichael’s understanding of Black Power? The song addresses the Black Power movement of 1968: but how it addresses black power is the interesting aspect of the song. (Brown is distancing himself from the radical Black Power movement emerging in 1968).

· What individualist gospel song does Brown sample? (Mahalia Jackson’s spiritual, “Buked and Scorned,” in the lyrics: “We’ve been buked and we’ve been scorned).

· How does Brown suggest blacks get their share? Does he expect anything to be given to him? Does he want to work for others or himself? (We have been treated poorly but we can’t quit until we get our share working for ourselves. We demand a chance to do things for ourselves. We would rather die on our feet than live on our knees. Brown is black and proud which means to work hard for yourself rather than be dependent on others).

· Read Source #19. Several other Brown singles from the same era as "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud", notably "I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself)", explored similar themes of black empowerment and self-reliance. And, coupled with his "America Is My Home" tune we can see that just as individual American Jews and Christians in the early 1960s are relying on their talent, hard work, and education to bring about social change so was Brown. At the same time that the liberal Great Society programs were being implemented there was a negative impact on black culture and families.

· What individualist themes are to be found in these additional two songs? (Brown states clearly that he does not want anyone to give him anything but he will get it himself. He does not want self-pity but equal opportunity and not a guaranteed outcome by the government. He wants education and books so that he can develop himself. He wants to be self-reliant, use his talents, and without help from others. He loves America as his home. Races should unite against the enemies of America. We enjoy freedom of speech and although there are many nice places to visit you should get an education here. America is the best country without a doubt. Opportunity is here for the lowest person including a shoeshine boy. There are no royals or an aristocracy here. Work hard and you can make it in America.)

· Both the Federal government with the Great Society programs and Black Power organizations were pitted against the individualist, hard-working America that inspired James Brown and early 1960s singers during the March on Washington in 1963.

· The war in Vietnam pitted civil rights leaders against one another. Popular entertainer James Brown believed as a religious leader Dr. King should not have spoken out about the Vietnam War. Those were difficult days for King because he was being pulled apart by two movements: the Civil Rights movement and the war in Vietnam. When Dr. King spoke out against the Vietnam War, Mr. Brown thought he was wrong because Brown thought that he is a religious leader. He is not a politician. He is getting out of his bag, as we would say, he is getting out of what he stands for and he can create a problem for himself. Because the powers that be are not going to stand for this.

· After Martin Luther King was killed, despite their disagreement on Vietnam, Brown continued his non-violent, hard-working American message.

Follow-up/Assessment Questions:

· During this contentious time, do you think things will calm down or escalate?

· Do you understand the differences between of radicalism and traditional, American civil rights and why they appealed to diverse people?

· Why do you think James Brown didn’t believe in Black Power?

· What was Brown’s alternative?

Prompt Question for the Next Lesson:

· How did the theme of revolution play out and end the late 1960s?

Sources

17. “Black Power,” Stokely Carmichael, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), June 16, 1966, in a speech in Greenwood, Mississippi, after the shooting of James Meredith during the March Against Fear, Carmichael said:

§ “This is the twenty-seventh time I have been arrested and I ain't going to jail no more! The only way we gonna stop them white men from whuppin' us is to take over. What we gonna start sayin' now is Black Power!”

18. “I’m Black and I’m Proud,” James Brown

Uh! Your bad self!
Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud
Say it louder! I'm black and I'm proud
Look a-here!

Some people say we got a lot of malice, some say it's a lotta nerve
But I say we won't quit movin' until we get what we deserve
We've been buked and we've been scourned
We've been treated bad, talked about as sure as you're born
But just as sure as it take two eyes to make a pair, huh!
Brother we can't quit until we get our share

Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud
One more time, say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud, huh!

I've worked on jobs with my feet and my hands
But all the work I did was for the other man
And now we demands a chance to do things for ourselves
We tired of beatin' our head against the wall
An' workin' for someone else

Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud
Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud
Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud
Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud, oh!

Ooh-wee, you're killin' me
Alright, uh, you're out of sight!
Alright, so tough you're tough enough!
Ooh-wee uh! you're killin' me! oow!

Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud
Say it louder! I'm black and I'm proud

Now we demand a chance to do things for ourselves
We tired of beatin' our heads against the wall
And workin' for someone else look a-here
There's one thing more I got to say right here
Now, now we're people, we're like the birds and the bees
We rather die on our feet than keep livin' on our knees

Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud huh!
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud huh!
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud Lord-a, Lord-a, Lord-a
Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud, ooh!

Uh! alright now, good God
You know we can do the boogaloo

Songwriters: James Brown / Alfred James Ellis

19. Excerpts: "I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself)", and, "America Is My Home"

"I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself)"

I don't want nobody
To give me nothing
Open up the door
I'll get it myself

Don't give me sorrow
I want equal opportunity
To live tomorrow

Give me schools
And give me better books
So I can read about myself
And gain my truly looks

Some of us try
As hard as we can
We don't want no sympathy
We just wanna be a man

We got talents we can use
On our side of town
Let's get our heads together
And get it up from the ground

Got to get myself together
So many things I got to do
So many things I got to do
I don't need no help from you

Tell everybody, everybody else
All of these things, baby
I got to do it myself

Kids, get that education
And don't you take no more
'Cause if we gonna get
This thing together
Then you got to carry the ball

Songwriters: James Brown

“America Is My Home”

Talking 'bout me leaving America
You gotta be crazy, man, I like
All the nice thing, Jack
Colonial suits and things, look at here

Now I am sorry for the man
Who don't love this land
Now black and white, they may fight
But when up the enemy come
We'll get together and run about all side

I love it

The sun don't come out in rainy weather
But when you ball it down they are still together
Now let's not overlook the fact that we are, we are still in reach
You got to chance to make it and you got a freedom of speech

Say what you wanna, tell 'em how you feel
There may be a lot of places, a lot of places that you like to go
But believe me if you get an education you can blow
You can all it blow, dig this

Now you tell me if I'm wrong
America is still the best country
And that's without a doubt
America is still the best country
Without a doubt

And if anybody says it ain't, you can try to put him out
They ain't going nowhere, you got a good fight
When I tell you one time that I was a shoeshine boy
Every word I said, I meant

But name me any other country
You can start out as a shoeshine boy
And shake hand with the president
It ain't gonna help you gotta had that royal blood to make it
And I ain't got nothing royal but me
So I can take the chances, I'm gonna stay home

And look at here I got a brand new jet
When I need to move
I saw a brother made it
Now it ain't that a rule

So look at here
Brothers and sisters and friends, dig this
So quit your dreaming all night
Stop beatin' yourself and get up and fight

Don't give up, you might give up, but just don't give out
I know if you give out don't give up
There's no quick going, I mean like keep it moving you know
Cause if you stop like a ball quit rolling

Now we got two of the [Incomprehensible] from Florida to Rome
Which we know there's one thing we'll never forget
America's still our home, hit it bad
God bless America, I'm talking about me too
You know I'm American myself, I like that kind of thing, look at here

Songwriters: Hayward Epps Moore / James Brown

Monday, September 27, 2021

Day 5 The Death of Liberalism