Assignment:
Part 1: The civil rights movement gained momentum in the 1950s and 1960’s, nearly a century after the Civil War and Reconstruction. Explain why the movement finally took off in this era. What caused it to do so? (For this part you may use any of the Primary Source Readings from the Voices of Freedom sourcebook to support your points. Please use at least 2 that you were assigned from that book this semester.)
Part 2: How did civil rights activists challenge the government and American citizens? In answering this, consider author and civil rights activist, James Baldwin’s statement (in the introduction of Chapter 25 in the textbook) about the civil rights movement challenging the United States to rethink “what it really means by freedom.” How is this reflected in his writings, in particular Notes of a Native Son (1955) and The Fire Next Time (1963)? Analyze these writings and tie them to specific events in the history of this country. How do Baldwin’s ideas help to point out the problems with American definitions of “Freedom?”
James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son, 1955 http://english.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/baldwin-native-son.original.pdf
James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time, 1963, excerpt http://polyaplang.wikispaces.com/file/view/The+Fire+Next+Time+excerpt.pdf
Conclusion: What impact has the Civil Rights movement had on the American idea of “Freedom” today? How would you define and describe the development of race relations in the United States? Is this a story of consistent progress? If so, how did that progress build? If not, how do you understand the broader, historical trends in race relations and the reasons for the ups and downs in the struggle for racial equality?