Thursday, March 24, 2011

Civil Rights Essay Guildlines

For the past several weeks we have been studying the Cold War as a context for understanding how and why African Americans obtained (or began to obtain) full citizenship when they did. In your next essay, you will discuss the Civil Right's Movement. You will demonstrate your understanding of this movement--its roots, its successes and its limitations. You will also demonstrate your understanding of the historic context, including development of the Cold War.

In this essay you must include evidence obtained from the following sources:

a) Howard Zinn - "Or Does it Explode" and "A People's War"
b) Franklin, John Hope - "Fighting for the Four Freedoms", "African Americans in the Cold War Era", "The Black Revolution"
c) Who Built America - "The Rights Conscious 1960s" pgs 607-630 **(this book is only available in class and you must use class time to take your notes)
d) Gosse, Van - Movements of the New Left - Introduction

Your essay should respond to the Essential Questions:

a) Why then? Why did the endeavor for this reform get underway when it did?

b) What gains were won? What gains were sought but not won?

c) If this reform was only partially achieved, what limited its attainment?

An A paper will:

--answer all of the questions, either as past of one contiguous essay or in three separate sections; the thrust of the essay should be behind answering the a) why then? question
--contain a sophisticated, provocative thesis, supported by 3 arguments
--contain 3 cogent and sophisticated arguments that support the organizing
--argue well developed, original ideas and illustrate new understanding
of the topic
--persuasively use evidence from Zinn, Franklin, Who Built America; contain at least five or six quotes from Franklin and five from the other readings
--discuss both the authors' and primary source perspectives about events
--persuasively use evidence from an outside source
--be well organized, containing a clear introduction that presents the thesis in a highly engaging,compelling manner, followed by smooth transitions from one idea to the next, with a conclusion that synthesizes the different strands and arguments
--demonstrate a clear understanding of the historical time period and demonstrate the cause and effect relationship between significant events
--conform to the conventions of grammar, spelling and punctuation, and be thoroughly proofread and include the signature of one adult to whom it was read aloud

Monday, March 21, 2011

Democratizing Twentieth Century Homework

Read "The Black Revolution" 532-548 (up to Revolution at High Tide)

1. What was the purpose of the 1963 March on Washington?
2. What was the significance of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? What changes did it make? Discuss the Congressional political split in voting. How did Southern whites who opposed to the bill react to its passage?
3. Discuss the election of 1964.
4. Discuss the Selma and Montgomery voter's rights marches. How were the marchers treated? What role did Lyndon Johnson play?
5. What obstacles did blacks face to securing housing? What gains were won in this area?
6. Discuss the socioeconomic struggles faced by blacks. In what ways did these problems connect to the urban riots in places like Watts.
7. Discuss methods used to bring about integration. Why were these methods controversial?

Monday, March 14, 2011

Politics and Government Homework

Read Chapter 4 in "Supremes' Greatest Hits"

Identify the following terms/people. Discuss the significance of each and provide a quote.

a) Thurgood Marshall b) NAACP c) Brown v Board of Ed
d) University of Michigan Admissions Policy
e) Supreme Court rulings regarding University of Michigan Admissions Policy
g) Boy Scouts of America v Dale h)Roberts v Jaycees

Democratizing Twentieth Century Homework

Read pgs 523-532 in "The Black Revolution"

Take notes or fill out a secondary source analysis sheet. If you didn't pick one up or don't have one, it would look something like this:

P. O. V. – Consider: What is the main idea? What is this reading about? What does the author want you to know, think and believe? (more room on back)

Evidence –What are some direct quotes that struck you? List and define any new vocabulary. (more room on back)

Numeric Data – List significant statistics, distances, amount, rates, percentages, etc.

Connections – What is the unit’s essential question and how does it connect to the content of this article?

Significance/Reflection – What could you title this reading, or what would be a good alternate title? Explain. What most shocked, disappointed or inspired you about this reading?

Friday, March 11, 2011

Democratizing Twentieth Century Homework

Read Zinn: "Or Does it Explode?" 456-467

1. Divide several pages in your notebook into three (3) columns: A, B, C.

2. Label each column. A: Key Terms/Concepts B: Quote C: Connections/Significance

3. For each column, consider the following questions:

A: What does Zinn want you to know, think and believe about this term?
B: What evidence can you provide to prove column A?
C: How might this term help you answer the questions: Why then? Why did the Civil Rights/Black Power Movement get underway when it did? What gains were won? What gains were sought, but not won? If the goals were only partially achieved, what limited their attainment?

4. Please compose 3-4 thought provoking questions for class discussion.


Arthur Sschlesinger: A Thousand Days
unemployment, poverty rates whites/blacks
Lyndon Johnson
Watts, Los Angeles
black migration to the North
Julius Lester
urban riots, 1967
National Advisory Committee on Urban Disorders
"Black Power Movement"
Black Panthers
Civil Rights Rights Act 1964, 1965, 1968
Vietnam War
King, FBI
"black capitalism"

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Democratizing Twentieth Century Homework

Read Zinn Chapter 17 pgs 443-458

1) Read Zinn Chapter 6 and identify the following terms or concepts using the following table.

Column A: Term and its Description (What does Zinn want you to know/think/believe about this?)
Column B: Evidence (Provide a quote to illustrate description)
Column C: Discussion (How does this connect to the Civil Rights Movement focus questions: Why then? Why did the endeavor for reform get underway when it did? What gains were won? What gains were sought but not won?)

Read 182-199


a) southern blacks and the communist party
b) Angelo Herndon
c) Harry Truman and blacks
e) Truman's Committee on Civil Rights
f) use of Federal Courts
g) Martin Luther King
h) Greensboro, NC
i) CORE/Freedom Rides
j) John Kennedy and blacks
l) Lyndon Johnson and blacks
