1. Before the Harlem Renaissance, blacks were viewed with little to no respect. African-Americans were looked down upon due to their contributions, or lack thereof to society. Before the Harlem Renaissance, African Americans had nothing to claim their as their own. Thus the Birth of the Harlem Renaissance was created. During the 1920’s, African Americans were able to express themselves through various types of arts, both visual and musical. “The Harlem Renaissance In the Harlem Renaissance, people found a variety of ways for self-expression and self-determination. Art was one of these”. (google.com) The Harlem renaissance was also considered a time of “firsts” or new beginnings. “The first major public recognition of African American culture occurred during the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920s and 1930s, African American music, literature, and art gained wide notice. Authors such as Zora Neale Hurston and Nella Larsen and poets such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Countee Cullen wrote works describing the African American experience. Jazz, swing, blues and other musical forms entered American popular music. African American artists such as William H. Johnson and Palmer Hayden created unique works of art featuring African Americans”. (google.com) In conclusion, The Harlem renaissance was a time of reconstructing the Black image to overcome racial barriers that secretly exist. “Central to the movement was efforts to explore all aspects of the African American experience and to re-conceptualize "the Negro" independent of white stereotypes”. (google.com)
2.
The civil rights movement has been defined as “political, legal, and social struggle by black Americans to gain full citizenship rights and to achieve racial equality”. (ask.com). though this may be true, I believe it is appropriate to provide a formal definition.”The civil rights movement was first and foremost a challenge to segregation, the system of laws and customs separating blacks and whites that whites used to control blacks after slavery was abolished in the 1860s. During the civil rights movement, individuals and civil rights organizations challenged segregation and discrimination with a variety of activities, including protest marches, boycotts, and refusal to abide by segregation laws. Many believe that the movement began with the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and ended with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, though there is debate about when it began and whether it has ended yet. The civil rights movement has also been called the Black Freedom Movement, the Negro Revolution, and the Second Reconstruction.” (Encarta.com)
3. The death of Emmett Till was a tragedy that forcefully opened the eyes of the American public. Racism was indeed at its peak during the time of this incident; this event just expressed the immediate need for change. Emmett’s death remained locked in the hearts of those who witnessed such a crisis. Although the name did sound familiar, I was not aware of this incident before today’s class. The image of a once innocent child, transformed into a disfigured creature was indeed horrifying. “Emmett Till was a 14 year old resident of Chicago who was sent to visit his family in Mississippi in the summer of 1955. This can be considered a universal rite of passage in America: many children are sent out of the hot city in the summer to visit relatives in the country. Unfortunately, Emmett's destination was Money, Mississippi, and he did not know the rules of the inequitable game there. When Emmett had the audacity to whistle at a white woman named Carolyn Bryant, his fate was sealed. The events that happened afterwards are an ugly part of America's history. Emmett was taken from his family's home (by Bryant's husband and another man); he was beaten, mutilated, shot, and strangled. When Emmett's body was found in the Tallahatchie River, it no longer looked like that of a 14 year old but more like a bloated, disfigured alien. Fifty years have passed since Emmett died and many Americans have changed; however, many have not. Some of that same kind of hatred and intolerance still exists in our society. We are called to action by Emmett's story to live lives of tolerance and peace. While one can never make sense of such brutality, Emmett's memory can be honored as much as any soldier who died in battle. For in essence Emmett died for a cause, one that was as noble as any before or since: the right to be, to live, to exist in equity and harmony”.(google.com)
4. “The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in 1960 by young people dedicated to non-violent, direct-action tactics. “ http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/enc_SNCC.htm The idea for a decentralized, student-run organization was conceived in April 1960 when Ella Baker, a veteran civil rights organizer and an official of SCLC, invited black college students who had participated in the 1960 sit-ins to gather at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Baker also invited representatives of other civil rights organizations to the meeting, but asked them to serve only in an advisory role. SNCC's original statement of purpose established nonviolence as the driving philosophy behind the organization. However, things were never that simple. In the early days, during the period of the sit-in movement, nonviolent action was strictly enforced, particularly for public demonstrations, as it was key to the movement's success. The philosophy of nonviolence hit shakier ground when SNCC began its period of community organization in the South, having to face continual threats of perhaps deadly violence from whites. On many occasions SNCC offices were sprayed with bullets or torched by local white men. In 1963 Bob Moses and Jimmy Travis, SNCC workers trying to encourage black voters to register, were shot at while driving near Greenwood, Mississippi. Travis was hit and nearly died. Soon after, the Harlem Riots took place. It was the first urban race riot, and brought the topic of black-initiated violence into public debate. Such actions were no longer assumed to be counter productive. This event, and eventually the rise of black power, led to the fall of nonviolence in SNCC. Black Power was the guiding philosophy of SNCC in its later years. It began to develop and take hold sometime after 1964, and came to prominence in 1966 when Stokely Carmichael became head of the organization.
5.“King was raised in a comfortable middle-class family where education was stressed. On the other hand, Malcolm X came from and underprivileged home; he was a self-taught man who received little schooling and rose to greatness on his own intelligence and determination.” http://www.freeessays.cc/db/43/svn188.shtml . This is a short piece of an essay that described both men’s lives n more depth. It was made clear that the two prominent men were from two completely differ worlds. Due to his early experience with the Klux Klux Klan,( death of his father) a deep seed of hatred was formulated. For this reason, Malcolm X believed that the only way to win was to “fight fire with fire”. Malcolm believed that intergration would not help the blacks build their race by embracing their “african-ness”. Conversely, King believed in integration. “He believed that only through violence would conditions change”. Malcolm X was a man who since birth was independent. He didn’t feel the need to depend on man. Malcolm indeed had good intentions, yet his hatred for whites, or what he referred to as “white devils” was considered a burden that kept him from succeeding in life. Despite his peaceful religion, Malcolm didn’t hesitate enforcing the idea of retaliation of the blacks were harmed in anyway. This indeed conflicted with martin Luther King’s theory. King’s philosophy can be included the following:”non-violent protest and a vision of a race less society” ( http://www.articlesbase.com/) King’s upbringing wasn’t as intense as Malcolm X’s, therefore, his viewpoint varied significantly form Malcolm’s. Moreover, Martin believed in encouraging blacks and whites to harmonize and come together as Americans.
6.. Although the civil right movement obtained specific goals related to the overall treatment of African-Americans, one main goal still remained an essential factor; to end racial discrimination based on race, color, creed, or gender as well as to put an end to segregation. I personally believe that this goal was achieved, despite its criticism. Generally speaking racism and segregation is not at least as apparent and tedious as it was then. African-Americans have equal opportunities both professionally and academically. We must keep in mind that despite all the effort put towards this movement, some people are set in their beliefs, also that there is always room for improvement. We should always strive to improve the system that we have now, what can’t harm us, can only help us. Moreover, if the activities that occurred years ago didn’t take place, I would not be reflecting how they personally affected my life.
7.. I definitely believe that different life experiences help mold our personal opinion. Therefore, this is indeed accurate. For example, if you have been wealthy all you life, and never had to experience struggles, with money never being a problem, that is what you become accustomed to. It may reach the point to where you believe that it’s the same for everyone, because e that’s all that surrounds you. When in reality, poverty does exist. With this one-sided perspective, it makes it difficult to relate to other people, situations, or ideas that you may have not personally experienced. Sadly, the world we live in (despite its diversity), is limited in a sense. People rarely take the time to relate to step outside of the box that society and their surroundings have placed them in, to realize that not everyone experiences the same life style. In conclusion, conversely if all I embrace are hardships, how can I be supportive of someone who isn’t? This lack of understanding can result in avoidable conflict.
2.
The civil rights movement has been defined as “political, legal, and social struggle by black Americans to gain full citizenship rights and to achieve racial equality”. (ask.com). though this may be true, I believe it is appropriate to provide a formal definition.”The civil rights movement was first and foremost a challenge to segregation, the system of laws and customs separating blacks and whites that whites used to control blacks after slavery was abolished in the 1860s. During the civil rights movement, individuals and civil rights organizations challenged segregation and discrimination with a variety of activities, including protest marches, boycotts, and refusal to abide by segregation laws. Many believe that the movement began with the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and ended with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, though there is debate about when it began and whether it has ended yet. The civil rights movement has also been called the Black Freedom Movement, the Negro Revolution, and the Second Reconstruction.” (Encarta.com)
3. The death of Emmett Till was a tragedy that forcefully opened the eyes of the American public. Racism was indeed at its peak during the time of this incident; this event just expressed the immediate need for change. Emmett’s death remained locked in the hearts of those who witnessed such a crisis. Although the name did sound familiar, I was not aware of this incident before today’s class. The image of a once innocent child, transformed into a disfigured creature was indeed horrifying. “Emmett Till was a 14 year old resident of Chicago who was sent to visit his family in Mississippi in the summer of 1955. This can be considered a universal rite of passage in America: many children are sent out of the hot city in the summer to visit relatives in the country. Unfortunately, Emmett's destination was Money, Mississippi, and he did not know the rules of the inequitable game there. When Emmett had the audacity to whistle at a white woman named Carolyn Bryant, his fate was sealed. The events that happened afterwards are an ugly part of America's history. Emmett was taken from his family's home (by Bryant's husband and another man); he was beaten, mutilated, shot, and strangled. When Emmett's body was found in the Tallahatchie River, it no longer looked like that of a 14 year old but more like a bloated, disfigured alien. Fifty years have passed since Emmett died and many Americans have changed; however, many have not. Some of that same kind of hatred and intolerance still exists in our society. We are called to action by Emmett's story to live lives of tolerance and peace. While one can never make sense of such brutality, Emmett's memory can be honored as much as any soldier who died in battle. For in essence Emmett died for a cause, one that was as noble as any before or since: the right to be, to live, to exist in equity and harmony”.(google.com)
4. “The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in 1960 by young people dedicated to non-violent, direct-action tactics. “ http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/enc_SNCC.htm The idea for a decentralized, student-run organization was conceived in April 1960 when Ella Baker, a veteran civil rights organizer and an official of SCLC, invited black college students who had participated in the 1960 sit-ins to gather at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Baker also invited representatives of other civil rights organizations to the meeting, but asked them to serve only in an advisory role. SNCC's original statement of purpose established nonviolence as the driving philosophy behind the organization. However, things were never that simple. In the early days, during the period of the sit-in movement, nonviolent action was strictly enforced, particularly for public demonstrations, as it was key to the movement's success. The philosophy of nonviolence hit shakier ground when SNCC began its period of community organization in the South, having to face continual threats of perhaps deadly violence from whites. On many occasions SNCC offices were sprayed with bullets or torched by local white men. In 1963 Bob Moses and Jimmy Travis, SNCC workers trying to encourage black voters to register, were shot at while driving near Greenwood, Mississippi. Travis was hit and nearly died. Soon after, the Harlem Riots took place. It was the first urban race riot, and brought the topic of black-initiated violence into public debate. Such actions were no longer assumed to be counter productive. This event, and eventually the rise of black power, led to the fall of nonviolence in SNCC. Black Power was the guiding philosophy of SNCC in its later years. It began to develop and take hold sometime after 1964, and came to prominence in 1966 when Stokely Carmichael became head of the organization.
5.“King was raised in a comfortable middle-class family where education was stressed. On the other hand, Malcolm X came from and underprivileged home; he was a self-taught man who received little schooling and rose to greatness on his own intelligence and determination.” http://www.freeessays.cc/db/43/svn188.shtml . This is a short piece of an essay that described both men’s lives n more depth. It was made clear that the two prominent men were from two completely differ worlds. Due to his early experience with the Klux Klux Klan,( death of his father) a deep seed of hatred was formulated. For this reason, Malcolm X believed that the only way to win was to “fight fire with fire”. Malcolm believed that intergration would not help the blacks build their race by embracing their “african-ness”. Conversely, King believed in integration. “He believed that only through violence would conditions change”. Malcolm X was a man who since birth was independent. He didn’t feel the need to depend on man. Malcolm indeed had good intentions, yet his hatred for whites, or what he referred to as “white devils” was considered a burden that kept him from succeeding in life. Despite his peaceful religion, Malcolm didn’t hesitate enforcing the idea of retaliation of the blacks were harmed in anyway. This indeed conflicted with martin Luther King’s theory. King’s philosophy can be included the following:”non-violent protest and a vision of a race less society” ( http://www.articlesbase.com/) King’s upbringing wasn’t as intense as Malcolm X’s, therefore, his viewpoint varied significantly form Malcolm’s. Moreover, Martin believed in encouraging blacks and whites to harmonize and come together as Americans.
6.. Although the civil right movement obtained specific goals related to the overall treatment of African-Americans, one main goal still remained an essential factor; to end racial discrimination based on race, color, creed, or gender as well as to put an end to segregation. I personally believe that this goal was achieved, despite its criticism. Generally speaking racism and segregation is not at least as apparent and tedious as it was then. African-Americans have equal opportunities both professionally and academically. We must keep in mind that despite all the effort put towards this movement, some people are set in their beliefs, also that there is always room for improvement. We should always strive to improve the system that we have now, what can’t harm us, can only help us. Moreover, if the activities that occurred years ago didn’t take place, I would not be reflecting how they personally affected my life.
7.. I definitely believe that different life experiences help mold our personal opinion. Therefore, this is indeed accurate. For example, if you have been wealthy all you life, and never had to experience struggles, with money never being a problem, that is what you become accustomed to. It may reach the point to where you believe that it’s the same for everyone, because e that’s all that surrounds you. When in reality, poverty does exist. With this one-sided perspective, it makes it difficult to relate to other people, situations, or ideas that you may have not personally experienced. Sadly, the world we live in (despite its diversity), is limited in a sense. People rarely take the time to relate to step outside of the box that society and their surroundings have placed them in, to realize that not everyone experiences the same life style. In conclusion, conversely if all I embrace are hardships, how can I be supportive of someone who isn’t? This lack of understanding can result in avoidable conflict.
Good job.
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