White Resistance to the Civil Rights Movement Essay Example for Free

White Resistance to the Civil Rights Movement Essay Throughout Reconstruction, southern whites felt constantly threatened by legislation providing rights for former slaves. The Civil Rights Bill of 1875 was the last rights bill passed by congress during reconstruction. It protected all Americans’ (including blacks) access to public accommodations such as trains. With the threat of complete equality constantly looming, violence toward former slaves gradually increased in the years following the Civil War. Beatings and murders were committed by organized groups like the Ku Klux Klan, out-of-control mobs, and individual white southern men. During Reconstruction, white southerners had limited governmental power, so they resorted to violence in order to control African-Americans. Although it is true that some whites embraced the prospect of a new interracial landscape for America, many more reacted with hostility. They feared social and political change, and were very uncomfortable with the fact that their old way of life seemed gone for good. Although there were many forms of massive resistance to the Civil Rights Movement and what it stood for, the impact of white resistance, both violent and nonviolent, on this period in America’s history is truly immeasurable. There are two scholarly works that not only trace the white resistance movement with historical accuracy, but also stress the plight that African Americans felt at this tumultuous time in history. The books that I am referring to are â€Å"Massive Resistance: The White Response to the Civil Rights Movement† by George Lewis, and â€Å"Rabble Rousers: The American Far Right in the Civil Rights Era† By Clive Webb. Although these works are both written about the same period in history, they depict much different points of view concerning white resistance and what brought it on. The â€Å"southern way of life† encompassed very distinct mixtures of economic, cultural, and social practices. Because of this, integration of African Americans into everyday life did not come without resistance. In this paper I intend to interpret and compare these two scholarly books, while explaining the role of the states and the federal government as well as individual groups in the progression and eventual fragmentation of these white resistance movements. The first thing that can be observed upon glancing at George Lewiss book â€Å"Massive resistance† is its cover image. It is a photograph of elementary school children and women protesting against desegregation in New Orleans in 1960. The main focus of the picture depicts two women yelling loudly along a sidewalk. At their side, a young schoolboy holds a poster that reads: All I want for Christmas is a clean white school. Other women and children stand in the background. One person is holding a poster that refers to states rights, as others gaze toward the street. Two women are attending the event wearing handkerchiefs and curlers, indicating that they possibly had rushed out of their homes to partake in the mornings activities. Above the scene is the books title, Massive Resistance. To a reader who might be unfamiliar with the general topic of this book, the cover’s text and image might illustrate somewhat of a contradiction. What people fail to consider is that massive resistance did not solely amount to what is visible in the photograph on the books cover. This does not depict all that stood in the way of African-Americans struggling to gain their civil rights. Women and children yelling from sidewalks with posters was one of many responses used by American Southerners in opposition to desegregation. In his book, George Lewis reveals the many ways in which southerners went about these acts of massive resistance. Throughout the book, Lewis traces the historical evolution of the term ‘massive resistance’ and explores the variety of contexts in which it was carried out. In discussing the role of Senator Harry Flood of Virginia, as well as elements of the mass media, Lewis reveals the many causes and actors in the acts of massive resistance. At first, massive resistance was the response of different elements of white society in the South, in opposition to the federal governments plans to desegregate southern society. Lewis discharges many historical explanations that viewed massive resistance as simply being carried out by southern political elites. He also dismisses the idea that the resistance only occurred at the well-known sites of segregationist protests such as Little Rock, Ole Miss and Birmingham. The author also discusses activities occurring at the grassroots level, which reveals that the movement of southern white resistance was very diverse. In regards to the beginning of the movement, Lewis rejects the idea that the Supreme Courts Brown decision was the only event that started massive resistance. He states that citing Brown as the single catalyst shows that many scholars have misread the movement. He believes that the movement was more complex than that. As an amorphous beast, massive resistance must be viewed as a phenomenon that was too sprawling, and simply not sufficiently obedient, to have been ushered into existence by a single landmark event (24). Lewis divides the movement into three historical periods of resistance activity, and then examines different ways in which it was displayed. He explores each phase chapter by chapter. By doing this, he covers many aspects such as the tactics used in various states, the role of the Souths political elite and Citizens Councils, the actions of state legislatures, the role of the mass media, and white justifications for their discriminatory policies (they call it a product of long-standing southern culture and tradition). The first period of focus covers the immediate years following the Brown decision of 1954 up until the signing of the Southern Manifesto, which signaled the start of the second period of resistance. Finally, the third period included the first half of the sixties, which is when the movement gradually lost its strength at the political and social levels. Webb’s documentation of this historic period of time provides a stark contrast to Lewis. In â€Å"Rabble Rousers: The American Far Right in the Civil Rights Era,† Clive Webb describes the stories of five white extremists who conducted war against integration with intense hate. The purpose of Webb’s work is to assess the causes, characteristics, and consequences of far-right activism in the South from the 1950s to the 1960s (p. 2). Webb argues that these men were not extreme abnormalities, but that they represented something deeply rooted in the American political culture, which is something seen in todays resurgent far right (p. 214). Out of the five men Webb profiles, two focused their energies on fighting school desegregation and entered their target communities as outsiders (Bryant Bowles and John Kasper), two of them were former military men who attempted many unsuccessful campaigns for political office and encouraged violence as a necessary means to defend their homeland (John Crommelin and Edwin A.Walker), and one was the most violently fanatical racist spawned by massive resistance who served as legal defense for offenders of anti-civil-rights violence, was suspected in bombings and murders, and also laid the foundation for contemporary white hate organizations (p. 153). To fuel violence, these self-proclaimed saviors of the white race also made whites fear black men preying on white women. Finally, although the men showed a lot of variation in their stories, they were similar in that they all developed anti-black stances, even though they had little knowledge of or interaction with blacks. In this work, Webb shows how local political contexts shaped these men’s successes and failures. He also shows how these five men and the organizations that they were affiliated with affected the overall course of massive resistance. He gives evidence of the ways in which support of free speech created an unexpected connection between the far right and far left. He calls the men and the organizations and actions they were affiliated terrorist, creating a more contemporary view of the situation. These five men were ostracized and repeatedly arrested during the civil rights era, but at the same time they were enabled by the support of white elites. While massive resisters continued to pursue their agenda throughout this broad period of time, forces that were involved in the struggle for civil rights and desegregation challenged the institutionalized system of racism that had forever been the norm in the South. Their efforts along with the commitment of the federal government led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a result, segregation and political disenfranchisement of African-Americans in the South were illegal. The two works by Lewis and Webb give completely different depictions of massive resistance by southern whites during this era, while still conveying similar messages. After researching these two books, I have come away with a clearer understanding of the forces and dynamics that comprised the massive resistance movement. Sources: Lewis, G. (2006). Massive resistance: The white response to the civil rights movement. London, England: Bloomsbury, USA. Webb, C. (2010). Rabble rousers: The American far right in the civil rights era. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.

The Myth Of The Family :: essays research papers

The Myth of the Model Family THOSE OF US WHO grew up in the 1950s got an image of the American family that was not, shall we say, accurate. We were told, Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, and Ozzie and Harriet were not just the way things were supposed to be—but the way things were It's probably good that life wasn't like the television shows in the '50s—we wouldn't have many women now. Take a look at the ratio of boys to girls on the most popular family shows. Ozzie and Harriet had two boys, no girls. Leave It to Beaver had two boys, no girls. Rifleman had one boy, one rifle, no girls. Lassie had one boy, one dog (supposedly a girl, but played by a boy), and no girls. My Three Sons had—well, that one's obvious. Bonanza had three grown-up boys. Although Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in real life had one boy and one girl, on I Love Lucy they had one boy. The only shows with daughters were The Donna Reed Show (one boy, one girl) and that lighthouse to womanhood—despite its title—Father Knows Best (one boy, two girls). Grown to maturity, that's a late-1960s dating population of fifteen men to three women. Almost all the households were mama-papa-kiddies: the nuclear family. (The exceptions were My Three Sons and Bonanza: Steve Douglas [Fred MacMurray] and Ben Cartwright were widowers.) There were no prior marriages, no children from prior relationships, no threat or even thought of divorce, and the closest thing we saw to physical abuse was Ralph Kramden's, "One of these days, Alice, one of these days . . . to the moon!" There were no infidelities, no drinking problems, no drugs (not even prescription tranquilizers), no racism (How could there be? With the exception of Hop Sing and Ricky Ricardo, there was only one race; even the Hispanic gardener on Father Knows Best was named Frank Smith). There was no dropping out of school, no political discussion (much less political differences), no unemployment (except for Ozzie's early retirement), no severe economic problem (except for a crop failure on Lassie, when they had to sell all the livestock, including Lassie; but just befo re being carted off, Lassie pawed the ground and struck oil, and everything was okay again. Except for Lassie, who looked as though the Exxon Valdez had dumped its forward holding tanks on her).

Organizational Levels

1) Using the above scenario, consider Organizational Level 1: Key Players (Stakeholders) and Business Ideas (Purpose). Which Leadership Challenge response is most appropriate: Establishing, Refining, or Monitoring? Using the theories discussed in Chapters 1-4, explain why you chose that response. In my opinion refining is the most appropriate leadership challenge for the above scenario. Developing superior graphic design products and services through Innovation, teamwork and leadership is Listo’s mission. Due to the expansion of the company teamwork and leadership have been affected most. New employees are less trained thus, they lack proper leadership quality. People in habit of working for a small company where they knew each and everyone suddenly had to work for a large company where their opinions and values were not concerned. Thus keeping in mind of these situations refining in management is required in Listo to achieve its mission. 2 )Using the above scenario, consider Organizational Level 2: Entity (Culture) and Strategy (Mission). Which Leadership Challenge response is most appropriate: Defining, Shaping, or Publicizing? Using the theories discussed in Chapters 1-4, explain why you chose that response Listo’s mission is to develop superior graphic design product through innovation, teamwork and leadership. Due to sudden change in the management, employees’ adaptation in the new environment has been difficult. So shaping the management as per the company’s mission is the appropriate leadership challenge response 3) Using the above scenario, consider Organizational Level 3: Departments (Units) and Key Results (Success Factors). Which Leadership Challenge response is most appropriate: Involving, Facilitating, or Communicating? Using the theories discussed in Chapters 1-4, explain why you chose that response. Communicating is the appropriate leadership challenge response for the above scenario. Addition of new layers to the hierarchy creates new chain of commands which results confusion. So proper communication channels should be established regarding the new management system. 4) Using the above scenario, consider Organizational Level 4: Teams (Groups) and Goals (Objectives). Which Leadership Challenge response is most appropriate: Focusing, Unifying, or Connecting? Using the theories discussed in Chapters 1-4, explain why you chose that response. Connection of new hires with the previous employees is required for the team to direct towards achieving goals. If the employees are connected with each other than by implementing motivation theories they can be made unified and focused so priority should be given in connecting people. 5) Using the above scenario, consider Organizational Level 5: Individuals (People) and Tasks (Jobs). Which Leadership Challenge response is most appropriate: Enabling, Engaging, or Empowering? Using the theories discussed in Chapters 1-4, explain why you chose that response. Empowering the employees is the best option for the above case scenario. Increase in the turnover rates and absent leaves suggests that employees have lost their energy and passion working for the company. One of the main reasons for this situation is the lack of concern management has shown towards the employees. Empowering employees makes them feel of importance and the fact company giving them an important responsibility generates a desire and passion to fulfill the task effectively.

The Shape of the American Military, Technology, Culture Essay

Technology and the American Way of War Since 1945 covers in detail a wide range of weapons systems, technologies, and other equipment developed by the United States Military. Naturally, a significant amount of Mahnken’s book places a heavy emphasis on technologies and systems developed during the Cold War. The book could almost be examined as a complete history of the development of military technology during that period, however, the author has a much more significant purpose for his work than to just educate the reader on military history. Mahnken says, â€Å"This book is about the interaction of technology and culture in the context of the strategic environment. It argues that technology both shaped and was shaped by the culture of the U.S.†¦show more content†¦Two, it put no personnel in immediate danger (Mahnken, loc. 330-340). Another question is whether or not nuclear weapons had revolutionized warfare and the use of ground forces. Mahnken writes that â€Å"The advent of nuclear weapons and strategic air power appeared to call into question the utility of traditional ground forces† (Mahnken, loc. 665). While nuclear weapons were certainly an advantage in warfare, not every situation is going to call for the use of a nuclear weapon. History has shown that even in the most recent of conflicts, militaries continue to rely on ground forces. Perhaps the advancement of aircraft and their technologies have been much more crucial to the changes in modern-day militaries and how they fight wars. However, history has shown that even recent conflicts continue to rely on ground forces to some extent. The use of air power may have taken over, but nuclear advancements seem to be of little consequence today. Air bombings and the use of â€Å"smart† weapons has dramatically increased, but troops still hit the ground. 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