History and Politics - Lecture Slides | SOC 220, Papers of Introduction to Sociology

Download History and Politics - Lecture Slides | SOC 220 and more Papers Introduction to Sociology in PDF only on Docsity! 1 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver African Americans History & Politics Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Colonial Era 1500-1791 • 1607 - 1776. 175 years of slavery in colonial period. • Apart from conquistadors & slaves, some Europeans of African descent and some Africans traveled freely to the Americas in the colonial period. • Early on, some Africans were treated like European indentured servants with limited-term indentures of 17 years, but racial differences rapidly emerged. • In this period, status free vs. slave was the key, not race • Free Blacks support the American revolution, fight in revolutionary army. Crispus Atticus. • Whites argue about whether “equality” should include Blacks. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Founding the Racial State • 1790 Immigration and Naturalization Act, only "Whites" can be naturalized. • Slavery enshrined in the Constitution of 1791. • 1808 importation of slaves ends. Henceforth, slaves are all native born. • European Americans mobilize to strip free Africans of their citizenship rights, ban them from communities, kick them out of formerly integrated churches. • The African-American movement begins as a defense against European-American actions. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1816-1860 • Blacks 20% of the population, about 90% are slaves • Slavery in the US as a extreme institution • Growing international opposition to slavery • Abolition movement in US grows • Restrictions on free Africans in both north and south • The 10% free Africans mobilize against these restrictions & against slavery • Slavery divides the nation. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Slavery • There had been slavery for thousands of years, but US slavery was a peculiarly capitalist and particularly inhumane institution: people as property, no rights as human beings • Physical geography, social organization made slave rebellions & escape more difficult than in other locales • Slave labor was a fundamental element of 18th and 19th century economy: Black slaves built much of the economic power of the nation, built the capital • US Black/White racial definitions a product of slavery: child of a slave mother was a slave; “one drop rule” Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Abolitionism: Movement to Abolish Slavery • Militant White movement rooted principally in the northeast, but gained adherents. Violent battles between pro- and anti- slavery forces. Western “free soil” farmers did not want to compete with slave labor. • Black participants & leaders, although also racial tensions within movement • 20th century tendency to ignore the history of White abolitionists 2 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver John Brown • White militant radical abolitionist fought a guerilla war against slavery. • 1859 Harper’s Ferry raid, his capture, trial and execution – Bells tolled throughout the North for him, a major event of the time – song: John Brown’s body (sung to an old camp meeting him) – tune used for Battle Hymn of the Republic (poem by Julia Ward Howe) Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver John Brown’s Body John Brown's body lies a-mold'ring in the grave (3X) His soul goes marching on He captured Harper's Ferry with his nineteen men so true He frightened old Virginia till she trembled through and through They hung him for a traitor, themselves the traitor crew His soul is marching on John Brown died that the slave might be free, (3X) But his soul is marching on! Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Civil War 1860-1865 • Bloody war, occupies White military forces • Emancipation proclamation 1863, escaped/freed slaves join Union Army • Slaves gradually being liberated join Union Army as soldiers: although 1% of northern population, were 10% of Union Army by 1865 (180,000) • Ends with the victory of the North, abolition of slavery Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Slavery & The Civil War • Legally, war fought “to preserve union” • Economic factors were important • Northern Whites had ambivalent attitudes, opposed slavery but still thought Blacks were inferior, worried about consequences of liberation • But slavery was important, shows up in the rhetoric, letters of the times. • Later historians downplayed significance. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Constitutional Amendments 1865 • 13th: abolishes slavery “except as punishment for a crime” • 14th: all persons born or naturalized in the US have rights of citizenship regardless of race, religion, national origin, or previous condition of servitude • 15th: right of men to vote regardless of race etc. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Race, Gender and 14th & 15th Amendments • The 14th and 15th amendments do not apply to non-White immigrants because they are not allowed to become naturalized, but do apply to non-Whites born in the US; this becomes an important part of Asian American politics • Battles over the 15th amendment split women’s rights and Blacks’ rights advocates 5 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Dimensions of Action 1. Degree of challenge to dominant groups: accommodationist, moderate, reformist, militant, revolutionary 2. Integrationism vs separatism: whether the minority group stresses equality and mixing with the dominant group, or separation and difference Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Conservative/Radical Dimension • Accommodationist = cooperating with the dominant group • Moderate/Reformist= seeking change while not challenging those in power • Radical/ Militant = seeking larger changes in a confrontational, aggressive manner • Revolutionary= seeking to overthrow the present system, by violence if necessary Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Integrationist vs. Separatist • Integrationist = Races should mix, minorities should intermingle with majority, everyone should be treated the same (egalitarian) • Assimilationist = Minorities should adopt majority culture, blend into the larger group VS • Separatist = Races should be separate, minorities should keep in their own groups • Nationalist (in this context)= Minorities should have separate culture, distinct political base Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Assimilationism & Separatism • American Indians were subject to forced assimilation. Political movements tend to be separatist. • African Americans share most culture with European Americans, have always had both impulses in their movements – Assimilationist: stress common cultural heritage, desire for citizenship, share "American values." – Separatist: stress value of own culture, look back to homeland (Africa), stress economic development, political self-determination. • Separatism generally stronger among African Americans when Whites are more hostile; integration and assimilation are strong when times seem hopeful Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Black Integrationists & Separatists Marcus Garvey Malcolm X Louis Farrakhan M. L. King, Jr. W.E.B. Dubois A. Philip Randolph Radical/ Militant Booker T. Washington, some churches today's "Black conservatives" Accommoda- tionist Freedom FightersClass RevolutionRevolutionary Some community development groups Urban League NAACP Reformist Separatist/ Nationalist Assimilationist/ Integrationist Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Accommodationism • Booker T. Washington • 1895-1915 • Accommodationist self-improvement • “The Atlanta Compromise” accepts segregation in exchange for economic development money • “Official Black”: all White money channeled through him • Retrospective view of him changes with the times 6 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Militant Separatists • Henry McNeal Turner 1890s. International Migration Society • Marcus Garvey 1915-1925. Universal Negro Improvement Association. (“Back to Africa” movement) Later: • Elijah Muhammad 1920s – 1975. Nation of Islam. • Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) 1952-1965. Nation of Islam. (Son of Malcolm Little, a Garveyite minister) • Louis Farrakhan 1975- Nation of Islam (separatist splinter after W. Deen Muhammad led most of NOI into mainstream non-racial Islam) Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Reparations, Migration • Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, Black nationalist, demanded $40 billion in reparations for slavery, preached God is Black, involved in "African Fever", organized International Migration Society for a dollar-a-month plan to pay for passage to Liberia; not feasible, but facilitated passage of 500+ to Liberia 1895-1896 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Marcus Garvey • Universal Negro Improvement Association, “Back to Africa” movement – 1-2 million followers – Black businesses, Black Star steamship line – Black religious symbols: Black Madonna, Black Jesus. – Ideology of moving to Africa, some negotiations with Liberia, nothing came of it • Convicted of mail fraud in 1922; imprisoned then deported from US. • Threats to Whites of Black Nationalism Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Militant Integrationists • W.E.B. DuBois. (But some cultural nationalist impulses.) Founds Niagra Movement 1905, then NAACP, 1909 NAACP = National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. • Ida B. Wells-Barnett Anti-lynching campaign. Demonstrates that lynching is a political tool. Inflammatory rhetoric. • Thomas Fortune, William Trotter and many others • 1920s - 1940s. A. Philip Randolph. Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Strong Black union, political platform. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Class Issues • Whites divided by class: elites vs. working class • So are Blacks. Historically 10% free Blacks educated, while 90% slave were legally required to be illiterate (some slaves got illegal educations) • Blacks tend to unity due to common oppression by Whites, but at the same time are divided by class & education Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Class Tensions • African American activists, generally from better-off and more educated backgrounds themselves, have ongoing dilemmas in their relation to lower-class African Americans • On the one hand, feel common sympathy, in some cases come from similar origins • On the other hand, feel critical of lower class lifestyles, feel “pulled down” by actions of others, feel stereotyped by Whites as “all Blacks are alike” • Politicized lower-class Blacks feel class antagonisms, critiques of privilege, elitism of better-off Blacks 7 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver African American Movement 1910-2000 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Historical Overview • 1880-1920 Racism strong, legal status of Blacks declines, Black resistance is present but fails. • 1920-1954 Black capacities and resources gradually increase, moderate progress • 1954 – 1965 Civil Rights Era. Legal segregation is dismantled. Huge confrontation. “The Second American Revolution.” • 1965-1980 Some consolidation of Black gains after battles over implementation + “White backlash” • 1980s-2000. Black political influence erodes. Improvement for Black middle class + decline for Black lower class. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1910s-1920s • 1916-1925 Marcus Garvey. Back to Africa. Militant separatist, Black capitalist. Black religious icons. • 1919 Bloody race riots in many cities, Whites attacking and killing Blacks. • 1920s NAACP under James Weldon Johnson begins the concerted campaign of lawsuits to chip away at segregation, – begin the path towards Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka (1954). – Early victories provide resources that increase Black education. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1920s-1930s • 1920s - 1940s. A. Philip Randolph. Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Strong Black union, political platform. • 1920s - 1930s Blacks shift voting patterns, become potential swing voters. – From “knee-jerk Republicans” (holdover from 19th century, Republicans anti-slavery, Lincoln freed the slaves) to willing to vote for whomever supports them and their issues. • 1936 Blacks play a key role in Roosevelt’s New Deal Coalition. Become significant political players. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1940-1960 • 1941 threatened March on Washington, led by Randolph. Called off when FDR agrees to ban racial discrimination in war industries. • 1942-1945 World War II. Political watershed • 1945-1960. Post-war politics. Communism and anti-Communism. “Hearts and Minds” Anti- colonialism, independence for African nations. US racial policies become international embarrassment. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver What Changed between 1880 and 1960? Major source: Doug McAdam. Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency. University of Chicago Press, 1982. 10 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Separatism 1960s • Nation of Islam (Black Muslims) Elijah Muhammad. • 1960 TV show: “The Hate that Hate Produced.” Expose, controversy • Malcolm X: most visible. Charismatic, articulate. Rejected non-violence, said Blacks should defend themselves if attacked • Controversial among Blacks as well as Whites Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1964 • Freedom Summer. White college students go south. Civil rights workers killed. • Battle over the Mississippi delegation to national convention. Fanny Lou Hamer “Is this America?” • Johnson re-elected. The shift of the White racist vote to the Republican Party. • Malcolm X travels to Mecca, embraces nonracial Islam, changes his name to El-Hajj Malik El- Shabazz Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1965-6 • Watts riot 1965. • 1963-1968 Black urban riots. Militancy. Northern/ western. Policing, poverty – not just “rights.” White fears. • 1965 Malcolm X assassinated • 1965 Selma, the last big civil rights march. Voting Rights Act • 1966 “Black power” Stokeley Charmichael and SNCC. Marginalization of Whites in the movement. Power rhetoric frightens Whites. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver The End of the Civil Rights Era • 1966-1967 King takes the movement north. Much less success. “Where Do We Go From Here?” Stresses need to address economic issues • 1968 ML King assassinated. Huge wave of riots. • 1966-1971 White students increasing involved in anti-war movement. White campus riots over the Vietnam war. • 1969 Nixon. “Law and order.” The beginning of the decline of Black political influence. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Monthly Riot Counts 1964-1971 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Anger and Polarization • White segregationists resisted even moderate reforms • Non-violence as tactic (vs religious principle for MLK) • Growing Black activist anger at White reactions • Segregation laws a narrow goal: cannot address the economic, political, cultural deprivation of a people • Riots 1963-1970: Eruptions of the Black lower classes. White responsiveness + White fear • Belief in possibility of race war by late 1960s • Black turn to separatism, “Black power,” “Black pride” magnifies themes long present in the culture • White flight. Race-coded “law and order” & “anti-crime” rhetoric. 11 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Black Movement Since 1970 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Politics 1964-2000 • 1964 election pits strong Civil Rights activist LB Johnson against far right conservative Goldwater. Self-conscious racists shift to Republicans, Democrats come to be viewed as the party of Blacks & civil rights. • 1968 – 2000 Blacks vote Democratic 95%+. Republicans ignore the Black vote, seek to shore up the White vote with “race coded” appeals. Democrats take Black vote for granted, chase White votes. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1970s Part 1 • Implementation struggles. White resistance changes form. • Black political organizations become part of the “system.” • Affirmative action policies are initiated • Cultural nationalism grows: Black (Afro- American) studies departments; Kwanza invented • Black progress: reduced poverty, increased education, increased college enrollment. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1970s Part 2 • “White backlash.” Anti-busing riots: Boston, Louisville. Rhetoric of “neighborhood schools” & racial attacks. • Generally difficult economic times: stagflation, gas lines. Political left declines, White activists involved in environmentalism, anti-nuclear. • “War on drugs” begins, Black imprisonment climbs. • White working class, not Blacks, are the swing votes. • Split in Nation of Islam 1975: most follow W. Deen Muhammad into mainstream non-racial Islam; Louis Farrakhan leads separatist splinter) Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1980s Part 1 • Reaganism. Conservatives strike back. Huge cuts in welfare, college scholarship programs, low- income housing, other social programs. Large tax cuts, S&L bailout create deficits. • The effective end of federal support for affirmative action. Whites even use MLK’s equality rhetoric against Blacks. • Recessions. “When White America has a cold, Black America has pneumonia.” Economic disaster in segregated Black urban areas: unemployment, poverty, hunger, infant mortality, segregation, crime all rise. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1980s part 2 • Black high school graduation continues to rise, but Black college enrollments drop. • White flight. Limited progress in school integration begins to reverse. By end of the decade, schools are as segregated in 1990 as in 1960. (Trend continues in the 1990s.) • Race coded use of crime as a political issue: “Willie Horton” 1988. • Politicized “drug war” leads to massive incarceration of African Americans. 12 Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1990s Economics • Early 1990s recession followed by long period of boom. • Late 1990s low unemployment, growing wealth of the top 20% (especially top 1%) of the population. • Declining real incomes since the 1970s of the bottom 60%, especially the bottom 40%, with only a slight rise at the end of the decade. Rise in homelessness of families, particularly of Black families. • Dismantling of the last vestiges of a social welfare system. There is no “safety net” for the poor, few supports for the “working poor.” • Growing self-segregation of the affluent: well-off people rarely even see non-affluent people. More economic segregation than in any prior period. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1990s Race • Growing Black middle class, college educated. Largely segregated in Black middle class areas, as Whites flee even non-poor Blacks. • Declining economic well-being of Black lower class. • Simultaneous growth of integrated, non-racist consciousness among Whites AND of renewed “respectability” of overtly racist images, jokes, language. • Explicit White racist movements growing. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver 1990s Events • 1992 Rodney King beating & trial. Major shift in the anger of the Black middle class. • 1992 Clinton elected. • 1995 Million Man March. Louis Farrakahn and the Black masses. • Growing Afrocentrism, separatism among middle class Black families. Kwanza celebrations spread. (Note: Most Blacks are Christian; Kwanza is a cultural celebration, not religious.) • 1995 OJ Simpson trial. • 1995. Oklahoma City bombing by White right- wing anti-government terrorist. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver Some Themes of the 1990s • Continuing increases in anti-crime rhetoric, building more prisons. • Movement against “social promotion” harms Black students’ educational progress. • Lack of political unity among Black movement organizations. Sociology 220 Pamela Oliver The 2000s • Close election dramatizes problems of voter registration, unequal voting procedures, disenfranchisement of felons. • WTC attack of 9/11/2001 – “war.” Implications for African Americans unclear. • Economic downturn – consequences for African Americans? • Attacks on Affirmative Action in college admissions (the last place where it still exists)