Course Basics. Citizenship & Freedom: The Civil Rights Era Spring Semester Required Texts

Transcription

1 Citizenship & Freedom: The Civil Rights Era An Online Seminar with Taylor Branch Spring Semester 2014 University of Baltimore/University System of Maryland Course Description The short career of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lasted only from 1954 until his assassination in 1968 at 39 years of age, but it marked a transformational period in U.S. history. The modern civil rights movement grew out of an invisible, persecuted minority to become a worldwide inspiration for freedom and equal citizenship. Over subsequent decades, its collateral impact has spread broadly into social arrangements governing gender, age, disability, immigration, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic opportunity, and human rights. Challenges from the King Years still reverberate in contemporary politics. This class will explore the watershed civil rights era through personal stories of its conflicted characters, from sharecroppers to U.S. presidents, who produced a decade of historical landmarks: the 1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott, the 1960 Sit-ins, the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, Mississippi Freedom Summer, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the black power movement, Vietnam War protests, the Poor Peoples Campaign, and a rising conservative movement in politics. The weekly seminar will feature live appearances and specially taped interviews by surviving participants such as Rep. John Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Diane Nash, Bob Moses, and Julian Bond. Along with Dr. King himself, these figures developed contrasting models of leadership, and they give today s students the rare chance to learn about history once made by young people roughly their age. The struggle over racial segregation teaches fundamental lessons about social movements by ordinary people in dynamic interaction with elected representatives. The ensuing upheavals frame deep, persistent issues of citizenship, equality, race, democratic governance, and violent vs. nonviolent methods. Citizenship & Freedom is a pioneer venture for higher education. Taylor Branch, author of the prize-winning trilogy America in the King Years, has developed the seminar previously at Goucher College and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Last spring, with IT professionals at the University of Baltimore, he tested broadcast delivery and academic standards in a seminar extended to online students across the United States. Now, with support from the entire University System of Maryland, this unique seminar will be offered online. Institutions everywhere can gain access at a discounted tuition rate, and students can earn academic credit. Subject to quality controls, access may be extended in future semesters to schools and individual students beyond the United States. Cameras will transmit the classroom seminar to online students both live and by ondemand retrieval. Secure platforms will allow interaction with the instructors and among all students. Professor Branch and his principal teaching assistant will hold office hours online as well as in person with local students. The course will be organized around a compact text 1

2 2 Branch has distilled from his narrative trilogy. Student performance will be measured largely on the strength of written posts to be submitted on the weekly assignments. Course Basics Citizenship & Freedom: The Civil Rights Era Spring Semester 2014 University of Baltimore University of Maryland System Live Seminar Time: Tuesday 5:30-8:00 p.m. (US EST) Class location: Town Hall, UB Learning Commons Online location: with access by coded password Instructor: Online Office hours: Monday, 9AM-noon Associate Instructor: In-person Office hours: Tuesday, 9AM-noon Director of Instructional Technology: Taylor Branch In-person office hours: Tues 2-5pm Dr. Jelani Favors Online office hours: Tues 2-5pm Paul Walsh Required Texts Taylor Branch, The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement [For students who prefer digital text, the enhanced King Years edition is recommended.] Peter Levy, Let Freedom Ring Documentary Films [Provided Online Via the Course platform] Eyes on the Prize, a PBS film by Blackside, Inc., parts I (1987) & II (1990). Freedom Riders, a PBS American Experience film by Stanley Nelson, 2010 Four Little Girls, an HBO film by Spike Lee (1997) George Wallace: Settin the Woods on Fire, a PBS film produced by Paul Stekler and Dan McCabe (2000). The Fog of War, a SONY Pictures Classics film by Errol Morris (2003) Citizen King, a PBS film by Orlando Blackwell and Noland Walker (2004)

3 3 Learning Goals Examine the assumptions, contexts, and outcomes of the King Years systematically and logically Express clearly in oral and written communication the main ideas of assigned resource material Analyze key concepts from diverse perspectives Apply historical lessons to contemporary challenges in local, national, and international affairs Recognize and evaluate different forms of leadership by citizens as well as public officials Develop the ability to explore complex issues in original ways Grading Weight Weekly Blog Posts: 50% Field Project: 10% Short Answer Quiz 10% Class Participation 10% Final Exam 20% Weekly Course Syllabus Class #1 Tuesday, January 28, 2014 Topic: Course Introduction. Questions and Issues: Why Study Civil Rights? What is a right? What is a civil right, or civil war? How does a human right different from a civil right? What does race mean in U.S. history? Is it still important? If so, how and why? Study Assignment: [1] The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement, preface, pp [2] Peter B. Levy, Let Freedom Ring, pp

4 4 [3] Universal Declaration of Human Rights (view via the course website) Written Assignment: Write and post to the private course platform a brief description of yourself and why you are taking this course. This first written post is for general information. Subsequent posts will be graded by standards set forth under the written assignment for class #2 below. All posts are due by noon (Eastern U.S. time) Monday, the day before class. In-class Schedule: Members of the instructional team will introduce themselves, providing an overview of subject matter and the novel technology for a mixed online seminar. The weekly class format will be presented and discussed. An unusual field project requirement will be outlined, so that students can begin to think about their choices. Its purpose is to simulate the first steps by civil rights pioneers to expand citizenship by venturing outside their normal comfort zones, along with the bonding effects of shared personal experience. The administrative structure for grades, office hours, and related matters will be explained. Expectations for the weekly written post will be discussed in detail. Class #2 Tuesday, February 4, 2014 Topic: Stirrings of a New Movement, Questions and Issues: What is a movement? Who started the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Was it planned or spontaneous, religious or secular? What factors made the culture of black Christian churches suited or unsuited for protest? How did Martin Luther King approach his debut as a public orator? Study Assignment: [1] The King Years, chapter 1, The Montgomery Bus Boycott: Martin Luther King s First Public Address, 1955, pp [2] Levy, Let Freedom Ring, pp [3] Branch, Parting the Waters, chapter 1, pp. 1-26: Forerunner: Vernon Johns (from the course e-archive). [4] Eyes on the Prize I, episode 1, Awakenings, (view via course website).

5 5 Written Assignment: Write a post to demonstrate familiarity and involvement with this week s material. What stories and details were striking to you? The weekly postings are important. They will comprise 50% of each student s overall grade for the course. There is no length requirement. Weekly postings have averaged about 500 words, but length does not determine quality. Some longer ones have received poorer grades than shorter ones. A competent posting begins with well-written prose and proper grammar. A good posting most often will summarize some of the events from the study assignments for the week, preferably with an appropriate citation or illustration from each one. A good post also will address one or more of the questions posed for discussion. Beyond accuracy, superior postings gain credit for thoughtful comparison and contrast, personal engagement, interpretive balance, originality, and a careful application of historical insight to contemporary issues. All posts are due by noon (Eastern U.S. time) Monday, the day before class. The Monday deadline provides an interval for responsive consultation between satellite faculty graders and the core instructors Branch and Dr. Favors. Coordinated grades and comments should reach each student before the Tuesday afternoon seminar. Students are encouraged to submit finished posts before Monday s deadline, in order to facilitate dialogue online. Those who venture and manage exchanges outside the regular structure can bolster their grade for class participation. In-class Schedule: The class will be divided into three periods of roughly 40 minutes each, with short breaks in between. There will be a mix of panel discussion, lecture, and guest appearances. Class #3 Tuesday, February 11, 2014 Topic: The Sit-Ins, Questions and Issues: Why did Negro college students become newsworthy political strategists? What did Dr. King mean when he called the sitins a breakthrough? Who were some of the early sit-in leaders? What did Dr. King mean by his slogan, Fill up the jails? How did the term nonviolent come to be adopted by student activists? What were some early signs of tactical disagreement within the civil rights movement?

6 6 Study Assignment: [1] Parting the Waters, pp , (from the course e-archive). [2] Levy, Let Freedom Ring, pp [3] Eyes on the Prize I, episode 3, Ain t Scared of Your Jails, (view via course website). [4] The King Years, chapter 2, Sit-ins and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), 1960, pp Written Assignment: Write a post to demonstrate familiarity and involvement with this week s material. What stories and details were striking to you? Focus on at least two of the questions raised above for this week. Also, state briefly what you think is the role and reputation of nonviolent protest today. Are there specific causes for which you think citizens could or should risk their safety and well-being to address? In-class Schedule: Discussion will feature veterans of the sit-in movement. Class #4 Tuesday, February 18, 2014 Topic: The Freedom Rides, Questions and Issues: The freedom rides expanded the scope and drama of the civil rights movement. How? Why did Diane Nash consider it vital to replace the adult freedom riders who retreated from Birmingham? Why did she want Martin Luther King to join in Montgomery, and why did he refuse? The Freedom Rides brought federal and state authorities sharply into conflict. How did Attorney General Robert Kennedy perform? Did the experience change him? Study Assignment: [1] Parting the Waters, pp , (from the course e-archive). [2] The King Years, chapter 3, Freedom Rides I: The Nashville Initiative, 1961, and chapter 4, Freedom Rides II: MLK, the Kennedys, and National Politics, pp [3] Freedom Riders (view via course website). Written Assignment: Write a post to demonstrate familiarity and involvement with this week s material. What stories and details were striking to you?

7 7 Address one of two special issues: (1) the compromise that narrowly averted a break-up of SNCC after the Freedom Rides, or (2) the reasons why James Lawson vehemently opposed military protection for himself and other endangered riders. In-class Schedule: Some students will present ideas being considered for individual field projects. Guidelines for safety, risk, and social interaction will be discussed. By the end of Class 5, all students will choose and secure faculty approval for a field project to be completed in time for peer presentations beginning in Class 7. A veteran of the Freedom Rides will join Class 4. A posted map will track the location of events. Class #5 Tuesday, February 25, 2014 Topic: From Mississippi to Birmingham, Questions and Issues: Bob Moses of SNCC helped introduce grassroots leadership to oppose Mississippi s climate of fierce segregation. Martin Luther King pushed for a showdown over segregation in Birmingham, where he wrote the classic Letter from Birmingham Jail. How are these two epic movements similar and different? How do they achieve a national breakthrough in 1963? Study Assignment: [1] Eyes on the Prize I, episode 2 Fighting Back, (view via course website). [2] The King Years, chapter 5, Bob Moses, SNCC, and Mississippi, , and chapter 6, A National Firestorm from Birmingham, 1963, pp [3] Levy, Let Freedom Ring, pp [4] Parting the Waters, pp (from the course e-archive). [5] Michelle Alexander speech to the 2012 Unitarian/University Justice Assembly: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration and Institutional Racism (view or read via course website). Written Assignment: Summarize the Mississippi and Birmingham movements in Can you imagine yourself part of either one? Describe King s choice to send small children marching to jail in May of Why was the choice both insane and inspired? If Birmingham changed the nation by filling the jails in 1963, why is mass incarceration not a bigger public issue today? In-class Schedule: The class will feature participants from the Birmingham and/or Mississippi movements.

8 8 Plans for each student s field project will have been finalized during office hours or online. Procedures for oral reports will be reviewed and discussed. Class #6 Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Topic: Turning Point 1963 Questions and Issues: President Kennedy introduced a comprehensive bill to outlaw racial segregation. King delivered his I Have a Dream speech at the March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom, on August 28, Only eighteen days after the March, a bomb killed four girls in Birmingham on Sunday morning. These events marked highs and lows of the civil rights movement near its peak. Fundamental changes were set in motion, but stubborn realities have remained. How can we make sense of this turning point? Study Assignment: [1] Eyes on the Prize I, episode 4 No Easy Walk (view via course website). [2] The King Years, chapter 7, The March on Washington, 1963, and chapter 8, Birmingham Church Bombing, 1963, pp [3] Parting the Waters, pp (from the course e-archive). [4] Algernon Austin, The Unfinished March: An Overview, 2013 (read via the course website). [5] Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Remarks at School Without Walls on the Anniversary of the March on Washington, 2013 (read via the course website). Written Assignment: Describe the turning point of summer Address one or more of the hard questions. How was it a political leap for President Kennedy, and why was he so harsh on Dr. King in private? What was King s dilemma in responding to pressure from Kennedy? Was King s Dream speech planned or spontaneous, and did it matter? On the Birmingham church bombing, why did King heed President Kennedy rather than Diane Nash? What did the television special America Revolution 63 reveal about the media and racial politics? Evaluate some aspect of the Austin and Duncan retrospectives on How much has the end of legal segregation changed the racial divide on access to jobs and education? Where are you optimistic, or pessimistic? In-class Schedule: Separate panels will address the political and movement aspects of the 1963 turning point. How are the 1963 issues of Jobs and Freedom being addressed today? How should they be?

9 9 Class #7 Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Topic: Freedom Summer, 1964 Questions and Issues: During the summer of 1964, while Congress debated and passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, SNCC leaders brought six hundred privileged college students into Mississippi as volunteers to register black voters and teach in freedom schools. Klansmen murdered three of the young civil rights workers on June 21, Bob Moses, holding together a battered movement, wrestled with deep political and philosophical questions. Study Assignment: [1] Eyes on the Prize I, episode 5, Mississippi: Is This America? (view via course website). [2] The King Years, chapter 9, Freedom Summer, 1964, pp [3] Pillar of Fire, pp , , (from the course e-archive). [4] Smithsonian Folkways, Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: Black American Freedom Songs, (listen to sample songs via course website). Written Assignment: Compare and contrast the ordeal for Mississippi volunteers with the political crisis in Washington. Why was the decision to have a summer project so complex for Bob Moses, and what made him go forward? What did President Johnson mean when he said that investigating the Mississippi civil rights murders posed a clash between the three competing sovereignties of the United States, Mississippi, and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover? What do the songs on the Folkways album tell you about the role of music in a social movement? Do you find music important in social movements today? In-class Schedule: The class will host discussions with a musical guest and a veteran of the Mississippi summer project. This class also will preview the mid-term exam upcoming on March 25, after spring break. This exam will last 90 minutes and consist of multiple-choice and matching questions on basic historical facts of the civil rights era. No Class Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Spring Break

10 10 Class #8 Tuesday, March 25, 2014 Topic: Citizens and Sacrifice, Questions and Issues: The Birmingham Church Bombing and Mississippi Freedom Summer illustrate represent extremes in nonviolent witness or sacrifice during the civil rights era. Examine the discipline and faith in Michael Schwerner s reported last words to his killer: Sir, I know just how you feel. What are the relationships between nonviolence and citizenship, freedom, and democracy? Is nonviolence effective or passé? Where is it practiced today? Study Assignment: Four Little Girls (view via course website). Written Assignment: None. In-class Schedule: The class will begin with a discussion of citizenship and freedom. We will review the Spike Lee film and summarize the historical contributions so far by leaders such as Bob Moses, Diane Nash, President Kennedy, President Johnson, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Martin Luther King. Students will take their mid-term exam during the final 90 minutes of class. Class #9 Tuesday, April 1, 2014 Topic: The Civil Rights Act and Racial Politics, 1964 Questions and Issues: Passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act marked a triumph for the civil rights movement and a sharp turning point in national politics. The impact of the new law tested clashing predictions of tyranny versus freedom. Study Assignment: [1] Pillar of Fire, pp , pp , pp (from the course e-archive). [2] The King Years, chapter 10, Party Realignment: The Cow Palace and Atlantic City, 1964, and chapter 11, King, J. Edgar Hoover, and the Nobel Peace Prize, 1964, pp [3] National Archives, Teaching With Documents paper on gender and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (read via the course website). [4] George Wallace: Settin the Woods on Fire (view via the course website). Written Assignment: Assess the impact of the new law on everyday life. How quickly did changes occur? Besides race, what areas of collateral freedom did the legal for equal citizenship begin to change? Do you see such momentum continuing today, or has it subsided?

11 11 How do you explain the friction between Martin Luther King and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover? What was the role of secrecy? In what ways did the triumph pose new challenges and strains for the civil rights movement? Why was it significant for national politics that both the Democratic (LBJ) and Republican (Barry Goldwater) candidates reversed their parties traditional stances on racial relations? In-class Schedule: Panels will focus separately on shifts in national politics and those within the civil rights movement. One or more selected students will give individual oral reports on their field project for peer discussion. The mid-term exam will be reviewed. Class #10 Tuesday, April 8, 2014 Topic: Selma and Voting Rights, 1965 Questions and Issues: The landslide election of President Johnson in 1965 combined with the civil rights movement s swelling impact to draw national attention to voting rights. Momentum for the era approached a historical peak despite conflicting pressures on Johnson and strains within the movement. Study Assignment: [1] Levy, Let Freedom Ring, pp [2] Eyes on the Prize I, episode 6, Bridge to Freedom, 1965, (view via course website). [3] Pillar of Fire, pp , ; At Canaan s Edge, pp , 41-43, 80-82, (from the course e-archive). [4] The King Years, chapter 12, Crossroads in Selma, 1965, pp Written Assignment: Why do you think Martin Luther King was driven to launch his Selma movement so soon after returning from the Nobel Prize ceremony? What is mean by the phrase, a downward King? Why do you think historical attention has concentrated more on Selma than on SNCC s prior voting drives in Mississippi? How did SNCC s internal debates fluctuate on whether and how to participate in the Selma marches?

12 12 Briefly describe the three different attempts to march from Selma to Montgomery. Why does The King Years focus on the least known, turnaround march? In-class Schedule: Panels will include veterans of the Selma movement. Selected students will continue individual oral reports on their field project for peer discussion. Class #11 Tuesday, April 15, 2014 Topic: Civil Rights and Vietnam, 1965 Questions and Issues: The peak year 1965 in civil rights coincided with a major commitment of U.S. combat troops to Vietnam. Military conflict abroad polarized the political climate at home. President Johnson presented both Selma and Vietnam as patriotic struggles for freedom, but many opponents of the war accused supporters of betraying democratic principles, and vice-versa. Debates continue today over the imperatives of secrecy and war against those of representative self-government by votes. Study Assignment: [1] President Lyndon Johnson, The American Promise, speech of March 15, 1965 on voting rights (view via the course website). [2] The King Years, chapter 13, Crossroads in Vietnam: LBJ and MLK, 1965, pp [3] At Canaan s Edge, pp , , (from the course e- archive). [4] The Fog of War (view via the course website). [5] President George W. Bush, Operation Iraqi Freedom, speech of March 19, 2003 on the commencement of U.S. war in Iraq (view via the course website). [6] President Barack Obama, The Way Forward, speech of December 2, 2009 on a U.S. military surge in Afghanistan (view via the course website). Written Assignment: Describe the opening ten minutes of LBJ s March 15, 1965 voting rights speech. How did he place the Selma movement within American history? How did the members of Congress react? How did they look? What personal story did LBJ tell later in the speech to convey his motivation? Is the story convincing? Analyze the July 1965 telephone conversation between Martin Luther King and President Johnson. What are its signs of muffled tension between two leaders at

13 13 the peak of their historic cooperation? What are signs that they already feared a major war? How and why did they emphasize the positive? The Fog of War shows former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara as a leader haunted by the Vietnam War. Observers still debate whether he regretted a wholly misguided war purpose or merely the miscalculations that led to defeat. What do you think is the most revealing moment in the film? President Johnson described both voting rights and the Vietnam War as a fundamental test for democracy. What did he mean? How are the two tests similar and different? How are they related to contemporary issues such as terrorism since September 11 or the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? In-class Schedule: Panels will include veterans of the Vietnam protest movement. Selected students will continue individual oral reports on their field projects for peer discussion. Class #12 Tuesday, April 22, 2014 Topic: Malcolm X and Black Power, 1966 Questions and Issues: In 1965, shortly after completing the Selma-to- Montgomery march, Martin Luther King overrode strong objections to explore a movement for racial justice in the north. Critics and his own staff doubted that nonviolent tactics based in southern black churches would work in big cities like Chicago. King launched a campaign from slum housing on Chicago s West Side. He faced dissent that his methods had run their course, displaced by the teachings of the late Muslim pioneer Malcolm X. By the summer of 1966, a new SNCC chairman, Stokely Carmichael, captured popular attention for a new Black Power movement that questioned King s basic tenets of nonviolence and integration. Study Assignment: [1] Pillar of Fire, pp , ; At Canaan s Edge, pp (from the course e-archive). [2] Two brief summaries: the historical impact of the Immigration Reform Act of 1965, and contemporary proposals to reform laws affecting undocumented, or non-legal, immigrants (view via course website). [3] The King Years, chapter 14, Nonviolence Goes North: King in Chicago, 1966, and chapter 15, Black Power, 1966, pp

14 14 [4] Levy, Let Freedom Ring, pp [4] Eyes on the Prize II, episodes 1, The Time Has Come, , and 2, Two Societies, (view via course website). Written Assignment: The Immigration Reform Act of 1965 has been called a third landmark law of the civil rights era. Do you agree? If so, why does the law not command greater attention? How did it change the requirements for naturalized U.S. citizenship? Who is an American? What does the legislative history say about fundamental concepts of race? Summarize Malcolm X s trip to Selma shortly before his murder in February Why did he go? Did he express views on racial identity and citizenship? How important was Islam to his personal and political development? What attributes made his reputation grow and endure after his death? Describe the running debate between King and Stokely Carmichael about the Black Power slogan. Explain their disagreement about the limitations of nonviolent doctrine and the implications of race-based ideology. How did public rivalry affect their personal relationship? Why did Dr. King take pains to make sure that Carmichael appreciated the depth of his opposition to the war in Vietnam? In-class Schedule: Panels will include veterans of black power movements in culture and politics. Selected students will complete the individual oral reports on field projects for peer discussion. Class #13 Tuesday, April 29, 2014 Topic: Backlash and Poverty, 1967 Questions and Issues: Clashes over foreign wars, race riots, and hippie rebellion displaced the earlier civil rights movement. Exactly one year before his death, King denounced the Vietnam War in a comprehensive speech that received more condemnation than praise. Later in 1967, defying his staff once again, King announced plans for a Poor Peoples Campaign modeled on the Depression-era Bonus March by destitute World War I veterans. Some welcomed King s focus on economic issues, but his public presence receded. Critics dismissed his priorities as wearisome and outdated. In near obscurity, King renewed and strengthened a personal commitment to nonviolence.

15 15 Study Assignment: [1] The King Years, chapter 16, Race and War: King at the Riverside Church, 1967, and chapter 17, Poverty: The Last Crusade, , pp [2] Eyes on the Prize II, episode 4, The Promised Land, (view via course website). [3] Levy, Let Freedom Ring, pp : [4] Capsule summaries of two pre-1960s events that influenced King, the Bonus March of 1932 and the GI Bill of 1944 (via course website): [5] A brief review of one post-1960s economic movement, Occupy Wall Street 2011 (read or view via course website). Written Assignment: Summarize the main arguments in King s Riverside Church address on Vietnam. Why did various leaders and groups react so negatively? Do you agree with his priorities? Should he have confined his focus to issues of racial justice? Imagine yourself a member of King s staff late in Would you have advised him to return South and consolidate gains since the end of legal segregation, go all-out against the Vietnam War, or mount a protest for poor people? Can you imagine risking jail or violent attack for any of these causes? What does it mean to say that King grew more lonely and prophetic toward the end of his career? Were his hopes for a Poor Peoples Campaign realistic? Popular images of the 1960s commonly emphasize a freewheeling counterculture above the consequential discipline of civil rights protest. Why? Is it sexier, shallower, whiter, easier to understand, or something else? In-class Schedule: Panels will include veterans of the Poor Peoples Campaign and collateral movements since the civil rights era. Class #14 Tuesday, May 6, 2014 Topic: Memphis 1968, and Afterward Questions and Issues: King pulled his reluctant staff into a final detour. Breaking away from frantic preparations for the poor peoples caravan to Washington, he responded to a call from Rev. James Lawson, his longtime mentor in nonviolent strategy, to support a beleaguered wildcat strike by sanitation workers in Memphis.

16 16 King s poignant Memphis campaign no longer commanded headlines. He defended nonviolence when many in his own movement considered it outmoded or passé. For a nation obsessed by war and prosperity, he raised a lonely, prophetic cry that extreme poverty threatens freedom. Study Assignment: [1] Citizen King (view via course website). [2] The King Years, chapter 18, Requiem in Memphis, 1968, and Epilogue, Looking Back, and Ahead, pp [3] Eyes on the Prize II, episode 5, Ain t Gonna Shuffle No More, ( ), and episode 6, A Nation of Law? ( (view via course website). [4] Senator Barack Obama speech of March 18, 2008 on race, A More Perfect Union (read or view via course website). Written Assignment: Who are Echol Cole and Robert Walker? How does the protest slogan, I AM A MAN, evoke the injustice of treatment for Memphis Sanitation Workers? Why was the violence in a King-sponsored demonstration a godsend for the FBI and a major crisis for King? Describe King s strained relations with the SCLC staff over his determination to return to Memphis. Why do you think James Lawson and James Bevel, among others close to King, find it impossible to believe that James Earl Ray murdered him? How do theories of high-government conspiracy support or undermine King s persistent, anguished cry for the nation to rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed? Compare this week s descriptions of U.S. race relations in the civil right era with Senator Obama s speech during the 2008 presidential campaign. Compare that speech with President Obama s circumspect but controversial comments on the Travon Martin case in In-class Schedule: Panels will address broad questions of citizen responsibility, cynicism, hope, economic insecurity, leadership, and progress. Announcements will cover scheduling and procedures for the final exam. Its scope, format, and sample questions will be previewed in detail. Final Exams (TBA) May 13-19, 2014 Grades Due May 20, 2014