Historical Background 2 (LA E-Learning)

The Civil Rights Movement

a.      The African-American Civil Rights Movement was made up of many movements, one from 1896 to 1954, and another from 1955 to 1968.

b.      The Civil Rights Movement was a long, primarily nonviolent struggle to bring full civil rights under the law to all Americans. This movement has had a lasting impact on the United States society, and increased the social and legal acceptance of civil rights.

c.       There were some key events that took place in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1915, there was The Grandfather Clause (an exception that allows the old rule to continue to apply to some existing situations, including laws), in which the Supreme Court rules against grandfather clauses used to restrict black voting registration.

Secondly, there were the Freedom Rides. The Freedom Riders were civil rights activists that rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States to test the United States Supreme Decision Boynton v. Virginia (of 1960) [a case being held in court]. The first freedom ride left Washington D.C. on May 4, 1961, and was scheduled to arrive in New Orleans on May 17.

Thirdly, there was the Mississippi riot, or Ole Miss Riot of 1962. It was fought between Southern segregation civilians and federal and state forces as a result of the forced enrolment of black student James Meredith at the University of Mississippi (also known as Ole Miss). What happened? In short, James Meredith filed a case against Ole Miss University after it barred him from entering it, solely because of his skin colour. This decision sparked riots in the campus, which resulted in the death of 2 people.

d.      John F. Kennedy (President of United States Of America from January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963) was the president who supported the civil rights movement the most. He helped pass laws to make sure that all Blacks could vote and get a good education (Abraham Lincoln was also another American president who supported the civil rights movement).

e.      As a result of the Civil Rights movement, the African-Americans are now as equal as whites, although racism is still going on to this day. There is no exact known date to when the Civil Rights Movement ended, but it seemed that it ended after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

f.        Harper Lee’s novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ was so closely related to the Civil Rights Movement that it was cited as a major reason for the success of civil rights in the 1960s, and that it ‘arrived at the right moment to help the South and the nation grapple with the racial tensions (of) the accelerating civil right movement.’

 

Montgomery Bus Boycott and Scottsboro trials

 

a.      The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign that started in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, intended to oppose the city’s policy of racial segregation on its public transit system. Many historically significant figures of the civil rights movement were involved in the boycott, including Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy. It all started from December 1 1955, when Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, was arrested for refusing to surrender her seat to a white person. It led to a federal ruling, then to a United Supreme Court decision that the Alabama and Montgomery laws requiring segregated buses to be unconstitutional. The victory led to a city ordinance that allowed black bus passengers to sit virtually anywhere they wanted, and the boycott officially ended on December 20, 1956, after lasting 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott also had ramifications that reached far beyond the desegregation of public buses and provided more than just a positive answer to the Supreme Court’s decision against racial segregation. This boycott also reverberated throughout the United States and stimulated the national Civil Rights Movement. This was the largest contribution to the start of the Civil Rights Movement.

The Scottsboro trials (also known as ‘Scottsboro Boys’), were nine black teenage boys accused of rape in Alabama in 1931. This landmark set of legal cases from this incident deal with racism and a basic American right: the Right to a fair trial. The case includes an all-white jury and a miscarriage of justice. On March 25, 1931, several white boys jumped off a freight train traveling between Chattanooga and Memphis, Tennessee, reporting to the sheriff that they had been attacked by a group of black boys. The sheriff combed the train and found the group of black boys, along with two white girls who accused them of rape. Immediately a case was heard in three rushed trials, in which the boys were convicted of rape and sentenced to death. However, during the retrials, one of the alleged victims admitted fabricating the rape story and asserted that none of the Scottsboro boys had ever touched them. From then on, the seven white boys and two white girls were found guilty, instead of the Scottsboro boys, and all nine but two served prison sentences.

b.      Both trials explain the horrible racial discrimination present in America in the past, while the whites receive all the power they can get.

c.       The Scottsboro trial is related to ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ in many ways. One of the important points to note is the case of Tom Robinson. He, an African-American, was falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell, while the Scottsboro boys were also falsely accused of raping two hobo (migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless) women.

 

Trials of a true Southern Belle and Southern Gentleman

a.     Etiquettes:

a)      Gentlemen

                                            i.            A good manner is the best letter of recommendation among strangers. Civility, refinement, and gentleness are passports to hearts and homes, while awkwardness, coarseness and gruffness are met with locked doors and closed hearts.

                                          ii.            Never scratch your head, pick your teeth, clean your nails, or worse of all, pick your nose in company; all these things are disgusting. Spit as little as possible and never upon the floor.

                                        iii.            If you are going into the presence of ladies, beware of onions, spirits and tobacco.

                                         iv.            It is a great thing to be able to walk like a gentleman-that is, to get rid of that awkward, lounging and swinging gate of a clown and stop before you reach the affected and flippant step of the dandy. In short, nothing but a gentleman can give you the air and step of one.

                                           v.            Civility is particularly due to all women; and, remember, that no provocation whatsoever can justify any man in not being civil to every woman; and the greatest man would justly be a brute if he were not civil to the meanest woman. It is due to their sex, and it the only protection they have against the superior strength of ours; not, even a little is allowable with women; and a man may, without weakness, tell a woman she is either handsomer or wiser than she is.

                                         vi.            A gentleman will assist a lady over a bad crossing, or from an omnibus or carriage, without the waiting for the formality of an introduction. When the service is performed, he will raise his hat, bow and pass on.

b)      Ladies

                                            i.            A true southern belle has a charm that radiates whenever she enters the room. Her genuine smile and sweet southern drawl will turn anyone's head. 

                                          ii.            A true southern belle is always ready to help. She volunteers for organizations without a second thought. She is active in her community and also through her children's schools. She takes on projects that no one else will consider. This is her second nature.

                                        iii.            A true southern belle does not care about the money. More than likely her family does not have much of it. Antiques and family traditions are more important. She would much rather have her mother’s china or her grandmother's wedding band to hand down to her own family. 

                                         iv.            A true Southern belle knows her manners. She knows to put her napkin in her lap and to say "ma'am" and "sir". She says "excuse me" when she accidentally bumps into someone and "thank you" for gifts and compliments. 

                                           v.            A true southern belle knows how to dress appropriately. She knows not to wear too revealing clothing in public. However, she knows how to dress seductively in private. 

                                         vi.            A true southern belle knows how to entertain and cook. She always has a pitcher of iced tea prepared for her family as well as unexpected guests. She can cook fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. She has her mother's peach cobbler recipe tucked away in a safe place. Even if she cannot cook biscuits, she knows how to buy them from the store and disguise them as her own. 

                                      vii.            A true southern belle knows the importance of education. She will finish high school, even if it is public education, and pursue further education at a public or private college or university. She will finish her college education and use the knowledge she has acquired in a career that brings personal satisfaction as well as honour to her family. 

b.     They loved to bake cakes, drink tea and chat with their friends and read.

c.      Picture of Southern Belles:

               Picture of Southern Gentlemen:

d.     In the novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, Atticus Finch is an example of a true Southern gentleman. He is humble, upright, and wise. He does not discriminate other races and does his job with justice. Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie, on the other hand, are perfect moulds of Southern Belles. They do everything related to a Southern Belle and devote their time to their family. Aunt Alexandra cares for Scout and Jem while Miss Maudie often bakes cakes for her neighbours.

Harper Lee

a.     Harper Lee was an American writer, famous for her race relations novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. The book became an international bestseller and was adapted into screen in 1962. Lee was 34 when the work was published, and it has remained her only novel.

b.     Harper Lee (born April 28, 1926, Monroeville, Alabama, U.S.) was a U.S. novelist. The daughter of a lawyer, Lee attended the University of Alabama but left for New York City before obtaining a law degree. An editor helped her transform a series of short stories into the novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). Lee's only novel, it was nationally acclaimed, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1961, and was adapted into a memorable film in 1962. The novel's hero is the white lawyer Atticus Finch, whose just and compassionate acts include an unpopular defense of a black man falsely accused of raping a white girl. The book continued to resonate into the 21st century. In 2007 Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

c.      She only wrote one novel: ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, other works by her include ‘Love- In Other Words’, ‘Christmas To Me’ and ‘When Children discover America’.

d.     She was awarded the Presidential Medal Of Freedom of United States for her contribution to literature in 2007, and also received numerous honorary degrees, but has always declined to make a speech.

e.     It was Harper Lee’s only famous novel in her life, and it meant a lot to her.