Aidan - Civil rights - according to Peter Levy

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Peter Levy's View on the Civil Rights Movement


  1. Analysis of movement:
    1. Failure in the North
    2. Divisiveness of activity and passivity
    3. Peace v. unrestrained Violence
    4. Removed legal barriers
    5. Made problems evident
    6. Failed
    7. Racism is still around
    8. The leaders' goals were not realised


  2. Only cites incidences of White violence against Blacks
    1. Dramatic support of King's letter, 20
    2. Selma massacre, 27
    3. Veterans trying to vote,
    4. the boy Till's death, 59


  3. Considers government action suspiciously:
    1. Agencies
      1. 30, COINTELPRO + BPP = 0
      2. FBI didn't intervene to protect Zellner, only an investigative body, 66
    2. Anti-Black policies
      1. Democratic party in MS was racist, 61
      2. 32-33, Kerner commission's report disregarded: "white institutions created maintain and condone [the ghetto]"
      3. 7, Gov helped white middle class in 50s
      4. Some LBJ economic actions increased segregation, 48: "policies enacted by the federal government often reinforced segregation and racial inequality"
      5. LBJ refused to seat MFDP, 25
      6. Today, gov has undone affirmative action in economic slowdown and social torpor 98, 99
    3. For show
      1. 6, To Secure These Rights released to make US look better
      2. International prestige came first, 45
        1. FDR didn't really care, 46
    4. Ulterior Motives
      1. LBJ and congress wouldn't have done anything is the movement hadn't been born, 91
      2. 11, Montgomery reforms done to attract business to the city
      3. Nixon supported affirmative action to split democrats, 97


  4. Presidents
    1. 13, Ike used Warren subversively
    2. JFK
      1. did very little
      2. 17, sold out the Freedom Riders
      3. 21, did support Civil Rights
    3. LBJ
      1. Civil Rights Act important, 24
      2. He refused to seat MFDP, 25
      3. Spoke out after Selma, 27
      4. Congress passed the Civil Rights Acts, 91
      5. Personally responsible for Affirmative Action, 94-95


  5. Individuals important, 41

    6. "The civil rights movement did not take place because of a handful of leaders determined that the time was tight for enacting certain reforms. Rather, thousand of ordinary men and women, taking advantage of existing conditions, foraged a movement that compelled the nation to begin to live to its ideals." 56

    1. Many interconnections between "trailblazers and torchbearers and the movement itself" 55
      1. Meredith's registration was important for movement, 68
      2. Rosa Parks too, 9
    2. MS moved from "the crucial role that local people played in the struggle for equality" 62
    3. Preachers key for movement, 51
    4. Press and colleges important, 52
      1. Highlander Folk School very important, 53
    5. The women of the movement were crucial for success, 103
      1. Responsible for success of Freedom Summer
      2. Held a disproportionate number of posts, 105-106
    6. SNCC a great organisation for making everything clear, 14
      1. Lewis's speech was important, 22-23
      2. Created Black Power, 29-30
      3. Ella Baker extremely important, 110
        1. SNCC wouldn't have existed without her
    7. MLK of a minor role, all the orgs were more important
      1. Lost his effectiveness as a leader bf. 63, 18
      2. Failed in Chicago, 31
      3. Broke with LBJ, 32, undermining himself
      4. Coretta influential on him, 115-116


  6. NAACP very important
    1. WEB Dubois "the father of the modern civil rights movement", 84
    2. Contrasted SNCC's violence, 52
    3. Did everything to set up the Civil Rights movement, 84-86
    4. Declined in late 60s, 52
    5. Mitchell also very important


  7. Violence Kills
    1. Integration faltered after Freedom Summer, 73
    2. Watts riot destroyed voting rights victory, 28
    3. BPP increased White fear, 30
    4. Violence saw removal of pragmatism, grassroots base, 110
      1. Polarisation of movement
    5. Violence caused split
      1. Failure of MFDP caused SNCC CORE shift to violence, 73
    6. Rioting made Affirmative Action legislation more difficult, 95


  8. Movement came from
    1. Economic growth caused liberal achievements, 33, 43

      2. "The steady growth of the economy underlay many of the liberal achievements of the 1960s" 33

      1. Blacks gained economic power, 47-49
      2. Black Power was motivated by desire to increase economic power, 74
      3. Economic slowdown saw decrease in Civil Rights interest, 98
    2. Voting rights, 43
    3. Undermining of Whites by depression and mechanisation, 43
    4. Social influences most important in creation of movement, 56
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