Souls on Fire: W.E.B. DuBois and Ida Wells-Barnett
“It is the white man’s civilization and the white man’s government which are on trial.” Ida B. Wells, A Red Record
“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line.” W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk
"I am so used to having two faces . . . A face that I had for black America and a face that I had for white America. When Obama became president, I lost both faces. Now I only have one face. But old habits die hard, and sometimes I can't remember who I'm suppose to be." Lee Daniels (film producer), October 2009
Unit Main Themes:
What made W.E.B. Du Bois predict that "the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line" and why has this quote endured as a way to understand that century?
Why was the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson such a turning point in U.S. History?
Studies in moral courage: what did it take to fight against racial injustice in the absence of a social movement?
How were concepts of "race" used to rationalize inequality in the U.S.?
Introduction: 21st century views of "race" - "Race: the Power of an Illusion" v. 19th/20th century views of race.
Lesson 1: Redrawing the colorline: acknowledging its imprint in our lives Read the sample racial autobiographies and begin jotting notes for your own. Also read a recent article about Changing how we identify our racial selves , read this blog (http://blogs.america.gov/indepth1/2010/05/26/american-born-chinese-the-artist-behind-an-award-winning-graphic-novel/) with Luen Yang on his graphic novel American born Chinese (there is a short Youtube to watch as part of the blog), and see the following for some fascinating recent data out about mixed marriages in the deep South. Please also skim the following: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/opinion/blow-the-curious-case-of-trayvon-martin.html?_r=1&emc=eta1 Notes will be checked for a completion grade in class. Final 1.5-3 page, double-spaced essay due Friday, March 30. As you write think about differences between race and ethnicity, generational differences, popular culture, family messages, geography, and anything else that informs how you think about race, the tug of the nation's bitter racist past, and the signs you see for the future. While most of human history did not include a concept of "race," it has been a defining characteristic of U.S. society, and in some way has affected you personally. Find a way to reflect on your personal intersection with this major undercurrent in our society.Lesson 2: The Law and the Colorline: If you did not pick up the handout in class, see the link below at "excerpts."
Plessy v. Ferguson: the law as a weapon and the case that determined who got to wield it.
Homework: Read the questions below first and then read excerpts from the Plessy case and answer one question from each group.
Group 1: Homer Plessy’s Lawyer Albion Tourgee. You will have to tease out of Brown’s opinion the case Plessy’s lawyers made. On page 1, on what basis did Tourgee apparently argue Plessy was “entitled” to a seat in the car where whites were seated? On page 3 why would Plessy have an interest in the argument that the claim to being "white" was a sort of property? What could be the benefits and drawbacks of such an argument? How does the lawyers case suggest that the state will essentially be making "whiteness" have privilege? What does this case mean in terms of what being "black" would mean in the twentieth century? Be sure to engage the Fourteenth Amendment in your answer.
Group 2: Majority Opinion. In the opinion of Justice Brown why is the Louisiana segregation law not a violation of the U.S. Constitution? What precedents does he cite and how do these help him make the case for upholding the Louisiana law segregating railcars? How does Justice Brown answer why it is okay for the state to separate citizens based on race but not on hair color?
Group 3: Dissent. Why does Harlan disagree? What is he considering that the majority opinion ignores? What does he think about Brown’s distinction between separating based on race but not on hair color? What do you think the most famous line is in this famous dissent? Do you think Harlan had to have moral courage to write this dissent? If so, where to you think he got it? (check out: https://www.law.louisville.edu/library/collections/harlan/dissent or see The Dissents of John Marshall Harlan I.By: PRZYBYSZEWSKI, LINDA; Journal of Supreme Court History, 2007, Vol. 32 Issue 2, p. 152, 10p, 1 illustration, 5 b in the History Reference Center within the library's EBSCO database.
Lesson 3: Du Bois Souls of Black Folk, Due March 31
Du Bois, Chapter I, “Of our Spiritual Strivings” pp. 1-9. Readings available at http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DubSoul.html
a. What do you think DuBois means when he writes "How does it feel to be a problem"?
b. What is "the veil"?
c. What is DuBois's personal response to prejudice and what other responses does he mention on page 7?
d. What is "double-consciousness"?
e. On page 9 what is DuBois's point about culture and identity?
f. On page 13 where does DuBois say the African American (or "everything black") find himself (or itself) in relation to "civilization"? On page 14 find the lines that argue how this flawed concept of "civilization" reinforces an inferior place for African Americans.
g. What is Du Bois's dream? Page 15-16
Lesson 4: Du Bois, “Of the Training of Black Men” pp 62-76, http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DubSoul.html
1. How does "the veil" operate in the "training of black men"? Write down the quote(s) that you focused on to answer this question.
2. Why do you think he chose the term "training" instead of education? Back up your answer with quotes.
3. What educational institutions is Du Bois advocating should be given more weight and support?
4. What will set men's souls free, according to Du Bois?
Lesson 5: The Mob and the Colorline
Tonight's assignment is also getting you accustomed to using the Becker Library databases. You will need to go to the library homepage at http://www.sstx.org/experiment.php?page=library. Click on history and geography databases to find History Study Center. Use the citation below to find this document in the History Study Center database. If you are working on a school computer, you do NOT need a password. From home you will need the passwords given out in class. These are also emailed to you with the subject heading database passwords. Read and take notes on the document. What does this piece suggest about the law? What does this piece show about the power of the mob in enforcing the colorline? There are some gruesome details in this piece. I suggest you do this homework at a time when you are going to rejoin friends or family after you read it because you will be disturbed by the report. One other research component of the night is to find out what is The Crisis.
White, Walter. "Readings from The Crisis, 1918: The work of a mob." The New Crisis 107.4 (1918): 46. History Study Center. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
In class: "Strange Fruit."
"Strange Fruit"
by Lewis Allen
Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and twisted mouth,
The scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
Lesson 6: Ida B. Wells and Jessie Daniel Ames: Sexual Politics and the Anti-Lynching Campaign
(Handout from “They Say” by James West Davidson)
Lesson 7: African American responses to the colorline: Booker T. Washington v. W.E.B. Du Bois, and (in-class) Marcus Garvey
Homework: Read Du Bois chapter “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others” enough to answer the following questions. http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/DubSoul.html
1. On p. 30 how does Du Bois define Washington's program?
2. On p. 36-39 What do you think Du Bois means by calling Washington a "compromiser"? What does Du Bois argue is wrong with the "Atlanta Compromise"?
3. Consider Du Bois's criticism of Washington's program in relation to what we studied about the men who owned the People's Grocery Store. How would their tragic deaths support Du Bois's case?
4. Consider how Du Bois is crafting his argument. What tone does he strike? (enflamatory, fair, reasonable, balanced, searing, revelatory, or something else). Find a passage to support your claim.
Lesson 8: Early efforts to dismantle the colorline: White Allies and the Birth of the NAACP
Find the following in the Becker Library database History Study Center "Interracial Cooperation Movement." The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History. 1999. History Study Center. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
In Questia find the following Jonas, Gilbert. Freedom's Sword: The NAACP and the Struggle against Racism in America, 1909-1969. New York: Routledge, 2005. Questia. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. NOTE TO ACCESS QUESTIA YOU USE YOUR EMAIL + THE PASSWORD used for the other databases. See how quickly you can access this source, define the NAACP, name 3 black founding members and 3 white founding members, 3 things the NAACP did, and one thing that interests you. Take notes and include page numbers. Save this book to your bookshelf and learn to create a bibliography in Questia that includes this source and one other on the NAACP. Bring your notes and the bibliography with 2 entries to class.
Lesson 9: What side of the colorline?: European immigrants, Mexican Americans, and Chinese Americans. For this homework you will need to use the library database, Academic Search Complete, and specifically the History Reference Center within it. Find the following article in the database. From home you need the following userid/password to access library databases. Reminder: these are emailed to you. At school no passwords are necessary. Take notes only on the first 8 pages. This is a more challenging reading. Aim for notes that identify her argument.
Lee, Erika. "The Chinese Exclusion Example: Race, Immigration, and American Gatekeeping, 1882-1924." Journal of American Ethnic History 21.3 (2002): 36. History Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 20 Mar. 2011
Lesson 10: Review sheets on UMTS due at the beginning of class on April 13, Wed. D-day
TEST DATE: A-Day, April 16, 2012
The next unit is your research paper. The broad topic is on racial hiearchies, power, and freedom in the U.S. and this current unit is intended to provide some broad background for you to launch your own project. Individually you will be deciding on your own topic within this area and then after some reading, you will develop your own research question. Below are some examples of what you will be aiming for in the next unit.. You may get ideas during this unit that you want to use for beginning your own research. Write down ideas.