Written around 1513, Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince is arguably one of the most famous treatises on politics in history. Dedicated to Lorenzo de ’Medici, ruler of Florence at the time, The Prince was not published until five years after Machiavelli’s death in 1532. It contains Machiavelli’s well-known analysis of politics: all politics is characteristically defined as the struggle of acquiring and maintaining power. Within his analysis, Machiavelli (1513) writes “One who adapts his policy to the times prospers” (p. 99). This paper will argue that the framework of Machiavelli’s political analysis — adapting policies to the times leads to prosperity which leads to gaining and maintaining power — is reflected through key American presidents during the Civil Rights Movement. Both President John F. Kennedy and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, adapted their political policies to ensure their own prosperity during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement when American society was in the process of shifting from an era of racial discrimination to an era of racial equality.
The meaning of “One who adapts his policy to the times prospers”, though seemingly self-evident, is actually part of a broader discussion regarding the concept of fortune. The word “fortune” as it was used by Machiavelli, coincides with the contemporary notion of luck or chance. Machiavelli compares fortune to a raging torrent that destroys everything in its path if not controlled by dikes and dams prepared by the virtue of the governing body. For Machiavelli, virtue, otherwise known as cunningness or preparations, must be exercised over fortune in order to combat it and be prosperous. During the period in which Machiavelli wrote The Prince, many believed ...
... middle of paper ...
...estport, CT: Praegar Publishers.
United States Senate. United States Senate, Committee on the Judiciary. (2013). The civil rights act of 1964. Retrieved from website: http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/history/CivilRightsAct.cfm
United States House of Representatives. United States House of Representatives, History, Art & Archives. (2008). The civil rights movement and the second reconstruction, 1945—1968. Retrieved from U.S. Government Printing Office website: http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Historical-Essays/Keeping-the-Faith/Civil-Rights-Movement/
Walker, S. (2012). Presidents and civil liberties from wilson to obama: A story of poor custodians. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Yuill, K. (1998). The 1966 white house conference on civil rights. The Historical Journal, 41, 259-282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0018246X97007723.
In 1955, C. Vann Woodward published the first edition of his book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow. The book garnered immediate recognition and success with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. eventually calling it, “the historical Bible of the civil rights movement.” An endorsement like this one from such a prominent and respect figure in American history makes one wonder if they will find anything in the book to criticize or any faults to point out. However, with two subsequent editions of the book, one in August 1965 and another in October 1973—each adding new chapters as the Civil Rights movement progressed—one wonders if Dr. King’s assessment still holds up, if indeed The Strange Career of Jim Crow is still the historical bible of the civil rights movement. In addition, one questions the objectivity of the book considering that it gained endorsements from figures who were promoting a cause and because Woodward had also promoted that same cause.
During the process of reading this compilation of works, Portrait of America, many different point of views were aired. The opinion or attitude on the subject was too tainted. The authors were very biased to their perception of the "story". This book could have been much more beneficial if the facts would have stayed to the straight and narrow. Only the detrimental facts needed to be applied to these chapters. For a history class, as broad as this, this book opened too many doors that could not be explained in as much detail as would be liked. Many of the authors enjoyed mentioning the most scandalous moments of the people's lives then dropped the fact without much support or follow through as to what happened to cause or end these events. Brief summaries only tease the mind, and with the course load of most students, there is hardly extra time to investigate the matter further in detail. For a class such as History 152, biographies and/or documentary style books are more worth the while of the student. For instance make a list of a selection of novels that could be read for the class, so that every student can then explore in depth what that student thinks is interesting. Although the book was teasing in nature the chapters did flow well and were easy to read. The procession of the chapters had wonderful transition as to not loose the student. While proceeding through this book there were several different reoccurring topics that appeared. This paper will discuss these two reoccurring topics: the civil rights movement and former presidents.
Younge, Gary. "America dreaming: the horrors of segregation bound the US civil rights movement together. Fifty years on from Martin Luther King's great speech, inequality persists--but in subtler ways." New Statesman [1996] 23 Aug. 2013: 20+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
The Second Reconstruction is broadly defined as the time period in America after the passing of the Civil rights act of 1964, which brought about the necessity for an efficient transition into racial and sociopolitical equality. During the following years this was not achieved and several movements were constituted that attempted to bring this wish into reality through enthusiastic albeit unsuccessful political, social and cultural actions.
Sokol, Jason. "IIP Digital | U.S. Department of State." White Southerners' Reactions to the Civil Rights
Works Cited The "Civil Rights" Cornell University Law School, Inc. 2010. Web. The Web. The Web. 1 Apr. 2011.
The years between 1954 and 1965 represent the coalition of two movements that forever changed the landscape of American Politics. The Civil rights movement and the black power movement established two separate thrusts for black civil and political equality. Understanding how each movement saw race relations in the United States helps to further explain the goals and how each movement influenced one another. In the following pages I am going to detail the leaders of the Black Power and Civil rights and how under their philosophy grew movements influenced by one another that forever changed the American political environment.
Weisbrot, Robert. Freedom Bound: A History Of America’s Civil Rights Movement. New York: Plume, 1991
It was not until the modern civil rights movement of the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, a period that some call the Second that these discriminatory laws and practices finally began to give way. During this period, African Americans and their allies finally confronted long-standing oppression, injustices, and prejudices as a unified movement for integration instead it became a total liberation and identity movement.
New World Encyclopedia (2009) African-american civil rights movement (1955-1968), Retrieved on March 16, 2012 from
The Prince, written by Machiavelli is concerned with the issues politics, ruling a state and how a ruler or a leader should be. The key properties of a ruler are represented by Machiavelli in details and the inner and outer effects of the success in ruling are mentioned. One of the most important topics in The Prince is about the relationship of skillfulness (virtù) of the ruler and his good or bad chance (fortune) and their effects on gaining and keeping the power. Virtù, which has the present meaning of manliness, is used by Machiavelli as having skills, strength, intelligence and prudence of a ruler. It is the inner ability to gain the power and not to lose it easily. Fortuna, with the present use, fortune is explained as the word of God and the luck and opportunity that is given to the ruler. A ruler by fortune is dependent
The years leading up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were turbulent times filled with great strife brought by the ever-growing dissent. Marches, sit-ins and protests abounded. Citizens from around the world
Whenever people discuss race relations today and the effect of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, they remember the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was and continues to be one of the most i...
During the time 1469, a child by the name of Niccolo Di Bernardo Del Machiavelli was born .Some may know him as an Italian philosopher, humanist, or a evil minded fellow associated with the corruptness of totalitarian government. In Machiavelli’s home state Florence, he introduces the modern political theory. Hoping to gain influence with the ruling Medici family Niccolo wrote a pamphlet call The Prince (Prezzolini).