The 1960s was a time of a cultural revolution in America, resulting in many new ideas and texts. One example of these new cultural texts that come out of the Civil Rights Movement is the song “Which Side Are You On?” by the SNCC Freedom Singers. SNCC is the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which was made of students supporting the Civil Rights Movement. The song symbolizes the change undergoing in America and set the stage for the two sides—one supporting the movement and one against it. During the same year this song was sung, Martin Luther King, Jr. made his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at Washington D.C., indicating the coming turmoil of civil reform. “Which Side Are You On?” focuses on the part of the movement in Albany, Georgia to express the views of the supporters for the Civil Rights Movement by giving off a persuasive air to support the movement, using notable people opposing the movement in Albany such as Mayor Kelly and Chief Pritchett, the issue of morality from Christianity, and phrases such as “Uncle Tom,” to serve as an example for the entire campaign.
The mention of Mayor Kelly in the lyrics refers to the mayor of Albany at the time, who opposed the Civil Rights Movement, and shows how SNCC feels about him. The words “Where is your heart? We are all children, of the almighty God” conveys a sense that Mayor Kelly is heartless, and questions why he opposes the movement, saying “we are all children, of the almighty God.” If everyone is a child of God, then they are all brothers and sisters, meaning that everyone should treat each other fairly and equally as if they are siblings, and must not discriminate against each other. Mayor Kelly represents the “other” side of what the SNCC Freedom Singers support....
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... passion while still encompassing an air of morality. In the end, the Civil Rights Movement eventually prevails, marking a victory for the message the SNCC Freedom Singers wanted to convey to the public.
Works Cited
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SNCC. “Which Side Are You On?”. SNCC Freedom Singers. Internet. c. 1963.
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1. What is the argument of Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America? How does Takaki make that argument?
The ability for people to look at a situation from a different perspective is vital in today’s globalized society. Diversity is the most important core attribute we share that gives us a new perspective to assess situations differently through our diverse backgrounds and upbringings. Unlike Patrick J. Buchanan’s argument in his essay titled “Deconstructing America,” diversity is not a burden, but rather a necessity in America’s culture. Conversely, Fredrickson 's essay titled, “Models of American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective,” illustrated a more precise version of American history that disproves Buchanan’s ethnocentric ideologies. Buchanan speaks of diversity as a narrow, one-way street. The imprecise interpretations of history
Takaki, R. T. (1993). A different mirror: A history of multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.
Takaki, Ronald. “Between Two Endless Days.” A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1993. 277-310.
Joan Baez, a famous folk singer, sang her most famous song “Oh Freedom” during the civil rights movement. She expressed her want and need for equality and freedom f...
The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnics Literature of the United States. Spring 2000
...Multiculturalism: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 353-355. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Apr. 2014
Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown &, 1993. Print.
" Sing for freedom : the story of the Civil Rights Movement through its songs. Montgomery, Ala.: NewSouth Books. Kirk, J. (2007). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secon Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement: Controversies and Debates. Basingstoke, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Following the 1890’s, the world began to undergo the first stages of globalization. Countries and peoples, who, until now, were barely connected, now found themselves neighbors in a planet vastly resembling a global village. Despite the idealized image of camaraderie and brotherhood this may seem to suggest, the reality was only discrimination and distrust. Immigration to new lands became a far more difficult affair, as emigrants from different nations came to be viewed as increasingly foreign. In the white-dominated society of the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the only way to truly count oneself as American was to become “white”. For this reason, the idea of race, a socially constructed issue with no real physical basis, has become one of the most defining factors which shape immigration and assimilation in the United States.
Daniels, Roger. Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life. New York: Perennial, 2002. Print.
In A Different Mirror, Ronald Takaki told a story that linked together multiracial groups in which there are many sides to the story more than just domination and conquest in America, where immigrants did not come by choice and natives who lived on the lands before the Americans came were forced to leave or sell their lands because either it was for survival. Even when choice was available, it was limited. America was a new country compared to other countries, in which the people were still wondering who goes to which hierarchal level because it was not yet stratified. It took a great deal of work to create a norm of white superiority and minority insubordination and inferiority. Race played an important role in making the modern United States
Root, M., P., (1996) The multiracial experience: Racial borders as the new frontier. Copyright 1996 by Sage Publications, Inc.
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