“ I am a man of a thousand faces, all of them blacklisted.” -Zero Mostel, comedian “featured” in Red Channels The Red Channels: The Illegitimacy of America’s Own Little Black Book A mindless observer flipping through Red Channels would not find anything shocking, significant, or suspicious throughout its 213 pages. This small book, published in 1950 by the American Business Consultants, initially looks like an attractive collection of résumés, complete with a person’s name, occupation, and a comprehensive listing of various activities in which the person was involved. These “résumés,” however, were not made to make a person look appealing to an employer. In fact, if one’s name were found in this book, they would most certainly not be employed, or if they were employed, would be fired. Developed by three ex-FBI agents, Red Channels was America’s Holy Book of the 1950’s. It was referred to and analyzed, being the basis of every major decision in politics, media, and music. During this era, the majority of American citizens thought that this special book was a tool of protection for America, weeding out influential Communists who were dangerous to their government and way of life. Yet this potent book was in reality harmful to society and illegitimate for a number of reasons. First, the book’s overt discrimination caused people to lose their jobs or their reputation, ultimately violating certain constitutional rights: the right to privacy, the right to property, and freedom of speech and association. Second, the book was the American Business Consultants’ corrupt means to extract profit, undermining the alleged “goal” of this publication to protect America’s interest. Third, the booklet added to the public ho... ... middle of paper ... ...New York: Thunder's Mouth Press/Nation Books, 248, 254-255, 702. Capaldi, Jim. (2002, February 20). Pete Seeger Appreciation Page [Web site]. Retrieved May 17, 2002, from the World Wide Web: http://home.earthlink.net/~jimcapaldi/redchannels.htm Caute, D. (1978). The Great Fear: the anti-Communist purge under Truman and Eisenhower. New York: Simon and Schuster, pp. 509, 521-532, 617-618. Fleming, D.F. (1954). Are we Moving Toward Fascism? The Journal of Politics, (16)1, 39- 56, 58-75. Fried, R. (1990). Nightmare In Red: the McCarthy era in perspective. New York: Oxford University Press, 156-157. Malin, P. M. (1951). The Status of Civil Rights in the United States in 1950. Journal of Negro Education, (20)3, 279-289. Stowe, D.W. (1998). The Politics of Cafe Society. The Journal of American History, (84)4, 1384-1406.
John A. Kirk, History Toady volume 52 issue 2, The Long Road to Equality for African-Americans
Prior to the 1950s, very little research had been done on the history and nature of the United States’ policies toward and relationships with African Americans, particularly in the South. To most historians, white domination and unequal treatment of Negroes were assumed to be constants of the political and social landscapes since the nation’s conception. Prominent Southern historian C. Vann Woodward, however, permanently changed history’s naïve understanding of race in America through his book entitled The Strange Career of Jim Crow. His provocative thesis explored evidence that had previously been overlooked by historians and gave a fresh foundation for more research on the topic of racial policies of the United States.
Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta. "Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs: Racism in America Today."International Socialist Review Online November-December.32 (2003): n. pag.ISReview.org. International Socialist Organization. Web. 07 Dec. 2013. .
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.
Estes, Steve. I am a man!: race, manhood, and the civil rights movement. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2005. Print.
One of the major debates of the 1950’s was the war on race, specifically the desegregation of schools. Now if someone were to argue that the 1950’s were not based on conformity, than the war on race would be backbone of the argument. The unfortunate thing for the future of the nation as a whole was that despite government efforts to see the importance of equality, many people, including state officials, ignored the demands of the federal government. A key example of this is the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. In this case the court ruled that “in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place,” therefore allowing the African American students t...
Both Fannie Lou Hamer and Malcolm X rejected the idea that the main goal of the civil rights movement should be based on an aspiration to gain rights “equal” to those of white men and to assimilate into white culture. They instead emphasized a need to empower Black Americans.1 Their ideas were considered radical at a time when Martin Luther King Jr. preached the potential of white and black americans to overcome “the race issue” together and in a gradual manner. Malcolm X’s attempt to achieve his goals through revolutionary top-down methods and Fannie Lou Hamer’s focus on the need for grassroots movements contributed to the Civil Rights movement significantly by encouraging and assisting Black Americans.
Charles, M. (2003). Time Longer Than Rope: A Century of African American Activism, 1850-1950. London: vintage publishers.
Levine, Michael L. African Americans and Civil Rights: From 1619 to the Present. Arizona: Oryx Press, 1996.
Harrison, Robert Pogue. “The Civil Rights Movement” . Chicago: U of Chicago, 2014. 98-111. Print.
Nabrit, James M. Jr. “The Relative Progress and the Negro in the United States: Critical Summary and Evaluation.” Journal of Negro History 32.4 (1963): 507-516. JSTOR. U of Illinois Lib., Urbana. 11 Apr. 2004
Williams, Juan. Eye on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1987.
...of religion, the freedom to assemble and civil rights such as the right to be free from discrimination such as gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation. Throughout history, African Americans have endured discrimination, segregation, and racism and have progressively gained rights and freedoms by pushing civil rights movement across America. This paper addressed several African American racial events that took place in our nation’s history. These events were pivotal and ultimately led to the establishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Civil Rights Act paved the way for future legislation that was not limited to African American civil rights and is considered a landmark piece of legislation that ending racism, segregation and discrimination throughout the United States.
Kirk, J. (2007). Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement: controversies and debates. Basingstoke New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
“American civil rights movement.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2013. .