HIST 247-01, History of the American South, Spring 2013

Abstract

This course will examine the development of the American Civil Rights Movement from roughly The Reconstruction Era through the early twenty-first century. In the semester, we will examine the social, cultural, political and economic climate of this “long civil rights” period and consider how black and white Americans navigated the titanic changes that occurred during a period many refer to as “The Second Reconstruction.” Specifically, the course will focus on various individuals and organizations and the strategies they implemented to affect change; the tension between local and national initiatives; the impact of gender on the formulation of civil rights struggles; the significance of major events, such as World War II; Brown v. Board of Education; the founding of key organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and the impact of mass incarceration. Additionally, the course will analyze the various reactions to initiatives that allowed African Americans to attain many of the rights and privileges that have become commonplace in today’s society.