Notes on the MLK Assignment
1.
The first question is answered in MLK’s book. Be specific about conditions in the 1960s. And don’t confuse the 1960s with the 1860s. Slavery ended in 1865 with the end of the Civil War.
The second question is based on Chapters 5-7 of the textbook. For legal mechanisms which created the conditions in which black people found themselves, discuss the following:
What did the Constitution say about slavery?
What was the Dred Scott decision?
What were the post-Civil War Constitutional Amendments? What legal mechanisms in the states took away the rights given by these amendments and how did they do it?
What laws created and enforced segregation?
What did Plessy v. Ferguson say?
For societal mechanisms, discuss the following:
What attitudes did white people have toward the slaves and did these attitudes carry over after slavery ended?
What organization used terror tactics to stop black people from voting, etc.
2. There are three parts to #2. Each is worth five points, so make sure you get all three.
3. This question is worth 45 points. If you want all these points, you must thoroughly cover the stages.
Preparation: What all did they do to prepare? Be specific. Should be half a page.
Demonstrations: What did they do? What happened when they did it? Should be half a page or more.
Ending: Look for a specific event which signaled the beginning of the end. What was it? What happened after it? Should be close to half a page…
Why We Couldn’t Wait
by Martin Luther King, Jr.
As you read Dr. King’s book,
look for the answers
to the questions below.
Then
answer the
questions as fully as you can. Be specific and use examples from the book
but don’t use direct quotes except on question #5
.
This exercise is worth 100 points, so spend time on it and do a good job.
(Do not go on-line or anywhere else for information about the events in the book
unless instructed to do so
.
Why We Couldn’t Wait
mu
st be your only resource.) There is no requirement that your work be a specific number of pages long. However, if the questions aren’t completely answered, you will lose points. (Question 3 is worth 45 points and, therefore, should have an answer that is much longer than that of the other questions. In order to give a complete answer to question #
3
, you will have to read the whole book.)
1. What were conditions like for black people in the U.S. in the early 1960’s?
From the textbook: What legal and societal mechanisms created and kept black people in these conditions? (
25
points)
2. What was MLK’s philosophy of how to bring about change and where did it come from? Why was
it so widely accepted among black people?
(
15
points)
3.
Divide
the civil rights movement in Birmingham
into stages of preparation, demonstrations, and ending
?
What happened in each stage?
(
45
points)
4. Why were the protests in Birmingham important?
(This can be your own opinion, or it can be Dr. King’s opinion if you find it stated in the book.)
(
5
points)
5. Find five short passages in the book that you think illustrate a character trait of MLK (courage, for example).
List the character trait, type the passage, and then write a short paragraph explaining how you think that passage demonstrates the character trait you have chosen.
Do this for each of the five passages you choose.
(
1
0
points)
Example:
Use the following format:
1.
Meticulous
(
marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details
)
In preparation for our campaign, I called a three-day retreat and planning sessi
o
n with S.C.L.C. staff and board members at our training center near Savannah, Georgia. Here we sought to perfect a timetable and discuss every possible eventuality
. (p. 40)
MLK knew that it would take careful planning to make the demonstrations in Birmingham have the desired effect, and he made sure that staff knew what to do in all kinds of situations. He was very meticulous about this.