“Or Does It Explode” Chapter 17

1. “Or Does It Explode”Chapter 17 Brittany Domenick CH S 245-14003 April 1, 2014

2. The Black Society • “In a society of complex controls, both crude and refined, secret thoughts can often be found in the arts, and so it was in black society.” (Zinn 443) • Zinn expresses that although there was much negativity that came from the “blacks”, there was also a lot of great art such as the jazz and blues music they brought to life.

3. The Communist Party • The communist party was very big on defending the problem among race equality. • The communist party had stepped in and depended young black men whom were imprisoned in the early years of the Depression, by southern injustice. • Many black people found themselves turning to the communist party for hope and guidance, in which they felt they would see freedom through the communist party.

4. Continue… • Angelo Herndon was a young man whom worked in the mines in Kentucky and later turned to the Unemployment Council in Birmingham founded by the Communist party. Herndon then joined the Communist party. • Herndon wrote, “ All my life I’d been sweated and steppe on and Jim Crowed…And here, all of a sudden, I had found organizations in which Negroes and whites sat together worked together, and knew no difference of race or color.” (Zinn 447)

5. Herndon • Herndon finally found something he was passionate about, which would make him, his people, and his society better. As a result, he became a communist party organizer in Atlanta. Being a Communist party organizer he accomplished such great things, such as receiving rent relief for needy people. • That relief alone voted in, by the city, $6,000 in relief to the jobless.

6. Herndon • Although Herndon did such great things for the blacks by joining the Communist party, he was arrest and spent 5 years in prison. • He did not complete his full sentence because in 1937 “the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the Georgia status under which he was found guilty.” (Zinn 448) • Zinn explains that it was men like Herndon that represented a militancy among blacks that made it more dangerous and riske when being linked to the communist party.

7. Segregation continues.. • After World War II, a new kind of racism arose, the unprecedented upsurge of black and yellow people in Africa and Asia. • Zinn states, “President Harry Turman had to reckon with this, especially as the cold war rivalry with the soviet union began, and the dark-skinned revolt of former colonies all over the world threatened to take marixst form.” (448)

8. Something to think about… • “ The problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line.” (Zinn 448) • What does this statement mean to you? What types of problems have we seen throughout the 20th century.

9. Civil rights Laws • There were several civil rights laws that were put into affect in 1957, 1960, and 1964. • These laws promised equality on voting, and employment; however were both openly ignored and hardly enforced. • Although in 1965 President Johnson and Congress passed the Voting Rights Law, Negro voting in the South was still very dramatic.

10. Black voters • It was stated that “ in 1952, a million southern blacks (20 percent of those eligible) registered to vote. In 1964 the number was 2 million- 40 percent. By 1968 it was 3 million, 60 percent- the same percentage as white voters.” (Zinn 456) • These statistics express to us that the enforcement and protection towards blacks in enforcing their rights and putting them in motion was a success.

11. Malcolm X • Malcolm X was a very important inspirational speaker for the black people among with time. He emphasized and communicated on how the black community actually felt about segregation and unequal rights.

12. H. Rap Brown and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 • After some very serious threatening and terrifying events that occurred, Congress had to pass a more strict and stronger law prohibiting violence against blacks, the Civil Rights Act of 1968. • This law states that a person is not allowed to, “ organize, promote, encourage, participate in or carry on a riot” or a person can spend up to 5 years in prison. • The first person to be prosecuted under this law was H. Rap Brown. • Was a young black leader of SNCC • Made a militant, angry speech in Maryland, coincidently right before a racial disturbance occurred.

13. Dr. Martin Luther King • Aside from his historical and inspirational speech he spent a lot of his time speaking to Congress as well as other blacks to get the equal rights he believed blacks deserved. • King had started so much controversy, drama, and basically stirred up the pot in which the whites didn’t approve nor appreciate; therefore he found himself on the top list of the FBI. The FBI was trying to take Dr. Martin Luther King down.

14. “Does it dry up or does it Explode” • It was said in 1978 there was 6 million black people unemployed. Many people pondered on the thought of, will another civil rights movement be coming there way. With blacks not exactly moving in the direction as quickly as they expected, would riots and bombings break out again. • Although blacks and whites were attending school together, working together, and voting together, was this enough for the blacks, was this enough equality they were looking for?

15. References: • Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. New York: HarpersCollins Publishers. 2005. Print. (pgs 443-467)