Lecture 16 Notes

Differences between the North and South

It seems that Americans are hoplessly optimistic.  We have never gotten into a war that we thought would last very long after our entry.  There was a belief that once the national spotlight was shone on the inequalities in the South, especially those atrocities which violated democratic principles, then the national community would act swiftly to force change.  We know now that was a naive thought.  But the question remains, why was it so naive?

After the March on Washington, blacks in northern climes looked a little differently at events.  They realized that for all the anti-discrimination laws that were on the books, and all the pronouncements of brotherhood from their white elected officials, they were still the victims of deep discrimination.  Clearly these facts did not become self-evident only after the March, but blacks in northern urban areas began to pressure for increased opportunities.  Moreover, they realized that much of what was called for in Washington didn't apply to them.

Did the movement in the North start in 1963?  Probably not, but it's a good point at which to begin.

Religion

• The black church was present in the North.  It was no less frenetic or spirit-filled than similar churches in the South.  It was, however much less of an organizing force in the Northern struggle.
• Religion was not the emotional, spiritual, and social haven that it was in the more underdeveloped South.  Part of the reason was that the black power structure in the North was much more diffuse and diverse than it was in the South.
• The issues that most vexed northern blacks were likely to be economic and educational, and at the time there was not much the church could do about these.
• The above does not attempt to minimize the role of individual ministers.  They did get involved, but often they got involved kicking and screaming.

Nonviolence

• The absence of the church as the central motivator and organizer limited the appeal of nonviolence as a strategy or goal.
• Other options were available to them.  The Nation of Islam had labeled those who absorbed a beating as less than men.  The use of women and children as participants in marches, and therefore their exposure to abuse and violence, was also characterized as less than manly.  To be a man, one must protect his women and children from abuse, not place them in harm’s way.
• Consequently, while there were some activists from the South who moved northward with the message of nonviolence, the strategy never gained the full impact that it achieved in the South.

Access to Political Power

• Black-run organizations in the North, other than the churches, tended to be political groups.
• There is some new research which has shown that even groups with names such as "quilting circle" or "literary group" had a political function.
• Voting was not discouraged as in the South, instead it was actively encouraged.  However, many of the larger cities used political machines to dole out favors and largess.  Consequently, it wasn’t an independent black political group that was elected.  They were merely cogs in a machine.
• Adam Clayton Powell was almost idolized by voters in Harlem who elected him.  But he still represented a depressed area.  He was the chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, two of the most significant problems facing blacks, and yet very little came out of his committee.
• Whites in political office either were members of the NAACP, supporters of CORE, or had applauded the efforts of Martin Luther King.  A different story at home, but more difficult to wrestle with because of their public stances.

Goals

• The major goals for activists in the North were housing, education, and jobs.
• Northern blacks recognized that civil rights can only advance to a certain level unless there is a broader master plan for social change.  The labor movement was an important vehicle for such change.  Masses of unemployed blacks and whites employed the techniques of civil disobedience to get jobs, adopting the dynamic of the Negro struggle.

Coalition of Progressive Forces

• The northern coalition working for civil rights and social change included blacks, trade unionists, liberals, and religious groups.