 POLITICS IS CONFLICTUAL
Read the news piece, titled The Little Rock Nine 50th Anniversary located at:
http://www.naacpldf.org/content.aspx?article=1209
and watch the following video created by the History Channel, which shows historical footage of the desegregation of Little Rock High School:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?bcpid=1184539009&bclid=1214007432&bctid=1207874351
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| 1. Comment on the visible emotions of the various parties. Describe the demeanor of the White students, the black students, and the army personnel. |
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| 2. What do these emotions suggest about school desegregation in the South? Might forced desegregation have harmed the cause of civil rights? If so, how? If not, why not? |
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 Political Process Matters
Watch the following videos provided by the History Channel, in which Alabama Governor George Wallace attempts to prohibit the desegregation of the University of Alabama:
Governor Wallace Defies Segregation
U.S. Army Escorts Little Rock Nine
Now listen to the following radio report by National Public Radio on the Little Rock Nine:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1294680 |
| 3. How is it that black students are eventually allowed into the university despite the Governor’s objection? Describe the various authorities and levels of government involved in the process. |
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| 4. Pay special attention to the changing role of the Alabama National Guard. How might this incident have played out differently had the national government not been able to act as it did? Comment on their importance in resolving this incident peacefully? Why might use of the military been detrimental to the long-term success of integration? |
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 POLITICS IS EVERYWHERE
Spend some time exploring CensusScope.
Compare the various maps that show the geographic distribution of people of different colors, age, and income. Also, compare the maps that illustrate the severity of segregation facing people of different colors and heritages. Click on the state you live in currently to get more detailed information.
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| 5. How diverse a population is the U.S. population? Is that diversity rooted in legitimate, meaningful differences, or are those differences largely manmade (i.e., discuss the different categories and labels applied to different “groups” of people)? |
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| 6. Does it really matter if those differences are genuine or invented? Given what you see on CensusScope, how vigilant should the U.S. government remain in its defense of civil liberties for all people? How successful has the government been in that defense so far? |
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