HIS 230The American Civil Rights Move

Catalog

This course examines the start of the modern American Black civil rights movement from the Brown v. the Board of Education decision through the rise and fall of the Black Power movement. It will investigate the lives and influence of major movement leaders, as well as major organizations of the period, including SCLC, SNCC, CORE, and the NAACP, and the collective efforts of ordinary citizens who did extraordinary things. It will explore diverse strategies and tactics of the movement, such as nonviolent civil disobedience and Black nationalism. It will consider the often complex inner workings of gender and generational divides. It will also evaluate Black Americans' response to such historically negative incidents such as mass incarceration of Black Americans, the war on drugs, the southern strategy, etc. Lastly, we will examine the impact of contemporary movements on today's America, such as the Black Lives Matter movement and others. This course meets the General Education requirement for Community and Cultural Contexts.