The Forgotten King

The title of this post is intentionally ironic. Of course we are away from school today because Dr. Martin Luther King is commemorated by name with a national holiday. And just about everyone alive is familiar with King's "I Have A Dream" speech. However, as we finish the semester, having recently explored the writings of another notable civil rights activist, Frederick Douglass, we invite you to think about what you have previously learned about Dr. King as a younger student, in light of this particular speech. The subject of the talk was the Vietnam War, in an excerpt from a sermon given at Ebenezer Baptist Church, on April 30, 1967. Consider the public response to his words back then:

...after giving the speech...King was dropped from Gallup’s annual list of the most admired Americans and was ridiculed by the New York Times, among too many others. Soon after, he was murdered (Robert Scheer, Truthdig.com).

Although it is over 20 minutes long, you are encouraged to listen to as much of it as you can (it's audio only). We know what amazing multitaskers you are. Press PLAY and have it on in the background as you IM your friends and surf the net ;) Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why is this post titled, "The Forgotten King"?
   
2. Why was this speech so controversial?
   
3. How does it relate to our course themes?
   
4. Can you make connections to today?
   

A full text version of this speech is available HERE.

The Meta-Blog Post

After one entire semester of blogging in American Studies, we would like you to write a single post based on the following reflective assignment:



The above assignment was adapted from Mark Sample, in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

What is your Columbian Orator?

Two years ago, historian Howard Zinn died of a heart attack at the age of 87. I was surprised how emotionally affected I was by his passing -- I certainly didn't know him, but saw him speak on several occasions, most notably at Northwestern University, days before the Iraq War.

I believe Zinn's death had such an impact on me because his writings and life were so formative in how I began to finally think for myself. Although most of us are familiar with Zinn's seminal A People's History of the United States, the book I always reference is the lesser-known Declarations of Independence, which has been since renamed.

This work always reminds me of a passage from Frederick Douglass' Narrative, in which he had secretly obtained a book, The Columbian Orator while in the depths of despair about being a slave for life. He wrote: "Every opportunity I got, I used to read this book....[It] gave tongue to interesting thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently flashed through my mind, and died away for want of utterance"(23-24). That's what Declarations was for me: an affirmation of my deepest-held beliefs, and a model for expressing them openly. Zinn had subtitled his book, "Cross-examining American Ideology", and challenged every one of the assumptions listed below.

‘Be realistic; this is the way things are; there’s no point thinking about how things should be.’


‘People who teach or write or report the news should be objective; they should not try to advance their own opinions.’


‘There are unjust wars, but also just wars.’


‘If you work hard enough, you’ll make a good living. If you are poor, you only have yourself to blame.’


‘Freedom of speech is desirable, but not when it threatens national security.’


‘Racial equality is desirable, but we’ve gone far enough in that direction.’


‘Our Constitution is the greatest guarantee of liberty and justice.’


‘The United States must intervene from time to time in various parts of the world with military power...[to] promote democracy.’


‘If you want to get things changed, the only way is to go through the proper channels.’


‘There is much injustice in the world but there is nothing that ordinary people, without wealth or power, can do about it.’

What/Who is your Columbian Orator?

Perilous-er and Perilous-er

This morning two American Studies students (I almost said "former" students, but these two are clearly still students of American Studies!) wrote to voice their opposition to the National Defense Authorization Act. This Act, which passed the Senate 93-7, grants extraordinary power to the government, allowing the military to detain U.S. citizens indefinitely.

Sources as disparate as the ACLU and Forbes are outraged, but as we head into an important election year, it's hard to find legislators who will vote against defense -- even if it means stripping U.S. citizens of their Constitutional rights. Forbes goes so far as to call the Act "the greatest threat to civil liberties Americans face." In fact, legislators who drafted the Act say that the "battlefield [in the war on terror] right outside your window." Do you agree?

If so, what, if anything, can we do?  I have written and called my representatives to voice my outrage. If you agree, you might contact your Senators (both of our IL senators voted for it): Senator Kirk and Senator Durbin.

How effective is such an action? What else might we do?

What is the Truth about Thanksgiving?

As we recover from copious amounts of turkey, cranberries, and mashed potatoes, it may be instructive to consider what we really know about the origins of our Thanksgiving holiday celebration.

According to James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me, the Pilgrims did not start the Thanksgiving tradition; instead, east coast Indians had celebrated autumnal harvests for hundreds of years. In fact, our modern celebration only dates back to President Lincoln's 1863 proclamation of a national Thanksgiving holiday (during the perilous times of the Civil War), when the Union badly needed a boost of patriotism. The Pilgrims of New England were not even incorporated into the tradition for another 30 years.

There are literally only two brief primary sources that deal with what happened in the Fall of 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The most familiar might be Edward Winslow's Mourt's Relation (modernized spelling below) in which he stated:

our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.

What from the traditional holiday celebration is mentioned and what is left out? Furthermore. the above-mentioned event lacks historical context. For example, why exactly were the Indians so willing to sit down with these "invaders"? Toward answering that question, some historians have argued that our yearly celebrations whitewash the permanent colonization of America that might have been impossible without the devastating (but unintentional) plagues that preceded the Pilgrim arrival. This (understated) onslaught of disease might have been the most important single occurrence in the history of America.

An American Studies Occupies Chicago!

Pete Seeger and Free Speech

Image via Wikipedia In light of our recent discussions about civil liberties and free speech, it might be a good time to consider the tens of thousands of people who have assembled in the Occupy Wall Street protests. The protests have recently spread to many other cities including Chicago as people increasingly become aware of the enormous disparity between the rich and the working poor in the United States.  One percent of Americans are millionaires, for example, but 50% of Congress consists of millionaires. Is it any wonder then that laws routinely favor the rich? Is it any wonder there is so much outrage? 

As part of the protests, I was thrilled to see one of my great heroes: Pete Seeger. One reason why this comes as a surprise is that Seeger is 92.  Pete has spent his long, rich life pursuing the values that he most cares about -- social justice, racial equality, environmental protection, and world music. Seeger's not just a folk music hero to me; he's worshiped by many important singers who've followed him -- Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Steve Earle just to name a few. (See the "iPod" on the side of this blog to hear Earle's recent song called "Steve's Hammer for Pete").

Seeger is a man of tremendous principle -- and his life embodies much of the opposition to civil liberties' abuses we are studying. He married a Japanese woman in the 1940's when our country was throwing many Japanese-Americans in prison camps. He fought for civil rights, singing with Mahalia Jackson and Paul Robeson when it nearly cost him his life. He inspired many famous civil rights leaders, including Julian Bond, who credits Seeger for opposing Jim Crow laws before the Civil Rights Movement really got underway. Pete even wrote some of the lyrics to "We Shall Overcome". He fought for unions and common working men (and women since he also advocated equality among the sexes). He traveled the world and recorded world music like no one had ever done before.

For all this he was branded a Communist (read: witch hunt) and was blacklisted from appearing on TV for 17 years at the height of his popularity. When the ban was finally lifted he shocked everyone by defiantly singing an anti-Vietnam War song called "The Big Muddy." Since then has sung to end apartheid in South Africa and almost single-handedly cleaned up the environmental disaster of the Hudson River. He's 92 now and he gets my vote for "the American who best exemplifies the values I hold most dear." Who are your heroes?