Civil Rights, Freedom, and the Role of Government

Length: about 1,200 – 1,400 words (about 4-5 pages)
Debates over civil rights in the United States often involved competing claims about the definition of freedom, about the proper role of government, and about the best methods and tactics for securing civil rights. Write an essay analyzing and discussing the ways that these competing claims shaped the debates over civil rights from World War Two through to the end of the 1960s.

Compare and contrast the documents, looking for similarities and differences. Some possible issues to consider include: Did supporters of the civil rights movement all share the same attitudes to freedom and the role of government? What about opponents of the civil rights movement? Do you see examples of “negative liberty” and “positive liberty” in the documents? What connections do the different documents draw between the civil rights movement, the concept of freedom, and the proper role of government? Were there different ideas about the proper methods and tactics to use in fighting for civil rights?

In writing your essay, make use of ALL of the following sources.

Primary Sources

• A. Philip Randolph, “Call to Negro America to March on Washington for Jobs and Equal Participation in National Defense” (1941)
• President’s Commission on Human Rights, To Secure These Rights (1947)
• “The Southern Manifesto” Congressional Record (1956)
• George E. McMillan, “Sit-Downs: The South’s New Time Bomb” Look (1960)
• Barry Goldwater, The Conscience of a Conservative (1960)
• Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham City Jail (1963)
• George Wallace, The Civil Rights Movement: Fraud, Sham, and Hoax (1964)
• Lyndon Johnson, Commencement Address at Howard University (1965)
• Black Panther Party, “What We Want, What We Believe” (1966)

You may use relevant sections of the textbook to provide context and additional information, where appropriate, but your essay should focus on analyzing the primary sources and using them to help you answer the question.

Do NOT simply summarize each primary source one at a time. Try to make an argument that addresses the key issues raised in the question, and use evidence from the sources to support your argument. Use topic sentences to introduce each paragraph.

In writing your essay, note the instructions below.

• Address every part of the question. Be sure to answer each part of the question in the prompt. It may help to organize your essay using the parts of the prompt as a guide.
• Include a thesis statement. You are encouraged to introduce the main argument of your essay in the first or second paragraph, so that your explanation of it is clear throughout.
• Think for yourself. Answer the questions with your own brainpower, in your own words. This is NOT a research paper assignment!

***Do NOT visit the Library or the World Wide Web for additional resources. Everything you need to answer the question is in the listed sources. Students who use outside sources risk failing the assignment***

• Prove your point. Provide ample evidence to support your argument(s) by providing concrete examples and illustrations from your reading. You do not need to use quotations, but your paper should demonstrate a familiarity with the important arguments made by the documents.
• Avoid personal sentiments. Your essay should make an academic argument based on evidence, not opinion.
• Cite your sources. Be sure to make specific reference to and cite specific examples from your reading as evidence to support your answer.
• Use your own words. Plagiarism is unacceptable. If you are confused about what constitutes plagiarism, consult the library’s guide, or ask the instructor. You MAY use quotations, but they must be clearly indicated using quotation marks, and they should only be used to support YOUR arguments, and not to make your arguments for you.
• Citations. You may use whatever format you like (MLA, APA, Chicago style) to cite your sources, but you must make clear for your reader where your information (and not just direct quotations) comes from.

Format and Submission

• Length. Your paper should be about 4-5 pages long, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins (about 1200-1400 word
• I will attach the remaining sources when I accept you