Course Resources Archive

This module examines the history of Civil Rights Movement in America from the period of the Depression through to the end of the war in Vietnam and the passage of federal civil rights legislation. It explores the meaning of the “movement”, the role of black leaders, and interaction of civil rights with major domestic social and political changes as well as the impact of external events such as the Cold War, Korea, and the war in Vietnam.  This will include the impact of the Depression and World War II, the role and development of the NAACP, the origins and growth of the SCLC, SNCC, CORE and the non-violent campaigns, the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, and Black Nationalism, Black Power, Black Panthers, and the race conflict at the end of the 1960s and early 1970s.

The module will look at the changing socio-economic situation of African Americans from the 1930s on, through a consideration of the impact of World War II on race relations, at home and abroad, race relations in the Cold War, and Truman and the Fair Deal. A central concern will be the origins and nature of the civil rights movement, the role of individuals such as A. Philip Randolph, and the significance or not of key events such as World War II, the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the rise of Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).  The spread of non-violent protest, SNCC, CORE, sit-ins and Freedom Rides in the 1960s will be followed by consideration of the role of the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, and black nationalism, and the rise Black Power and the Black Panthers.  The module concludes with discussion of race relations in the North - race riots and race conflict and an assessment of the achievements and failures of the civil rights movement.

A student passing this module should be able to demonstrate that they:

1.  have acquired an in-depth knowledge of the forces shaping race relations in the USA in the second part of the 20th century;

2.  have an understanding of the origins and development of the modern civil rights movement;

3.  appreciate the relationships between external and internal developments such as war, economic and political changes and their impact upon race relations;

4.  are familiar with and able to analyse and interpret a variety of key primary documents or texts in African American history;

5.  have an understanding of, and ability to assess, current issues of historiographical debate in this area;

6. are able to deliver clear exposition and argument in written and oral form.

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.