DOCSLIB.ORG

Propaganda and Aesthetics : the Literary Politics of Afro-American

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Propaganda and Aesthetics : the Literary Politics of Afro-American ft j3?3xl3.5 Jr V Propaganda and Aesthetics The Literary Politics of Afro-American Magazines in the Twentieth Century Abby Arthur Johnson & Ronald Maberry Johnson The University of Massachusetts Press Amherst, 1979 Copyright © 1979 by The University of Massachusetts Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Designed by Mary Mendell Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 78-19692 isbn 0-87023-269-x Grateful acknowledgment is extended to the following for permission to reprint copyrighted material: North Dakota Quarterly, for material from Abby Arthur Johnson and Ronald Maberry Johnson, ^'Reform and Reaction: Black Literary Magazines in the 1930s," in North Dakota Quarterly 46 (Winter 1978), 5-18. Journal of American Studies, for material from Abby Arthur Johnson and Ronald Maberry Johnson, "Forgotten Pages: Black Literary Magazines of the 1920s," in Journal of American Studies 8 (December 1974), 363-82. The Sterling Lord Agency, Inc., for material from LeRoi Jones, "Black Art," in Black Magic Poetry, published by Bobbs-Merrill, copyright © 1969 by LeRoi Jones. Reprinted by permission of The Sterling Lord Agency, Inc. The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, Inc., for ma¬ terial from Abby Arthur Johnson and Ronald Maberry Johnson, "Away from Accommodation: Radical Editors and Protest Journalism, 1900-1910," in Journal of Negro History 62, no. 4 (1977). Grateful acknowledgment for permission to publish is also extended to: Dorothy West, for quotations from her correspondence; Mrs. James Weldon Johnson, for the letters exchanged between Claude McKay, Dorothy West, and James Weldon Johnson; The James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection, for the letters of James Weldon Johnson; The Estate of Claude McKay, for the correspondence of Claude McKay; Hope McKay Virtue, for her kind permission to publish previ¬ ously unpublished correspondence; Mrs. Frederick Douglass III, for the letters of Booker T. Washington. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Johnson, Abby Arthur. Propaganda and aesthetics. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. American literature—Afro-American authors—Periodicals—History. 2. Afro- American periodicals—History. 3. American literature—20th century—History and criticism. 4. Afro-Americans—Race identity. 5. Little magazines—United States. 1. Johnson, Ronald Maberry, joint author. 11. Title. PS153.N5J6 810'.8'0052 78-19692 ISBN 0-87023-269-X Contents Preface v Chapter One. Away from Accommodation 1 Colored American Magazine, Voice of the Negro, and Horizon, 1900-1910 Chapter Two. Toward the Renaissance 31 Crisis, Opportunity, and Messenger, 1910-1928 Chapter Three. Black Renaissance 65 Little Magazines and Special Issues, 1916-1930 Chapter Four. Renaissance to Reformation 97 House Organs, Annual Reviews, and Little Magazines, 1930-1940 Chapter Five. Aesthetics of Integration 125 Negro Quarterly, Negro Story, Phylon, and Harlem Quarterly, 1940-1960 Chapter Six. Black Aesthetic 161 Revolutionary Little Magazines, 1960-1976 Epilogue: More than Mere Magazines 201 Notes 207 Selected Bibliography 233 Index 239 i / To our parents «t s > f* ^ ~ r T , t *o^ • i ■ I' r 1. t / ' il i ' Preface The literary materials in Afro-American magazines of the twentieth century weave into a rich narrative. The journals provide insight, not available in a comparable manner elsewhere, into the evolution of Afro-American literature. They trace the contributions made by major figures, including W. E. B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, Charles S. Johnson, Alain Locke, and Richard Wright, among several others. They record the discussions over art and propaganda which have been long prominent in black literature. Decade by decade, black artists and intellectuals have debated the function of Afro-American litera¬ ture: should it serve the aesthetic tastes of the individual writer, or should it advance the interests of Afro-Americans as a group. Some writers favored art-for-art's sake, or approximations of that emphasis; others articulated the need for art-for-people's sake, as they termed it. Little work has been done on individual Afro-American periodicals and nothing, up to this point, has been published on twentieth-century black journals as a group. Studies of magazines in general are rela¬ tively rare, with only The Little Magazine, by Frederick Hoffman, Charles Allen, and Carolyn P. Ulrich, attempting a survey of small journals in this century. With the exception of Afro-American pub¬ lications, the book provides valuable insight into numerous journals predating 1946, when the volume was published. It includes a brief note on Fire and Challenge, but excludes reference altogether to many other notable black small journals, such as Black Opals, Harlem, Saturday Evening Quill, and Stylus. We have attempted, with our study, to fill a considerable gap in literary history by detailing the development of Afro-American magazines in this century. Preface We limited our study to journals generally owned, managed, and read by Afro-Americans. Some publications tried to be exclusively black, as were those of the 1960s and early 1970s. Others allowed white participation to a greater or lesser extent, as did Voice of the Negro, Crisis, Opportunity, Negro Story, and Phylon. All of the jour¬ nals, whether involving whites or not, focused primarily on Afro- American concerns, including the proper direction for an evolving black literature. We could not examine each Afro-American magazine, since there have been so many. Instead, we focused on the publica¬ tions most significant to the course of black literature. These publications include large cultural and political journals as well as little literary magazines. In the former category are Colored American Magazine, Voice of the Negro, and especially Crisis and Opportunity, which served important literary purposes. The black little magazines were more numerous, appearing originally in embry¬ onic form in the first decade of the century. The magazines were designated little not because of publication size or contents but be¬ cause of a limited readership, usually numbering below 1,000 for each journal. The audience was small since the publications were so con¬ troversial, both in the subjects and styles of the material included. The poems and stories frequently highlighted characters—prostitutes, gamblers, and con men—and language—obscenities and slang terms like ^"nigger" and "^cracker"—which offended the bourgeoisie on both sides of the color line. As controversial publications, the little maga¬ zines could not, as a rule, attract well-heeled benefactors or adver¬ tisers, who usually were conservative in their tastes and gifts. As a result, many of the small journals died with pride in their beginnings, some after only one issue, such as Fire and Harlem, others after a valiant struggle sustained over three or four years, such as Challenge and Negro Story. This book follows a chronological plan, with each chapter focusing on a significant period in Afro-American history and letters. Chapter one discusses magazines and literature in the first decade of the cen¬ tury, in relation to the Booker T. Washington-W. E. B. Du Bois con¬ troversy. Chapters two and three trace the careers of the large journals and the little magazines as they prepared for and contributed to the black renaissance of the 1920s. Chapter four examines publications of the 1930s, in their response to the Depression and contemporary emphases on proletarian literature; and chapter five considers the im¬ pact of World War II on the journals of the 1940s and 1950s, as they developed a literary aesthetic based on integration. Chapter six views the revolutionary little magazines of the 1960s and early 1970s in Preface ^ their attempts to reject western culture and to establish a viable black aesthetic. This book originated five years ago, when Professor Arthur P. Davis of Howard University suggested that we look at Pire and Harlem, copies of which are located in the Moorland-Spingarn Re¬ search Center at the university. After reading the journals, along with other black magazines prominent in the 1920s, we saw the basis for an article which could best be done in collaboration. The joint involve¬ ment proved a successful blending of our scholarly backgrounds and interests and led to plans for a larger study. In the larger effort, Ron provided insights as an American social and cultural historian and Abby as a literary historian, with a specialty in little magazines. Abby drafted the manuscript, drawing on our joint research, several position papers, and innumerable and often interminable discussions. At the beginning of the study, neither of us thought that an adequate presentation of the material could be done without the considerable help of the other. We feel the same way now. Throughout our labors, we have shared some memorable experiences: the discovery of lively magazines and charismatic individuals, the unexpected locating of re¬ vealing correspondence, the unfolding of a dramatic story. We remain grateful to numerous persons. We are, of course, espe¬ cially thankful for the advice and support that Professor Davis has given us. The staff of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center proved most helpful, particularly Michael R. Winston, Director, in giving us access to the material; Denise D. Gletten, Senior Manuscript Librarian and Esme Bhan, Manuscript Research Associate, in assisting our use of archival collections; and Cornelia Stokes, Coordinator of Reader Services, in gathering the large
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Graham, Staff Depart to Mixed Reactions Former President Bill
    the Rice Thresher Vol. XCIV, Issue No. 16 SINCE 191# ^4/ < Friday, JanuaJanuarr y 19, 2007 Graham, staff depart to mixed reactions by Nathan Bledsoe offers — is Feb. 7. Tllkl SHI.R KDITORIAl S'l'AI I- President David Leebron, who is currently traveling in India, said he Two clays after signing a contract supports the coaching search. extension Jan. 9, former head football "Chris Del Conte is doing an coach Todd Graham, who led the re- absolutely first-rate job of conduct- surgent team to seven wins in his lone ing this process really expeditiously season at Rice, departed to become and thoughtfully," he said. "He has head coach at the University of Tulsa. assembled a terrific committee CBS Sportsline reported that of people which includes players Tulsa, where Graham was defensive from the team — I think people are coordinator before coming to Rice, really optimistic and excited about the will pay him $1.1 million a year — an future. It's not about just one person; estimated $400,000 increase over his it's about the program." Rice salary. Graham's lone year at Rice was By Jan. 13, Athletic Director Chris marked with much on-the-field Del Conte had formed a commit- success, with the Owls playing in tee and begun the search for a new their first bowl game since 1961. head coach. He also raised enough money to "We are going to strike and get install new Field Turf and a Jumbo- someone here in short order who tron at Rice Stadium, among other is going to take this baton and run upgrades.
    [Show full text]
  • Herbert Hill Papers [Finding Aid]. Library of Congress. [PDF Rendered Wed Jan 15 10:18:53 EST 2014] [XSLT Processor: SAXON 9.1.0
    Herbert Hill Papers A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Prepared by Joseph K. Brooks with the assistance of Jeffery Bryson, Karen Linn Femia, Brian McGuire, and Jewel McPherson Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2011 Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2013 Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms013130 Collection Summary Title: Herbert Hill Papers Span Dates: 1869-2004 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1944-1999) ID No.: MSS85224 Creator: Hill, Herbert, 1924-2004 Extent: 87,500 items ; 250 containers plus 1 oversize ; 100 linear feet Language: Collection material in English Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Abstract: Civil rights activist, educator, author, and NAACP labor secretary. Correspondence, legal case files, articles, draft books, speeches, news clippings, trade union records, governmental records, writings, speeches, photographs, printed matter, and other material relating to Hill's labor, social, and civil rights activism; writing and editing; and his academic career. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Abajian, James de T.--Correspondence. Baldwin, James, 1924-1987--Correspondence. Baraka, Amiri, 1934- --Correspondence. Bell, Derrick A.--Correspondence. Berry, Faith--Correspondence. Berry, Mary Frances--Correspondence. Bone, Robert, 1924-2007--Correspondence. Bontemps, Arna, 1902-1973--Correspondence. Brin, Louis L.--Correspondence. Brooks, George W. (George Washington), 1906- --Correspondence.
    [Show full text]
  • Postwar Urban Redevelopment and North Dallas Freedman's Town
    Roads to Destruction: Postwar Urban Redevelopment and North Dallas Freedman’s Town by Cynthia Lewis Like most American cities following World War II, Dallas entered a period of economic prosperity, and city leaders, like their counterparts throughout the nation, sought to maximize that prosperity through various urban renewal initiatives.1 Black urban communities across the country, branded as blighted areas, fell victim to the onslaught of postwar urban redevelopment as city leaders initiated massive renewal projects aimed at both bolstering the appeal and accessibility of the urban center and clearing out large sections of urban black neighborhoods. Between the years 1943 and 1983, Dallas city officials directed a series of massive redevelopment projects that decimated each of the city’s black communities, displacing thousands and leaving these communities in a state of disarray.2 This paper, which focuses on the historically black Dallas community of North Dallas, argues that residential segregation, which forced the growth and evolution of North Dallas, ultimately led to the development of slum conditions that made North Dallas a target for postwar slum clearance projects which only served to exacerbate blight within the community. Founded in 1869 by former slaves, North Dallas, formerly known as Freedman’s Town, is one of the oldest black neighborhoods in Dallas.3 Located just northeast of downtown and bounded by four cemeteries to the north and white-owned homes to the south, east, and west, the area became the largest and most densely populated black settlement in the city. Residential segregation played a pivotal role in the establishment and evolution of North Dallas, as it did with most black urban communities across the country.4 Racial segregation in Dallas, with its roots in antebellum, began to take 1 For an in-depth analysis of the United States’ postwar economy, see Postwar Urban America: Demography, Economics, and Social Policies by John F.
    [Show full text]
  • Questionnaire Responses Emily Bernard
    Questionnaire Responses Emily Bernard Modernism/modernity, Volume 20, Number 3, September 2013, pp. 435-436 (Article) Published by Johns Hopkins University Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/mod.2013.0083 For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/525154 [ Access provided at 1 Oct 2021 22:28 GMT with no institutional affiliation ] questionnaire responses ments of the productions of the Harlem Renaissance? How is what might be deemed 435 a “multilingual mode of study” vital for our present day work on the movement? The prospect of a center for the study of the Harlem Renaissance is terribly intriguing for future scholarly endeavors. Houston A. Baker is Distinguished University Professor and a professor of English at Vander- bilt University. He has served as president of the Modern Language Association of America and is the author of articles, books, and essays devoted to African American literary criticism and theory. His book Betrayal: How Black Intellectuals Have Abandoned the Ideals of the Civil Rights Era (2008) received an American Book Award for 2009. Emily Bernard How have your ideas about the Harlem Renaissance evolved since you first began writing about it? My ideas about the Harlem Renaissance haven’t changed much in the last twenty years, but they have expanded. I began reading and writing about the Harlem Renais- sance while I was still in college. I was initially drawn to it because of its surfaces—styl- ish people in attractive clothing, the elegant interiors and exteriors of its nightclubs and magazines. Style drew me in, but as I began to read and write more, it wasn’t the style itself but the intriguing degree of importance assigned to the issue of style that kept me interested in the Harlem Renaissance.
    [Show full text]
  • Too Terrible to Relate: Dynamic Trauma in the Novels of Toni Morrison
    ABSTRACT HUMANITIES STAYTON, COREY C. B.A. XAVIER UNIVERSITY, 1994 M.A. CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY, 1997 TOO TERRIBLE TO RELATE: DYNAMIC TRAUMA IN THE NOVELS OF TONI MORRISON Committee Chair: Daniel Black, Ph.D. Dissertation dated May 2017 This study examines fictional representations of trauma as reflected in Toni Morrison’s novels Sula, Song of Solomon, and Beloved. By utilizing the theoretical modes of new historicism and trauma theory, the veil of double consciousness is explicated. The modes also help to expose the climate of trauma in the novels which produce various forms of dysfunction in the individual and the community. The unspoken atrocities experienced as a result of slavery, Jim Crow, and physical and sexual violence in many of Morrison’s novels suggest the common thread of trauma in the lives of the characters who experience similar events in Morrison’s stories. The particular traumas depicted in Morrison’s novels, Sula, Song of Solomon, and Beloved, damage agency, leading to detachment and paralysis in the individual. The scope of this study is limited to the novels Sula, Song of Solomon, and Beloved as they best illustrate trauma in Morrison’s characters and the damage that the pathology causes to agency, leading to detachment and paralysis in general. TOO TERRIBLE TO RELATE: DYNAMIC TRAUMA IN THE NOVELS OF TONI MORRISON A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY COREY STAYTON DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES ATLANTA, GEORGIA MAY 2017 © 2017 COREY C. STAYTON All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many people who have made the writing of this dissertation a reality.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice in Boston, 1900 to 2000
    The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fogler Library Summer 8-22-2019 "The Dream is in the Process:" Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice in Boston, 1900 to 2000 Michael J. Brennan University of Maine, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Brennan, Michael J., ""The Dream is in the Process:" Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice in Boston, 1900 to 2000" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3102. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/3102 This Open-Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “THE DREAM IS IN THE PROCESS:” ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN BOSTON, 1900 TO 2000 By Michael J. Brennan B.S. University of Maine at Farmington, 2001 A.L.M. Harvard University Extension School, 2012 A DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (American History) The Graduate School The University of Maine August 2019 Advisory Committee: Richard Judd, Professor Emeritus of History Elizabeth McKillen, Adelaide & Alan Bird Professor of History Liam Riordan, Professor of History Jacques Ferland, Associate Professor of History and Graduate Coordinator of History Program Roger J.H. King, Associate Professor of Philosophy THE DREAM IS IN THE PROCESS: ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN BOSTON, 1900 TO 2000 By: Michael J. Brennan Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Richard Judd An Abstract of the Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in American History (August 2019) The following work explores the evolution of a resident-directed environmental activism that challenged negative public perception to redevelop their community.
    [Show full text]
  • After Seminal Anthology, Busby Celebrates New Daughters of Africa
    Home Nigeria World Politics Sport Opinion Business Technology Arts Guardian TV Literature After seminal anthology, Busby celebrates New Daughters of Africa By Olatoun Gabi-Williams 21 April 2019 | 4:19 am New Daughters of Africa at the WOW Festival, International Women’s Day 2019 Reports online are increasing about projects in the creative industries aimed not only at countering fear of the ‘other’ and resentment about the growing number of ‘others’ in our midst but at highlighting ways ‘others’ enrich and strengthen us. As nationalism and nativism rise across the globe, my cyber world is under siege. I am not complaining. Powerful images posted online from art biennials have stayed with me: Venice, Berlin, Dak’Art (Dakar, Senegal) and Art X in Lagos, Nigeria. Memorable, startling art, love- infused, aiming to transform the way I, we, see all kinds of difference: gender, race, culture and ability. Rarely can art claim immediate transformative power; what it can do is capture the imagination and plant seeds for a conversation and perhaps – ultimately – a conversion. Latest In this essay, I turn my thoughts away from arresting visual art to focus on a landmark Trump says Congress 'can't union: Margaret Busby OBE with Candida Lacey of Myriad Editions (UK) and 200+ 2 mins ago women from Africa and its diasporas. It is a great literary assembly put together for the purpose of reconstructing perceptions about Africa and her women, celebrating African Why Buhari administratio women in literature and showcasing the dazzling range of their work. Importantly, the delayed - Dogara women have assembled for the purpose of making a difference in black women’s lives 23 mins ago through the inauguration of the Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa (NDOA) Award.
    [Show full text]
  • Claude Mckay's a Long Way from Home
    Through a Black Traveler's Eyes: Claude McKay's A Long Way from Home Tuire Valkeakari Yale University Abstract: This essay analyzes Jamaican-born Claude McKay's discussion of racism(s) and nationalism(~) in his travelogue/autobiography A Long Way from Home ( 1937), in which he chronicles his sojourn in Europe and North Africa and addresses his complex relationship to the United States. Much of McKay's social analysis draws, as this essay establishes, on his observation that racism and nationalism tend to be intertwined and feed 011 each othe1: While describing his travels, McKay presents himselfas a bordercrosser who is "a bad nationalist" and an "internationalist" - a cosmopolitan whose home cannot be defined by any fixed national labels or by nationalist or racialist identity politics. This essay's dialogue with McKay's memoir ultimately reconstructs his difficult and of1-frustrated quest for democracy - the political condition that Ralph Ellison once eloquently equated with "man~· being at home in. the world." Key words: Claude McKay - nationalism - transnationalism - cosmopolitanism - race - racism - travel The way home we seek is that condition of man's being at home in the world, which is called love, and which we tenn democracy. - Ralph Elli son, "Brave Words for a Startling Occasion" I said I was born in the West Indies and lived in the United States and that I was an American, even though I was a British subject, but 1 preferred to think of myself as an internationalist. The chaoL1Sh said he didn't understand what was an internationalist. J laughed and said that an internationalist was a bad nationalist.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of African American Theatre Errol G
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-62472-5 - A History of African American Theatre Errol G. Hill and James V. Hatch Frontmatter More information AHistory of African American Theatre This is the first definitive history of African American theatre. The text embraces awidegeographyinvestigating companies from coast to coast as well as the anglo- phoneCaribbean and African American companies touring Europe, Australia, and Africa. This history represents a catholicity of styles – from African ritual born out of slavery to European forms, from amateur to professional. It covers nearly two and ahalf centuries of black performance and production with issues of gender, class, and race ever in attendance. The volume encompasses aspects of performance such as minstrel, vaudeville, cabaret acts, musicals, and opera. Shows by white playwrights that used black casts, particularly in music and dance, are included, as are produc- tions of western classics and a host of Shakespeare plays. The breadth and vitality of black theatre history, from the individual performance to large-scale company productions, from political nationalism to integration, are conveyed in this volume. errol g. hill was Professor Emeritus at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire before his death in September 2003.Hetaughtat the University of the West Indies and Ibadan University, Nigeria, before taking up a post at Dartmouth in 1968.His publications include The Trinidad Carnival (1972), The Theatre of Black Americans (1980), Shakespeare in Sable (1984), The Jamaican Stage, 1655–1900 (1992), and The Cambridge Guide to African and Caribbean Theatre (with Martin Banham and George Woodyard, 1994); and he was contributing editor of several collections of Caribbean plays.
    [Show full text]
  • Dallas Striptease 1946-1960 A
    FROM MIDWAY TO MAINSTAGE: DALLAS STRIPTEASE 1946-1960 A Thesis by KELLY CLAYTON Submitted to the Graduate School of Texas A&M University-Commerce in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2019 FROM MIDWAY TO MAINSTAGE: DALLAS STRIPTEASE 1946-1960 A Thesis by KELLY CLAYTON Approved by: Advisor: Jessica Brannon-Wranosky Committee: Sharon Kowalsky Andrew Baker Head of Department: Sharon Kowalsky Dean of the College: William Kuracina Dean of the Graduate School: Matthew A. Wood iii Copyright © 2019 Kelly Clayton iv ABSTRACT FROM MIDWAY TO MAINSTAGE: DALLAS STRIPTEASE 1946-1960 Kelly Clayton, MA Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2019 Advisor: Jessica Brannon-Wranosky PhD The entertainment landscape of post-World War II Dallas, Texas included striptease in different types of venues. Travelling and local striptease acts performed at the city’s annual fair and in several nightclubs in the city. In the late 1940s, the fair featured striptease as the headlining act, and one of the city’s newspapers, the Dallas Morning News, described the dancers as the most popular attraction of the largest fair in the United States. Further, the newspaper reporting congratulated the men who ran the fair for providing Texans with these popular entertainment options. The dancers who performed at the fair also showcased their talents at area nightclubs to mixed gender audiences. Dallas welcomed striptease as an acceptable form of entertainment. However, in the early 1950s, the tone and tenor of the striptease coverage changed. The State Fair of Texas executives decried striptease as “soiled” and low-class. Dancers performed in nightclubs, but the newspaper began to report on one particular entertainer, Candy Barr, and her many tangles with law enforcement.
    [Show full text]
  • Sylvia Pankhurst's Sedition of 1920
    “Upheld by Force” Sylvia Pankhurst’s Sedition of 1920 Edward Crouse Undergraduate Thesis Department of History Columbia University April 4, 2018 Seminar Advisor: Elizabeth Blackmar Second Reader: Susan Pedersen With dim lights and tangled circumstance they tried to shape their thought and deed in noble agreement; but after all, to common eyes their struggles seemed mere inconsistency and formlessness; for these later-born Theresas were helped by no coherent social faith and order which could perform the function of knowledge for the ardently willing soul. Their ardor alternated between a vague ideal and the common yearning of womanhood; so that the one was disapproved as extravagance, and the other condemned as a lapse. – George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1872 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... 2 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 4 The End of Edwardian England: Pankhurst’s Political Development ................................. 12 After the War: Pankhurst’s Collisions with Communism and the State .............................. 21 Appealing Sedition: Performativity of Communism and Suffrage ....................................... 33 Prison and Release: Attempted Constructions of Martyrology
    [Show full text]
  • PAPERS of the NAACP Part Segregation and Discrimination, 15 Complaints and Responses, 1940-1955
    A Guide to the Microfilm Edition of BLACK STUDIES RESEARCH SOURCES Microfilms from Major Archival and Manuscript Collections General Editors: John H. Bracey, Jr. and August Meier PAPERS OF THE NAACP Part Segregation and Discrimination, 15 Complaints and Responses, 1940-1955 Series B: Administrative Files UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS OF AMERICA PAPERS OF THE NAACP Part 15. Segregation and Discrimination, Complaints and Responses, 1940-1955 Series B: Administrative Files A Guide to the Microfilm Edition of BLACK STUDIES RESEARCH SOURCES Microfilms from Major Archival and Manuscript Collections General Editors: John H. Bracey, Jr. and August Meier PAPERS OF THE NAACP Part 15. Segregation and Discrimination, Complaints and Responses, 1940-1955 Series B: Administrative Files Edited by John H. Bracey, Jr. and August Meier Project Coordinator Randolph Boehm Guide compiled by Martin Schipper A microfilm project of UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS OF AMERICA An Imprint of CIS 4520 East-West Highway * Bethesda, MD 20814-3389 Library of Congress Cataloglng-ln-Publication Data National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Papers of the NAACP. [microform] Accompanied by printed reel guides. Contents: pt. 1. Meetings of the Board of Directors, records of annual conferences, major speeches, and special reports, 1909-1950 / editorial adviser, August Meier; edited by Mark Fox--pt. 2. Personal correspondence of selected NAACP officials, 1919-1939 / editorial--[etc.]--pt. 15. Segregation and discrimination, complaints and responses, 1940-1955. 1. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People-Archives. 2. Afro-Americans--Civil Rights--History--20th century-Sources. 3. Afro- Americans--History--1877-1964--Sources. 4. United States--Race relations-Sources. I. Meier, August, 1923- .
    [Show full text]