The Truth About Selma: an Exchange

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Truth About Selma: an Exchange The Truth About Selma: An Exchange To the Editors: Ava DuVernay, and he quotes from well- “Selma” phenomenon—in reality and on and virtually all of the black support. When regarded black leaders to support this char- film—requires a lot more than this. Clark saw he was going to lose, he confis- I have great respect for The New York Re- acterization. DuVernay, on the other hand, has cated seven or eight boxes from the pre- view of Books. Thus, I turned with antici- a different perception of reality, as reflected John G. Stewart dominantly black voting districts, declaring pation to Darryl Pinckney’s recent piece on in her comment that she wasn’t interested in Legislative Director to Senator them illegal for irregularities. Fortunately, Selma, the event itself and the movie that making another “white savior movie.” Hubert Humphrey (1962–1965) and the resulting election contest was removed depicts what happened [“Some Different Mr. Pinckney’s take on these divergent to Vice President Humphrey (1965–1969) to federal court, and John Doar arrived to Ways of Looking at Selma,” NYR, Febru- realities would have been very illuminat- Knoxville, Tennessee try the case and obtain a verdict for Baker. ary 19]. I did this from the perspective of ing. For instance, he could have tackled the Selma now suffers from more than its someone who, as an assistant to Senator question that continues to swirl about this To the Editors: share of poverty and lack of economic op- and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, powerful film: How much credence are we portunity. Racism, from both white and was closely involved with the development to afford the notion that filmmakers can, Darryl Pinckney adds his voice to the re- black, still exists to some degree. But there and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and should, define distinctly different white views of the movie Selma and supplements are many positive signs, and many exam- and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. and black narratives? his comments by relating aspects of King’s ples of cooperation and goodwill between I regret to say that I was disappointed Here’s what I think. Passage of the Vot- campaign not covered by the film. Selma the races. There are numerous events tak- and puzzled. How is one to explain the series ing Rights Act was one of the momentous has been observed and written about reg- ing place over the next several weeks and of factual errors I encountered? It’s Sheriff democratic achievements of the last cen- ularly since 1965. The movie and the fifti- months, including a “unity” march from the Jim Clark—Selma’s still-notorious brutal tury. It represented an enormous first step eth anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” have county side of the bridge back into town, a bully—not “Bill” Clark. Mr. Pinckney writes in correcting injustices that have plagued— only increased that attention. Those of panel discussion with Howell Raines and that King’s activist leader, James us who live here have learned others, and a visit from President Obama. Bevel, was moved to action by to live with that. We can point Selma has budding entrepreneurial and the horrendous murder of Jimmy out errors in what is said about arts movements making a difference in the Lee Jackson of Selma. That’s us, such as those that occur in community. A novelist of Mr. Pinckney’s misleading because Bevel and his the movie and Mr. Pinckney’s stature would be a welcome addition to the wife, Diane Nash, had developed review (Sheriff “Bill” Clark in- dialogue. I invite him to come on down. the so-called Alabama Plan that stead of Jim Clark). But it seems included direct action in Selma, trivial to do so when the basic Harry W. Gamble Jr. as well as other Alabama cities, truth of discrimination and vio- Selma, Alabama almost two years earlier in the lence that happened in 1965 is so aftermath of the murder of the powerful. Darryl Pinckney replies: four schoolgirls at the 16th Street Steven Kasher Gallery, New York Nevertheless, for Mr. Pinck- Baptist Church in Birmingham. ney to conclude his piece by I do make apologies to Mr. Stewart and to In other words, Selma’s dem- quoting an offhand remark by all readers for the error of calling Sheriff Jim onstrations were a long time in James Baldwin that “Selma was Clark “Bill” Clark and for attributing the the making. In another misstep, the worst place in the world” order to withdraw on Turnaround Tuesday Mr. Pinckney has Sheriff Jim is hard to take. This gratuitous to him, when it was the head of the state Clark ordering the state troopers swipe at our town is not related troopers who gave the order. It may be clear to stand aside during the “Turn- Martin Luther King Jr. with Ralph Abernathy, James Forman of to the movie or the review, and in the film; I should have gone to see it a around Tuesday” second march the SNCC, and Reverend Jesse Douglas leading the march around the furthermore the statement was third time. I should have checked the several that is so dramatically depicted state capitol, Montgomery, Alabama, March 25, 1965; photograph untrue in 1965 and is certainly documentary sources available. But I don’t in the film. Not so. Sheriff Clark by Spider Martin from the exhibition ‘Selma March 1965,’ at the untrue now. Selma in 1965 was consider these factual errors “missteps.” was deliberately kept under Steven Kasher Gallery, New York City, March 5–April 18, 2015 guilty of Jim Crow prejudice and I didn’t go into Bevel’s “Alabama Plan,” wraps by state authorities and denial of voting rights of its citi- because the film doesn’t. I also don’t see played no role. It was Major John Cloud of and continue to plague—our democracy zens, as were hundreds of towns and cities where Mr. Stewart and I disagree on the the Alabama state troopers, acting on or- from before independence. Neither Lyndon all over the South. But Selma had removed importance of the Voting Rights Act, or on ders from Colonel Al Lingo who, in turn, Johnson with all his legislative experience segregation signs from public drinking how much Johnson and King needed each was communicating with Governor George and protean energy nor Martin Luther King fountains and begun interracial meetings. other to get it passed.* He’s certainly en- Wallace, who commanded the troopers to Jr. with all his eloquence, personal cha- Selma’s leading citizens had publicly de- titled to feel vehemently about the film, but move to the side of the highway. risma, and organizational skills could win nounced the Ku Klux Klan. that is a matter altogether separate from This is significant because the standdown this fight on his own. No question that King What Selma did have was a brutish sher- what I said about the story this biopic takes to avoid violence had been negotiated by kept pushing Johnson and it’s equally clear iff who reacted violently once the marchers from the Selma protest. White House representatives, King, and that Johnson kept telling King about the po- got to the courthouse or across the bridge I am pleased for Mr. Gamble that his feel- Lingo. Even though it generated heated litical and legislative barriers that had to be into the county and under his jurisdiction. ing for his hometown inspires him to speak opposition from the Student Non-Violent overcome. Both also came to realize that to- But the city of Selma had its public safety up for those white citizens in Selma who Coordinating Committee toward King, this gether they could win and apart they would director, Wilson Baker, who kept the peace tried to make a difference or recognized agreement also kept the marchers from vio- lose. Anything that detracts from the essen- while the marchers were under his watch. that change had to come. But there was lating an injunction by the federal district tial truth of this realization is regrettable. Under very difficult circumstances, he pre- nothing offhand or gratuitous about what court not to march until the federal district With a commitment to preserving es- vented matters from getting much worse. Baldwin said. Selma was for him a very dis- judge had reached a positive decision on sential truths, the filmmaker can capture The violent actions that resulted in the turbing experience, a black man from the whether the march could go forward. The stories like Selma in a manner beyond the death of Jimmy Lee Jackson did not occur in North accustomed to the harshness of the entire episode revealed a growing and ul- reach of any other medium. Pinckney, on Selma by the Selma police as the movie im- ghetto, but not to the organized violence of timately decisive collaboration—a partner- the other hand, prefers another path: plies, but in another town by state troopers. those opposed to civil rights equality in the ship, if you will—between Reverend King As a white Selmian who was here in South. He hadn’t liked being afraid. Some and President Johnson. The book is still the only medium in Selma in 1965, I am not proud of the fact time after Selma, Baldwin wrote about his These missteps point to another and more which you can make a complicated that those of us who were opposed to Jim color being a mirror for white people and fundamental concern: Where is the insight argument.
Recommended publications
  • Viewer's Guide
    SELMA T H E BRIDGE T O T H E BALLOT TEACHING TOLERANCE A PROJECT OF THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER VIEWER’S GUIDE GRADES 6-12 Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is the story of a courageous group of Alabama students and teachers who, along with other activists, fought a nonviolent battle to win voting rights for African Americans in the South. Standing in their way: a century of Jim Crow, a resistant and segregationist state, and a federal govern- ment slow to fully embrace equality. By organizing and marching bravely in the face of intimidation, violence, arrest and even murder, these change-makers achieved one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era. The 40-minute film is recommended for students in grades 6 to 12. The Viewer’s Guide supports classroom viewing of Selma with background information, discussion questions and lessons. In Do Something!, a culminating activity, students are encouraged to get involved locally to promote voting and voter registration. For more information and updates, visit tolerance.org/selma-bridge-to-ballot. Send feedback and ideas to [email protected]. Contents How to Use This Guide 4 Part One About the Film and the Selma-to-Montgomery March 6 Part Two Preparing to Teach with Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot 16 Part Three Before Viewing 18 Part Four During Viewing 22 Part Five After Viewing 32 Part Six Do Something! 37 Part Seven Additional Resources 41 Part Eight Answer Keys 45 Acknowledgements 57 teaching tolerance tolerance.org How to Use This Guide Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is a versatile film that can be used in a variety of courses to spark conversations about civil rights, activism, the proper use of government power and the role of the citizen.
    [Show full text]
  • Educator's Guide
    Holiday House Educator’s Guide Because They Marched The People’s Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America Russell Freedman Grades 5 up HC: 978-0-8234-2921-9 • e-book: 978-0-8234-3263-9 • $20.00 Illustrated with photographs. Includes a time line, source notes, a bibliography, and an index. ALA Notable Children’s Book A Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book A Booklist Editors’ Choice ★ “A beautifully written narrative that is moving as well as informative.” —Booklist, starred review ★ “Richly illustrated.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review ★ “Clear, concise storytelling.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review About the Book For the 50th anniversary of the march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman has written a riveting account of this pivotal event in the history of civil rights. In the early 1960s, tensions in the segregated South intensified. Tired of reprisals for attempting to register to vote, Selma’s black community began to protest. The struggle received nationwide attention in January 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a voting rights march and was attacked by a segregationist. In February, the shooting of an unarmed demonstrator by an Alabama state trooper inspired a march from Selma to the state capital, an event that got off to a horrific start on March 7 as law officers attacked peaceful demonstrators. Broadcast throughout the world, the violence attracted widespread outrage and spurred demonstrators to complete the march at any cost. Illustrated with more than forty photographs, this is an essential chronicle of events every American should know. www.HolidayHouse.com Pre-Reading Activity The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1870.
    [Show full text]
  • I've Seen the Promised Land: a Letter to Amelia Boynton Robinson Mauricio E
    SURGE Center for Public Service 1-20-2014 I've Seen the Promised Land: A Letter to Amelia Boynton Robinson Mauricio E. Novoa Gettysburg College Follow this and additional works at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/surge Part of the African American Studies Commons, Cultural History Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Latin American Languages and Societies Commons, Latin American Studies Commons, Oral History Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social History Commons, and the United States History Commons Share feedback about the accessibility of this item. Novoa, Mauricio E., "I've Seen the Promised Land: A Letter to Amelia Boynton Robinson" (2014). SURGE. 43. https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/surge/43 This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution. Cupola permanent link: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/surge/43 This open access blog post is brought to you by The uC pola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of The uC pola. For more information, please contact [email protected]. I've Seen the Promised Land: A Letter to Amelia Boynton Robinson Abstract You asked if I had any thoughts or comments at the end of our visit, and I stood and said nothing. I opened my mouth, but instead of giving you words my throat was sealed by a dam of speechlessness while my eyes wept out all the emotions and heartache that I wanted to share with you. The others in my group were able to express their admiration, so I wanted to do the same.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Reverend C.T. Vivian, in Memoriam August 21, 2020 During the Civil
    Reverend C.T. Vivian, In Memoriam August 21, 2020 During the Civil Rights Movement many Americans bravely urged our nation to keep its promise of equality for all, but very few met the face of racism, violence, and fear with a clarion call for justice that remains seared in the national memory. “We are willing to be beaten for democracy and you misuse democracy in the streets”1 once said a young Cordy Tindell (“C.T.”) Vivian in Selma, Alabama to Sheriff Jim Clark, as Vivian led a peaceful Black voter registration march in 1965. Reverend Vivian offered these words after Sheriff Clark, acting under color of law, punched Vivian in the mouth on the Selma courthouse steps in front of television cameras with force so great that it both made Vivian bleed and broke Clark’s hand. This moment crystalized the contest and cost of facing segregation, injustice, and brutality with courage, fortitude, and selflessness. Sheriff Clark became a face of injustice, and Vivian the face of Americans seeking justice. C.T. Vivian was an unrelenting advocate for non-violent change to which he was inalterably committed throughout his life. Recalling the courthouse confrontation, Vivian recounted, “with Jim Clark it was a clear engagement…you do not walk away from that you continue to answer it.”2 In his words, “We have proven that we can solve social problems without violence if we choose.”3 C.T. Vivian spoke of Black Americans’ aspiration for equality, and, as we would learn, he spoke of destiny. He was a fearless fighter for equality in a cause that was paved with his sacrifices and those of so many others.
    [Show full text]
  • Interview with Rev. Dana Greeley November 22, 1985 Selma, Alabama Production Team: C Camera Rolls: 561-563 Sound Rolls: 1527-1529 Interviewer: Callie Crossley
    Interview with Rev. Dana Greeley November 22, 1985 Selma, Alabama Production Team: C Camera Rolls: 561-563 Sound Rolls: 1527-1529 Interviewer: Callie Crossley Interview gathered as part of Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years (1954-1965) Produced by Blackside, Inc. Housed at the Washington University Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. Preferred Citation Interview with Rev. Dana Greeley, conducted by Blackside, Inc. on November 22, 1985, for Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years (1954-1965). Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection. Note: These transcripts contain material that did not appear in the final program. Only text appearing in bold italics was used in the final version of Eyes on the Prize. 00:00:02:00 [camera roll 561] [sound roll 1527] [slate] CAMERA CREW MEMBER 1: ROLLING. [sync tone] INTERVIEWER: OH, ACTUALLY NO I’M NOT, I’M SORRY. [wild audio] INTERVIEW: I FORGOT TO GIVE MY SPEECH. I’M SORRY. I’M SO ACCUSTOMED TO GIVING A LITTLE SPEECH BEFORE AND I FORGOT TO– Greeley: [laughs]I haven’t heard your speech before, you go ahead. INTERVIEWER: THIS IS MY LITTLE SPEECH: MY VOICE IS NOT GOING TO BE HEARD, OK? SO THAT MEANS THAT WHEN YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION TRY TO GIVE ME AS FULL AN ANSWER AS POSSIBLE. SO IF I SAY, “WERE YOU WEARING BROWN SHOES THAT DAY?” YOU WERE SAYING, “THAT DAY I WAS D. Greeley 1 WEARING BROWN SHOES BECAUSE BLAH BLAH.” BECAUSE NOBODY WILL HEAR THE QUESTION THAT I ASK YOU.
    [Show full text]
  • Selma the Bridge to the Ballot
    SELMA T H E BRIDGE T O T H E BALLOT TEACHING TOLERANCE A PROJECT OF THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER VIEWER’S GUIDE GRADES 6-12 Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is the story of a courageous group of Alabama students and teachers who, along with other activists, fought a nonviolent battle to win voting rights for African Americans in the South. Standing in their way: a century of Jim Crow, a resistant and segregationist state, and a federal govern- ment slow to fully embrace equality. By organizing and marching bravely in the face of intimidation, violence, arrest and even murder, these change-makers achieved one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era. The 40-minute film is recommended for students in grades 6 to 12. The Viewer’s Guide supports classroom viewing of Selma with background information, discussion questions and lessons. In Do Something!, a culminating activity, students are encouraged to get involved locally to promote voting and voter registration. For more information and updates, visit tolerance.org/selma-bridge-to-ballot. Send feedback and ideas to [email protected]. Contents How to Use This Guide 4 Part One About the Film and the Selma-to-Montgomery March 6 Part Two Preparing to Teach with Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot 16 Part Three Before Viewing 18 Part Four During Viewing 22 Part Five After Viewing 32 Part Six Do Something! 37 Part Seven Additional Resources 41 Part Eight Answer Keys 45 Acknowledgements 57 teaching tolerance tolerance.org How to Use This Guide Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot is a versatile film that can be used in a variety of courses to spark conversations about civil rights, activism, the proper use of government power and the role of the citizen.
    [Show full text]
  • SELMA, 1965 and the RIGHT to VOTE “At Times History and Fate
    SELMA, 1965 AND THE RIGHT TO VOTE “At times history and fate meet in a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man’s unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma, Alabama” President Lyndon Johnson The struggle that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 culminated in Selma, Alabama in March, 1965. The story began years before. The following is a time line that tells how this story unfolded. 1957 Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1957, creating the Civil Rights Division and empowering the Division to bring injunctive suits to increase voter registration for Negroes in the South. The law is weak, but it is the first significant Civil Rights law since Reconstruction. 1961 John Doar from Civil Rights Division begins years of frustration, attempting to bring lawsuits under the Civil Rights Act of 1957 for denial of voting rights on county-by-county basis. He files suit before Judge Thomas in the Southern District of Alabama against Dallas County, Alabama where less than 2% of Negroes are registered to vote. Sam and Amelia Boynton, living in Selma (Dallas County Seat) create an honor roll of Negroes who have registered to vote. 1962 Judge Thomas rules that the new registrar in Dallas County is a fair man and there is no longer any discrimination against Negroes even though only 73 out of a possible 15,000 manage to register in the past year.
    [Show full text]
  • Selma's Students and Teachers
    THE TRUE STORY OF THE FORGOTTEN HEROES — SELMA’S STUDENTS AND TEACHERS SELMA T H E BRIDGE T O T H E BALLOT COMMUNITY SCREENING GUIDE CONTENTS Quick Start Tips for Your Screening ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 How to Use This Guide ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 PART ONE // About the Film and the Selma-to-Montgomery March ���������������������������������������������������������������� 6 PART TWO // Your Community ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9 Resources ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 14 Acknowledgments ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15 2 THE BRIDGE TO THE BALLOT A film, a tool, a call to action Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot tells the story of the historic struggle for voting rights through the voices of the Alabama high school students and teachers who were the backbone of the Selma movement� They con- fronted a violent sheriff and a defiant governor determined to protect white supremacy at any cost� By organizing and marching bravely in the face of intimidation, violence,
    [Show full text]
  • Selma “Bridge to Freedom” from Eyes on the Prize (55 Minutes) Viewing and Discussion Guide
    The Civil Rights Movement: Selma “Bridge to Freedom” from Eyes on the Prize (55 minutes) Viewing and Discussion Guide Selma Activists- Note the actions of each of the following activists as you view this segment. CT Vivian Malcolm X Dr. Martin Luther King Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) John Lewis James Forman Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Frederick D. Reese James Bevel Hosea Williams Rev. Ralph Abernathy Stokely Carmichael 1. Describe the rivalry that developed between the SNCC and the SCLC during the voter registration campaign in Alabama. 2. How did government officials in Selma, Alabama respond to the coordinated campaign to register African American voters? 3. In Dallas County, Alabama, half the citizens were black, yet less than 1% were registered to vote by 1965. How were African American citizens prevented from registering to vote? 4. How did the Selma Teachers Association respond to the arrest of Amelia Boynton? What impact did their response have in the black community? 5. Watch the “clear engagement” between C.T. Vivian and Sheriff Jim Clark. What results from this encounter? 6. What nonviolent strategy did activist leaders propose so the community could express their grief and anger after the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson at the hands of an Alabama state trooper? How did they justify such a strategy? 7. Describe what happened to the SCLC march of 600 activists led by Hosea Williams and John Lewis on March 7, 1965. 8. Note the impact of the events of March 7th on: SCLC Public Opinion Clergy 9. Why did Dr. Martin Luther King turn around the marchers on March 9, 1965? What effect did this move have on the marchers? 10.
    [Show full text]
  • Stepping Into Selma: Voting Rights History and Legacy Today
    Stepping Into Selma: Voting Rights History and Legacy Today Background In this 50th anniversary year of the Selma-to-Montgomery March and the Voting Rights Act it helped inspire, national media will predictably focus on the iconic images of “Bloody Sunday,” the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the interracial marchers, and President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act. This version of history, emphasizing a top-down narrative and isolated events, reinforces the master narrative that civil rights activists describe as “Rosa sat down, Martin stood up, and the white folks came south to save the day.” But there is a “people’s history” of Selma that we all can learn from—one that is needed, especially now. The exclusion of Blacks and other people of color from voting is still a live issue. Sheriff’s deputies may no longer be beating people to keep them from registering to vote, but institutionalized racism continues. For example, in 2013 the Supreme Court ruled in Shelby v. Holder that the Justice Department may no longer evaluate laws passed in the former Confederacy for racial bias. And as a new movement emerges, insisting that “Black Lives Matter,” young people can draw inspiration and wisdom from the courage, imagination, and accomplishments of activists who went before. [From article by Emilye Crosby.] This lesson on the people in Selma’s voting rights movement is based on an effective format that has been used with students and teachers to introduce a variety of themes including the history and literature of Central America, the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Selma” Sunday, March 1, 2015 Rev
    1 “Selma” Sunday, March 1, 2015 Rev. Bruce Southworth, Senior Minister The Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist This morning I offer some stories surrounding Selma and the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, with the Selma to Montgomery March a few weeks later. For Women’s History month, let’s begin with Annie Lee Cooper. An African American, she is best known as the civil rights activist in Selma, Alabama who punched Sheriff Jim Clark. She then received a beating by the sheriff, was charged with “criminal provocation”, went to jail for 11 hours, and sang spirituals while there. Annie Lee Cooper was a Selma native, age 54 at the time of her run-in with Jim Clark. As a teenager she had moved first to Kentucky to live with an older sister, and then worked in Pennsylvania running a restaurant. Three years earlier in 1962, she had returned to her childhood home to care for her mother. Having been a registered voter in Pennsylvania and Ohio, she was indignant that she could not vote in Alabama. For attempting to register to vote in Selma, she was fired from her job in a nursing home. In January 1965, there was an ongoing protest in front of the Dallas County Courthouse as blacks sought to register to vote. The Montgomery Advertiser, on the occasion of Ms. Cooper’s 100th birthday, reported the following: The Sheriff ordered her and others to vacate the area, at which time, “Sheriff Jim Clark claimed … (Cooper) slugged him. She said he (had) hit her, and reported, ‘I was just standing there when his deputies told a man with us to move, and when he didn't, they tried to kick him,’ Cooper said last week.
    [Show full text]
  • Selma Online Teaching Guide Sara Wicht
    SELMA Selma Online Teaching Guide Sara Wicht. Teaching Tolerance, Southern Poverty Law Center Steven J. Niven. Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, Harvard University Grade Level 7th to 12th Grade Last Updated: April 6, 2020 Downloadable PDF Support for teachers facilitating in-classroom learning based on the Selma curriculum. Freely available to the public via download from the Selma Online website: www.selmaonline.org Table of Contents Section One: How to Use This Guide 3 Essential Questions 3 Learner Objectives 4 Section Two: Preparing to Teach the Civil Rights Movement 5 Section Three: Before Viewing 7 About the Voting Rights Movement 7 Emancipation in 1865, through Reconstruction (1865-1877), Redemption (1877-1890), and Jim Crow (1877-1965) 7 History of voting rights after 1865 7 Reconstruction and Broken Promises 10 Black Voter Registration In The South 1940–2000 11 Black Legislators in the South: 1868–1900 13 Timeline of Events 14 Why Selma? 18 ​ The Places 18 ​ Section Four: During Viewing 20 ​ The Groups 20 ​ Pro-Voting Rights Groups 20 ​ Anti-Voting Rights Groups 20 ​ The People 21 ​ Strategies and Tactics 23 ​ Organizing 25 ​ Laws & Constitution 26 ​ The impact of the Voting Rights Act: What Happened after 1965? 27 ​ Expanding Numbers of Black Legislators in the South 28 ​ The Voting Rights Act 1965 - 2019 29 ​ Section Five: Watching Selma 31 ​ Watch and Respond 31 ​ Selma: Movies as History 36 ​ Section Six: Do Something 38 The Vote Today 38 Voting in Your Community 38 Voter Turnout 38 ​ Voter Suppression or Voter Fraud 39 ​ Voter Disenfranchisement 40 Section Seven: Related Resources 43 Answer Keys 46 ​ 2 Section One: How to Use This Guide Selma Online highlights the events in Selma, Alabama, during the voting rights movement of the 1960s as a turning point in the longer history of voting rights in the United States.
    [Show full text]