American Civil Rights Research Articles

Recovered History: Chicanx Representation in the Dual Credit Classroom

Abstract Recent legislation in Texas effectively prohibits K-12 educators from addressing issues of racism and explicitly prevents teachers from discussing the place of racism in Chicanx relations across Texas history. University educators, and dual-credit instructors especially, must intercede if future generations of learners are going to encounter the true and complete history of border culture, colonialism, and the complex relationship that Chicanx people have with the Southern region of the United States. I argue that the use of digital archives and recovered history like the internet project Are We Good Neighbors? Mapping Discrimination Against Mexicans in 1940s Texas, which catalogs racial discrimination through individual testimony, the Library of Congress database of Mexican American documents, and Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement offer educators an opportunity to incorporate key research skills into the classroom while also establishing a linear context for liminality as a feature of identity formation in contemporary Chicanx literature. The combination of research and critical inquiry is vital to instructing students on the realities of Chicano relations and introducing them to the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, a key element of American history that is not only conspicuously absent from most K-12 curricula but also an inescapable influence on identity formation and contemporary discussions around Mexican American relations. The use of digital archives to recover and center Chicanx history is actionable on a small scale and serves as an important opportunity to resist anti-ethnic legislation in real time, a vital act of subversion that sidesteps prolonged challenges to censorship at the legislative level.

A Case Study of Integrating Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Heritage Bridge Documentation: The Edmund Pettus Bridge

The Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, Alabama, a symbol of the American Civil Rights Movement and an exemplar of early 20th-century engineering, stands as a testament to the progress and challenges of its era. The bridge, recognized for its pivotal role in the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” conflict and the following Selma to Montgomery marches for voting rights, also represents significant engineering achievements with its distinctive design and construction methodology. In this study, the research team presents a comprehensive framework for documenting heritage bridges by utilizing Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) technology, supplemented by other Reality Capture (RC) techniques, including Structure from Motion (SfM), 360-degree photography, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and integrating the data within a Building Information Modeling (BIM) environment. The focus on the Edmund Pettus Bridge case study demonstrates how this novel approach can capture the intricate details of its structural and architectural features while preserving its historical narratives. The documentation outcomes, including a detailed BIM model and a set of Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) drawings, highlight the effectiveness of combining TLS and BIM in conserving unconventional heritage structures like bridges. This paper also discusses the technological challenges encountered, such as dealing with heavy traffic and environmental constraints during data acquisition and developing the BIM model and drawings. It outlines the strategies implemented to address these issues. This research contributes to preserving a severely under-represented American National Historic Landmark (NHL). It sets a precedent for documenting other non-building heritage structures, balancing technological advancements with historical integrity.

Review Essay: The American Civil Rights Movement as a Military Campaign

Thomas E. Ricks, Waging a Good War. A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954–1968. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2022. Ricks’s book has been labelled a “tour de force” by “interpreting one of America’s most consequential social movements as a classic military operation” (Nightingale). Ricks “examines the struggle for racial equality through the analytical framework of military history” (Grenier), focusing on the Movement, the people who shaped it, its long-term goals, its strategies, its actions, and its consequences.

Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Survey and Building Information Modeling (BIM) of The Edmund Pettus Bridge: A Case Study

Abstract. The comprehensive digital documentation of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a symbol of the American Civil Rights Movement located in Selma, Alabama, serves as an example of integrating Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) technologies for the conservation of heritage infrastructure. This study aimed to employ advanced TLS and other Reality Capture (RC) techniques to generate a high-resolution, three-dimensional representation of the bridge, thereby aiding in its structural assessment and preservation. Utilizing TLS alongside 360-degree photography and UAV surveys, the project achieved detailed coverage of the bridge's architectural and structural features. The data collected was processed into a BIM model using Autodesk Revit, offering comprehensive analysis and preservation planning. The findings from this research highlighted previously undetected areas of material degradation and structural vulnerabilities, emphasizing the value of TLS and BIM in revealing critical insights into the condition of heritage structures. This project preserved the digital memory of an iconic Civil Rights landmark and set a framework for applying digital documentation technologies in heritage infrastructure conservation. The success of this methodology offers a valuable precedent for future conservation efforts, showcasing how RC technologies can enhance the preservation of historical sites and ensure their legacy is maintained for future generations.

Review: New Mexico’s Moses: Reies López Tijerina and the Religious Origins of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, by Ramón A. Gutiérrez

Review: <i>New Mexico’s Moses: Reies López Tijerina and the Religious Origins of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement</i>, by Ramón A. Gutiérrez

Christian Climate Action: why getting arrested is important

ABSTRACT This article argues that there is a moral and theological imperative to protest against policies and industries which perpetuate the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE). First, evidence is gathered that different church and theological voices are aware of the CEE and engaged with it at some level. Pope Francis’ 2023 Laudate Deum and Quaker Faith and Practice are cited in particular. Walter Wink’s non-violent Jesus is offered as a rationale for creative, prophetic enactment and non-violent direct action (NVDA); and lessons are learned from the success of the 1960s American Civil Rights movement. The Christian Climate Action movement is outlined as a place where authentic and effective enactment takes place. Lastly, words from Martin Luther King Jr. serve as an indictment on today’s church where we fail to offer meaningful protest. A post-script considers ‘hypocrisy’ and the carbon footprint versus radical, systemic change.

W.E.B. Du Bois' Autobiographical Legacy: Impact on African American Literature and Civil Rights

This research paper explores the autobiographical legacy of William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, commonly known as W.E.B. Du Bois, and its profound influence on African American literature and the Civil Rights Movement. Du Bois, a prominent African American scholar, writer, and civil rights activist, penned a series of autobiographical works that not only documented his own life experiences but also played a pivotal role in shaping the narrative of the African American struggle for civil rights and equality. This paper examines Du Bois' autobiographical writings, including "The Souls of Black Folk," "Dusk of Dawn," and "The Autobiography of W.E.B. Du Bois," and their impact on the broader African American literary tradition and the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. By analyzing Du Bois' life and his written accounts, this paper illustrates how his autobiographical legacy contributed to the intellectual and social fabric of African American history.

New Mexico's Moses: Reies López Tijerina and the Religious Origins of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement by Ramón Gutiérrez (review)

New Mexico's Moses: Reies López Tijerina and the Religious Origins of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement by Ramón Gutiérrez (review)

Ella Baker and Participatory Democracy: An Exploration and Interpretations

Social movement has been closely related to American civil rights movement. However, participatory democracy has also been related to American civil rights movement as a part of the greater social movement in the twentieth century. Ella Baker, a veteran American civil rights leader has championed participatory democracy. She was not a political scientist but as an activist and thinker, she gave birth to the idea of participatory democracy as part of her struggle for the America civil rights movement.

Layers of Meaning in Maya Angelou's "Caged Bird"

Maya Angelou was a renowned American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist who had the talent of capturing the essence of the human spirit through her powerful words. Her poetry touched people’s minds and hearts offering a voice to those who had been silenced and shedding light on the realities of racism, injustice, and the struggles faced by marginalized communities. Social segregation, identity exploring, and the image of the body are some of the main themes portrayed in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and many other poems. Maya Angelou's impact as a poet is undeniable, as she used her words to inspire and empower individuals to overcome adversity and fight for equality. Maya Angelou's metaphorical expressions allowed readers to perceive the world differently, encouraging introspection and fostering a deeper understanding of human experience. The aim of this study is to show how Angelou's metaphorical language in her poems helped to create vivid imagery and convey complex emotions through analyzing layers of meaning and metaphors which serve as a bridge between abstract concepts and tangible experiences, to allow readers to connect with her poetry on a deeply personal level.

Review: Agent of Change: Adela Sloss-Vento, Mexican American Civil Rights Activist and Texas Feminist, by Cynthia E. Orozco

Review: <i>Agent of Change: Adela Sloss-Vento, Mexican American Civil Rights Activist and Texas Feminist</i>, by Cynthia E. Orozco

Jack Nelson: Fighting for Racial Justice in Louisiana

Abstract: Jack Nelson was a white Catholic lawyer involved in the struggle for African American civil rights in New Orleans. Drawing upon his faith's teachings, he advocated for racial justice in the courtroom and his community. As an officer of Save Our Schools, he fought to keep public schools open, and as a candidate for the Orleans Parish school board, he opposed those resisting integration. He defended young civil rights activists in a landmark Supreme Court case, and he filed the lawsuit that forced Tulane University to admit its first Black students. He facilitated the integration of New Orleans' Catholic schools. His civil rights advocacy brought social ostracism, hurt his legal practice, and doomed his efforts to win political office. Despite these setbacks, Nelson remained faithful to the principles of his religion and his profession. His victories are not widely known today because his desire to remain a solo practitioner precluded his involvement in cases lawyers argued for major civil rights organizations.

New Mexico's Moses: Reies López Tijerina and the Religious Origins of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement by Ramón A. Gutiérrez (review)

New Mexico's Moses: Reies López Tijerina and the Religious Origins of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement by Ramón A. Gutiérrez (review)

General John A. Rawlins: No Ordinary Man by Allen J. Ottens

Reviewed by: General John A. Rawlins: No Ordinary Man by Allen J. Ottens Joan Waugh (bio) General John A. Rawlins: No Ordinary Man. By Allen J. Ottens. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2021. Pp. 577. Cloth, $35.00.) Allen J. Ottens, author of the first stand-alone biography of John A. Rawlins to appear in over one hundred years, is a professor emeritus of counselor education and supervision at Northern Illinois University and a lifelong student of the American Civil War. His volume is a well-researched and comprehensive depiction of Rawlins’s short (1831–69) but crowded life as a lawyer in Galena, Illinois; as Ulysses S. Grant’s top aide and staff adjutant from 1861 to 1868; and then, briefly, as President Grant’s secretary of war. It offers a fresh perspective on and welcome revision of Rawlins’s accomplishments as staff officer, his personal and family life, his relationship with Grant in history and in memory, and his vocal support for African American civil rights. The book’s early chapters document the forces that shaped the character of the boy and the man. John Rawlins was born in East Galena, Illinois, to a large and struggling working-class family. Northwest Illinois was rich in ore, and in his youth Rawlins labored in the charcoal pits that dotted the area, securing a solid if scattered education. Ambitious, he studied law in Galena with a local attorney and became a partner in the firm. He married Emily Smith of New York in 1856, purchased a house the following year, and soon was the father of three children. Rawlins imbibed from his mother a loathing of alcohol abuse, becoming “a sworn enemy of drink” (17). Rawlins was also an eloquent speaker on behalf of the Democratic Party and backed Stephen Douglas over Abraham Lincoln in the hotly contested presidential election of 1860. The swift and shocking dissolution of the United States spurred the twenty-nine-year-old to abandon mere party concerns and declare his fervent support for the Union cause. From this time, John Rawlins’s destiny was tied to that of Ulysses S. Grant, a former U.S. Army officer who had recently arrived in Galena to work in his father’s leather goods store. At first, the two men were only friendly acquaintances, but the thirty-nine-year-old Grant’s deft handling of the war’s early military organization in Galena drew Rawlins’s respect. In August 1861, Brigadier General Grant offered, and Rawlins accepted, a position as adjutant on his staff in Cairo, Illinois. Emily died of tuberculosis that same month, and a grieving husband was left to make funeral arrangements and to find a home for their children. Those distressing tasks completed, newly minted Captain Rawlins joined Grant and, because of his position as chief of staff to a rising commander, assumed an increasingly vital role throughout the war. [End Page 256] Rawlins proved adroit in mastering the headquarters’ load of paperwork involved in managing staff in the field offices. Grant typically drafted his own reports, which Rawlins fact-checked and supplemented, proving to be honest, efficient, and trustworthy. Ottens describes Rawlins as “dedicated, conscientious, compulsive—and always with a grip on circumstances at headquarters and on himself ” (166). A striking-looking man with a full black beard, Rawlins had a quick temper and was prone to outbursts of violent and colorful swearing. But his competence and loyalty were unquestioned and valued, and he was rewarded with promotion to major in 1862, later to lieutenant colonel, and finally to brigadier general in the regular army as chief of staff to Lieutenant General Grant. Grant was subject to attacks on his character and generalship at every step of his war career. Charges of drinking, incompetence, and a brutal indifference to death and suffering dogged him and affected his reputation after the war. Some journalists and disgruntled military officers contended that John Rawlins deserved much of the credit that Grant claimed. They insisted that he kept Grant abstemious and also provided the brainpower for Grant’s military campaigns. Ottens offers a nuanced and convincing description of the Grant-Rawlins relationship, dismissing outright that Rawlins dictated strategy to...

Towards the question of the genesis of pan-africanism

The article is devoted to the problem of the origin of Pan-Africanism. The author focuses on the "American center" of the formation of its ideological and practical foundations. Special attention is paid to the early stage of the development of the current, the emergence of "proto-Pan-Africanism"(from the second half of the 18th century till the end of the 19th century). After analyzing the initiatives of the pioneers of the "Back to Africa" movement, the first American abolitionists and civil rights activists, the author concludes that their actions served to create the environment for generating the theory and practice of Pan-Africanism.

New Mexico’s Moses: Reis López Tijerina and the Religious Origins of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. By Ramón A. Gutiérrez

Historian Ramón Gutiérrez tells Tijerina’s story from the point of view of a Pentecostal preaching jeremiads against a racist, imperialist, cut-throat capitalist U.S. society that left Tijerina prophesying that he was part of a long line of messiah figures who were called to continue railing against a corrupt system. Using Tijerina’s collected sermons, translated for the first time in English, Gutiérrez contends that Tijerina’s jeremiads were rooted in the Pentecostal near-obsession with the “last days” as noted in the Book of Revelation. The book contains the sermons and the translations in a massive appendix that comprises half of the book. Gutiérrez traces Tijerina’s path from working in fields with his family as they made their way through the sugar beet trail from Texas to the Midwest. Tijerina converted from Catholicism to Baptist and Pentecostalism in one of these farmworker camps. In the 1940s-50s, Tijerina sought ordination in the Pentecostal denomination, the Assemblies of God, but he was kicked out of their bible school for failing to live up to the school’s holiness standards. As Gutiérrez notes, Tijerina’s faith did not mean that he would be interested in living the kind of pious life required of Pentecostal ministers. Tijerina was an adulterous, abusive man who sexually abused his daughter and subjected his family to years of mental and emotional abuse. Tijerina’s hypocrisy hardly mattered because he was an activist who considered himself a messiah, thus reading himself back into the biblical text and shielding himself from criticism.

Our Similarities Transcended Our Differences

The Third World Women’s Alliance (TWWA) was an activist organization born from the struggles of Black women in the social movements of the 1960s. Founded in response to the misogyny of the American Civil Rights Movement and racism in the Women’s Liberation movement, Black women sought to create an organization that championed issues specific to their experiences. The TWWA was unique in its approach to activism, operating under “Triple Jeopardy,” an understanding that women of colour were oppressed at the intersection of race, gender, and class, and sought to unite women from around the world through a collective understanding of oppression. Emerging out of their marginalization within other movements for social justice, the TWWA developed a unique intersectional and internationalist ethos and organizing strategies rooted in their lived experiences that would have a profound impact on contemporary activist movements.

Translating nonviolence: Ahimsa, satyagraha, and the civil rights movement

AbstractRecent scholarship has challenged a simplistic transmission model of the diffusion of nonviolence within the American civil rights movement. Yet many historical studies remain focused on the spread of content communicated by experts and, in particular, on the relative degree to which activists adhered to what Gandhi called ahimsa, a term that is often translated as “non‐harm” or “non‐violence,” but which carried a range of meanings for Gandhi and many of his colleagues. This essay, by contrast, focuses on “satyagraha,” a word that literally means “holding firm to the truth,” and that Gandhi popularized out of frustration with the label “passive resistance.” I use a range of historical sources, including audio recordings of civil rights workshops at the Highlander Folk School, to reveal the limitations of an ahimsa‐based conception of the diffusion of nonviolence and to explore an alternative, satyagraha‐based understanding of nonviolent education within the civil rights movement. I argue that the “translation” of satyagraha played a key role in the struggle against American racism, and suggest that future scholarship should explore the centrality of translation to nonviolence as both philosophy and method.

Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales by Cynthia E. Orozco

Reviewed by: Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales by Cynthia E. Orozco Rolando Avila Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales. By Cynthia E. Orozco. Foreword by Julián Castro. Hispanic Civil Rights Series. (Houston, Tex.: Arte Público Press, 2022. Pp. xxxviii, 537. Paper, $26.95, ISBN 978-1-55885-896-1.) Cynthia E. Orozco’s stated purpose in her new book Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales is to rectify a deficiency in the historical record. Orozco explains that even though Alonso S. Perales (1898–1960) was a major civil rights leader, he “has largely been forgotten” (p. xix). [End Page 376] However, that is not entirely true. Perales’s own works are still on library shelves. Although Perales died in 1960 “before the field of Chicano history in the academy existed,” significant works on Perales were indeed published beginning in the 1970s (p. xix). For example, Adela Sloss-Vento published Alonso S. Perales: His Struggle for the Rights of Mexican-Americans (San Antonio, Tex., 1977), and Michael Olivas published In Defense of My People: Alonso S. Perales and the Development of Mexican-American Public Intellectuals (Houston, Tex., 2012). While it may be true that Perales is not as prominent in the literature as he should be—he remains absent, for example, from the American National Biography—he is included in numerous Mexican American reference works, anthologies, and monographs. However, compared with writings about other groups in American history, the dearth of Mexican American political biographies remains glaring. In this regard, Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights is a welcome addition to the literature and will surely become Perales’s standard biography for years to come. Orozco’s book is, to date, the most extensive study of Perales’s life and work. She presents an engaging, well-organized narrative. Twenty-four chapters deal with Perales’s poor upbringing in Texas, military service during World War I, education, political activities, law practice, work as a U.S. diplomat, religion, character, family life, friends, adversaries, events leading to his death, and controversies. The author artfully uses historiography to frame this narrative, and each chapter is bookended by introductory remarks and concluding thoughts. One of the biggest strengths of Orozco’s work here is her use of an extremely large number of available sources, including archival material that was not available to other researchers until recent years. In fact, approximately one-third of the book is composed of supporting documentation, including a selected bibliography (divided by types of sources), a timeline of major events, and extensive notes for each chapter. In sum, the last third of the book is a gold mine for any prospective researcher in this field. Nevertheless, the absence of an index is a major drawback. As a champion for the civil rights of Mexican Americans, Perales was instrumental in the establishment of the Order Sons of America (Orden Hijos de América) in 1921 and the Latin American Citizens League in 1927. In 1929, these two organizations merged to form the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which is still active today. Perales was recognized for his contributions with several honors during his lifetime, the highest of which was awarded to him by Spain in 1952 to honor his advocacy for Spanish-speaking people. It is regrettable that Perales’s contributions were overlooked during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, but he is no longer forgotten thanks to conscientious writers like Orozco. Orozco does not shy away from controversies. She makes every effort to present her subject accurately. However, her advocacy for Perales becomes apparent when she confronts critics. This is not a negative. It is part of the book’s overall purpose that the author masterfully achieves. Over the span of this expansive biography, Orozco makes a compelling and well-documented case for Perales’s great importance as a pioneer of Mexican American civil rights. [End Page 377] Rolando Avila University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Copyright © 2023 Southern Historical Association

Review: Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales, by Cynthia E. Orozco

Book Review| May 01 2023 Review: Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales, by Cynthia E. Orozco Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales. By Cynthia E. Orozco. (Houston, Arte Público Press, 2022. 537 pp.) Diana Johnson Diana Johnson California State University, San Bernardino Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Pacific Historical Review (2023) 92 (2): 319–320. https://doi.org/10.1525/phr.2023.92.2.319 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Diana Johnson; Review: Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales, by Cynthia E. Orozco. Pacific Historical Review 1 May 2023; 92 (2): 319–320. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/phr.2023.92.2.319 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentPacific Historical Review Search Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales by Cynthia E. Orozco is an impressively researched study of great breadth covering the long life and political work of a key figure in Mexican American–led activism during the twentieth century. Orozco has done immense research while situating this study within a vast and diverse set of literature covering both Perales himself and the Mexican American civil rights movement more broadly. One of the book’s largest strengths includes the author’s insistence on interweaving the life and ideologies of Perales with scholarship on broader topics such as the history of LULAC and the conceptualization of race within Mexican American-led political movements. Much of the book covers the upbringing, career changes, and political involvement of Perales over the course of the early to mid-twentieth century. Many of these details are illuminating, helping the reader gain a deeper understanding of Perales not only as a... You do not currently have access to this content.