Chaos in Birmingham

In Birmingham, Alabama events were going out of control. Many violent acts and arrest of African Americans were taking place during the early 1960's. According to the book Mightier than the Sword, 3,000 black men, women, and children were arrested in one seething spring, many of them were injured by police brutality.  Martin Luther King Jr., and other civil rights leaders targeted the city for a series of nonviolent protest to overturn the city's white power structure. Television broadcast the protests nation wide. Now the nation focused on Birmingham and watch the news every evening to see what was going on in the city. Now protesters came up with a way to win the nation's compassion. They allowed the young school kids to join the march in Birmingham. Many kids joined the march downtown in the city. Police commissioner Bill Conner was getting upset at all the African Americans protesting. According to the book Mightier than the Sword, Connor arrested 700 youngsters and he ordered his officers to become more physical. Cops hosing the African American people and Conner was even training his dogs to attack any dangerous criminals. Television captured these cruel and harsh actions and the nation seen all of the police brutality down in Birmingham. 

University of Georgia admits two African American Students

According to Mighier than the Sword, a federal court ruled that the University of Georgia had to admit African American students. This was the first time in the school's history that they admitted black students. The two students were Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter. Hunter will later make he rmark on journalism as Public Broadcasting Service correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault. The focus was on Hunter because she was a female and she had to stay on the college campus with the white students. Holmes on the other hand, stayed off the campus. The young eighteen year old Hunter was on television every night. Viewers seen footage of her looking towards the ground too afraid to look up and frightend by the angry crowd. According to Mightier than the Sword, one piece showed how the whie students taunted her. The film also showed how a white female student tossed a quarter at Hunter saying to her "here, nigger. Here's a quarter. Go change my sheets. Things only got worse for Hunter. In the book Mightier than the Sword, cameras focused on the hundreds of students who gathered outside of Hunter's dormitory, holding a banner scrawled with angry words, "Nigger go home!" More footage showed how the police broke up the crowd by using tear gas to secure Hunter from danger.

Brown vs the Board of Education of Topeka

This Supreme Court case took place in 1954 during the Civil Rights Movement. This court case was recognized nation wide. Televisions broadcasting about the court case and caught footage of the young Elizabeth Eckford walking into school. many people were rude and obnoxious to the little girl screaming racial slurs and wanting her to be lynched. President Eisenhower had the National Guardsmen to escort the Little Rock Nine into the school. According to Mightier than the Sword, the next morning cameras were out front of the school and there were angry segregationist in front of the schools chanting: "Two-four-six-eight! We don't wanna integrate." The soldiers had to gather around the African American students to protect them all from danger. Each morning there was coverage of the students throughout the school year. Each morning nation wide they would see soldiers escorting the African American students into the school and protecting them.

Chaptet 11: Pushing the Civil Rights Movement onto the national agenda

This chapter is focusing on the the Civil Rights Movement and how it became a national issue. During the movement The Supreme Court case Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka case was known about nation wide. This historic court case was televised on national television. The Civil Rights Movement also made headlines making it a good news story for television. Many issues revolving around the movement were televised and many people seen the news nation wide. According to Mightier than the Sword, segregationists realized that television was disrupting the system, and they began to view all reporters as enemies. When we speak about how Dan Rather that worked for CBS was searching for a motel to stay in when he was covering a story in Mississippi. He seen a sign that read in the window: "No dogs, niggers, or reporters allowed." This shows how the segregationist did not want nothing to do with any reporters and their stories covering the Civil Rights Movement.

3rd Blog: Introduction

Moving on to more recent issues in history, I will focus on chapter 11 in the book. This chapter focuses on the civil rights movement and segregation around the 1950s and 1960s. I will also discuss how the media showed many issues and problems on live television during the civil rights movement. Many highlights in history occured during the civil rights movement that will shape the history of the world.

Chapter 7 : Defying the Ku Klux Klan summary and outline

In my second i am talking about the emergenge of the Ku Klux Klan why they have hatrid towards religion and race. Also i will discuss about how many newspapers will get their message out nationwide in an effort to stop their actions and behavior. The reason why I chose this chapter is because of the historic backround about this topic and how much i learned about the chapter that i did not know.  This chapter covers a lot on the history of the Ku Klux Klan and areas of history that i found interesting.

The original Ku Klux Klan members were former Confederate veterans. They did not want the former slaves to start their rights. But it was not just blacks that the klan disliked. They also disliked all catholics and Jews. From a racial and a religious stand point they hated all. The klan were violent people and destructive. They lynched African Americans and they burned down crosses from catholic churches. Some how people wanted to get the message out there to let people know about their violent behavior. The  three newspapers that critizied the klan were the Commercial Appeal, New York World and the Montgomery Advertiser. These three newspapers critizied the klan by saying how they were a finacial scam. They all won the Pulitzer Prize for their work on the klan which is an "American journalism's highest honor." according to Mightier than the sword. The illustrations in the Commercial Appeal showed how the klan disliked everybody. Even the veterans from World War 1. Because they had catholic beliefs the klan disliked them all.

New York World: "Ku Klux Klan Exposed!"

The New York World was another newspaper that won a Pulizer Prize in the 1920s. The newspaper took the same action as the Commercial Appeal. According to Mightier than the sword, the newspaper's opening article, "characterized the klan's growth as a financial scam that had bilked members out of $40 million in initiation fees and charges for klan regalia. Also the World was as commited to destorying the klan as i was to building its own circulation.

The Commercial Appeal

This Memphis newspaper won one of three newspapers that won a Pulizer prize in the 1920s. According to Mightier than the sword by Roger Streitmatter, The Commercial Appeal "critizied the klan by characterizing it as a profit-making scam."  The newspaper also spoke about how the klan disliked all African Americans, Catholics, and Jewish people. In the newspapers there were cartoons illustrating the klan and how cruel they were to people. In the book Mightier than the sword it shows us editorial cartoons by J.C Alley. One of the cartoons illustrates how the klan is 100% American and their hate towards Catholics. In the cartoon there is a disabled World War 1 veteran. Than klan even hated them because of their religion.

Ku Klux Klan - A Secret History Pt. 3

Ku Klux Klan

The confederate veterans put together the original KKK back in 1866. According to Mightier than the sword by Rodger Streitmatter, they wanted to prevent former slaves from exercising their recently acquired rights. They did not just plan to stop former slaves from their rights, but also religious beliefs. They did not like catholics as well. Not even war hero veterans from World War 1. The klan were 100% American nothing else. Many newspapers spoke against their actions and behavior. The Commercial Appeal in Memphis had cartoons in their newspapers to report in a way to defy the klan in that area.

2nd Blog Introduction

In my second blog I will focus on chapter 7 of Mightier Than The Sword by Roger Streitmatter called "Defying the Ku Klux Klan"  The chapter is focusing on how the KKK emerging around the nation and how they tried to get people to get down with them through articles and messages. Some newspapers wanted the people to know about the klan and wrote articles against them and the violence that they caused. These newspapers were againts everything the klan said or did.

Abraham Lincoln speech against slavery

Introduction

Hello im Steven Moore and this is my blog for my Journalism & Democracy Fall 2010 class.

I will be discussing how journalism plays a big role in the American History and how it affect our history as well. I will also discuss how a free press should and will play a role in American History. Many reporters lives were at stake or loss their lives because they were trying to preform a free press. During the next several weeks i will discuss topics about the past and the present.

The Liberator: William Lloyd Garrison

The Liberator was a newspaper that Garrison edited for 35 years. Garrison seen how harsh slaves were treated and wanted to write about it. He experienced how they got treated by their owners. Garrison took Elijiah P. Lovejoy's murder and used it of "a representative of Justice, Liberty and Christianity." to condemn the U.S. as a nation "diseased beyond the power of recovery,"  swearing Lovejoy's murder served both his crusade against slavery and his defense of a free press according to Mightier Than The Sword. Garrison's writings were viewed worldwide because of him speaking out about the treatment of slaves. Of course this caught the eyes of  slave owners and others who was for slavery. Garrison's writings were also criticized by many. In 1835 a group of 100 men formed outside off a hall where Garrison was. When the mob found him they grabbed him and were preparing to lynch Garrison for what he said in the paper. He was also criticized because he was trying to express a free press. The mob was close to throwing Garrison out the window until he was saved by a group of supporters that rescued him from the angry mob.

Elijah P. Lovejoy

Lovejoy eatablished a Presbyterian newspaper in 1834. He talked about how slavery was a sin. After he said that his words got him in big trouble. With his life and his families safety at stake Lovejoy moved him and his family to Illinois which was a free state.When he moved slavery avocated pushed his printing press into the river. Lovejoy brought his second press. In his first issue of the Alton Observer he stated that " American negro Slavery is an awful evil and sin, and it is the duty of us all to effect the speedy and entire emancipation of our fellow- men in bonage". On the night of November 7, 1837 an angry mob of 200 men surrounded the warehouse that Lovejoy was in and they demanded him to abandon the building. Lovejoy refused to come out and a big riot broke out in front of the warehouse he was in. The angry mob set the roof of the building on fire after he refused to leave. Lovejoy ran out the blazing warehouse and he was shot dead by the angry mob. Lovejoy's death transformed the Abolition Movement. His death was because he was defending the freedom of press.

Freedom's Journal Vol 1 Number 1

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchives/aanp/freedom/docs/v1n01.pdf
The Freedom's Journal was the first black newspaper. It was founded in New York in 1827. This newspaper was published in the north. The reason is because the North there was no slavery and it gave african Americans the opportunity to work and be free. The Freedom's Journal soon would face financial difficulties. According to Mighier Than the Sword,  the reason is because very few businesses targeted black consumers, whose economic strength was minimal.