1. Glossary

Pick four or five words from the list below whose meaning may not be clear to you. Find out the meaning of these words and use them to add to your own glossary of keywords on the history of race in the 20th century.

Try to write the meanings in your own words rather than copying them out of a dictionary. Imagine you are trying to explain the words to a younger person. What would you say? How could you use examples to help explain the meaning to them?

• Citizenship
• Citizen
• Nationality
• Asylum
• Refugee
• Segregation
• Desegregation
• Jim Crow
• Discrimination
• Race/racial/racism
• Equal/equality
• Prejudice
• Integration
• Muslim
• Black Muslim
• Black Panther
• Direct Action
• Passive Resistance
• Civil Rights
• Fascism
• Assassination

Some pupils may require additional support with the keywords. Ways of helping them include:

• Giving pupils words and meanings on cards and asking them to match them.
• Asking pupils to 'strike a pose' or do a mime to convey a keyword. Can the others guess which keyword they have chosen?
• Asking for differences between words, for example, 'segregation' and 'discrimination'. Refer to 'Migration'. In Britain black people did not suffer from 'segregation' but they did suffer from 'discrimination'. Why might it be harder to 'fight' discrimination?

2. What do the keywords mean?

Look at the meanings below for two very important keywords: 'race' and 'black'. Now write the meanings for the other keywords.

'Race'
There is no biological validity (truth) behind the idea of 'race'. However, it is a term which people use to describe others, for example, the black 'race'. Social scientists and historians tend to use the term in quotation marks, to show that it is a social construct not based on fact.

'Black'
In Britain today, we use the term for people of African, African– Caribbean and Asian origin (taken as a group) or in the phrase 'black and Asian', where 'black' refers only to those of African and African– Caribbean origin. The expressions 'non-white', 'coloured' and 'half-caste' are outdated and generally found offensive by black people, since they represent an aspect of white ethnocentricity (view of the world). 'Mixed race' and 'dual heritage' have replaced the term 'half-caste'.

After Viewing

3. Citizenship, nationality and colour

• What were the aims of the US Civil Rights Movement in relation to voting?
• Do all people living in Britain today have British citizenship? If not, why not? In some countries, for example Switzerland and Estonia, literacy and other tests are still used as a qualification for citizenship for some people living in the country.
• Use Hyperlinks to find other references to citizenship issues.

4. Political and social rights: The vicious circle

What is meant by a 'vicious circle'?

Read the extract below:

Segregation also included denying full citizenship to blacks – they did not have equal voting rights with whites. Voting rights were denied by introducing criteria or requirements that blacks had to meet before they could vote. These included:

• Literacy test: this disqualified many blacks who were unable to get a good education.
• Property ownership: this disqualified many blacks who lived in poverty after slavery.
• Poll tax: most blacks were too poor to pay it.

The denial of voting rights was a fundamental obstacle to achieving other social and economic rights. Because black people could not vote, they could not get political power. Without political power, they could not stop segregation and discrimination.

Express the main points made in the extract above as a vicious circle which shows 'why political rights were so important' in order to change segregation and discrimination against blacks.

5. Comparing American and British propaganda in the Second World War

Extract 6 (4.07)

'Teamwork' (1945– 6)

This extract from an American military propaganda film shows black and white soldiers fighting side by side. It had two purposes:

• To counter German propaganda that exploited American racism.
• To increase patriotism by showing how important blacks were to the American war effort.

The film stresses loyalty and unity in a similar way to British films of the same period (see 'Empire').

What similarities are there between American and British propaganda during the Second World War?

6. 'I Have a Dream'

For example, see Extract 11 (8.43):

'March on Washington' (1963)

Extract from US news programme about the rally on civil rights in Washington DC in 1963 where Martin Luther King made his 'I Have a Dream' speech.

In the speech, he said:

'I have a dream, that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed; we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.'

• What is meant by 'democracy'?
• Why did King think America was undemocratic?
• Why do you think this speech has become such a famous and important one in the history of civil rights?

7. Independence and interdependence of ethnic groups

See Extract 17 (14.22):

'Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud' (1969)

This extract from the current affairs programme This Week focuses on 'Operation Breadbasket' – a campaign to try and persuade customers to buy products from black manufacturers and, therefore, support the black community.

During the extract, Jesse Jackson says the following:

'I think the black community is driving for economic independence, for political independence, for military independence, for social, psychological and religious independence. Which means that we will control our community as do other ethnic groups. I think it might need to be brought out that independence precedes interdependence. The white community is separate but it is separate and independent. The Black community is separate but it is separate and dependent.'

• Discuss and/or write out Jackson's speech in your own words.
• What is the difference between 'independence' and 'interdependence'?

8. Role of the individual

Choose one or more from the list below and find out how they contributed to the struggle for civil rights and equality in America.

• Rosa Parks
• Russ Meeks
• Martin Luther King
• Mohammed Ali
• Malcolm X
• Jesse Jackson