ch. 7 (recruits of civil rights activism, McAdam)

Question 1

info

Answer 1

About Freedom Summer

They are trying to register black voters

• The SM proposed a protest vote to demonstrate the desire of blacks to participate in the electoral process
• In the south, there was a lot of way that people prevented black people from voting (people in Mississippi could not vote)

So, this movement got a lot of white, northern university student to come down and register black people to vote so that they could vote freely

The fundamental goal of this SM was to focus national attention on Mississippi as a means of forcing federal intervention in this state.

For the project to be successful it had to attract national media and what better way to do this than by recruiting the sons and daughter of upper-middle- class white American to join
-However, recruiting white individuals to join was controversial because they never faced discrimination so the black people had distrust in them. They were also worried that white people would come in and take over the movement (take the credit, be seen as heroes) 

Doug McAdams introduces us to the term “cognitive liberation” or the belief that people have the capacity to enact change. Cognitive liberation is both cause and product of protest activity

Question 2

Cognitive liberation

Answer 2

people will not usually rebel against the status quo, no matter how wrenched they are, unless they feel that a problem is unjust (unfair) and that they have the capacity to change it for the better

Applicants who joined Freedom summer joined because they thought they could change things for the better.

Other people joined due to religious beliefs
Most activist had previously joined other SM, have friends involved in movements and have extensive histories of civil rights activity (linked to civil rights community)

Question 3

Biographical availability

Answer 3

Many people are prevented from protesting by the responsibilities and constraints of daily life which are imposed by parents, spouses or partners, children. Not everyone in the world is available to join SM