Religion & The Civil Rights Movement Flashcards
Who wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”?
Martin Luther King Jr.
What does “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” set out?
The goals and philosophy of the non-violent civil rights movement
What is “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” a response to?
A letter written by 8 white Alabama religious leaders, urging Birmingham blacks to withdraw support from MLK & the Civil Rights Activists
To whom was “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” addressed?
Moderate Christians of both races who had yet to support the elimination of segregation
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, why must churches speak on politics?
All great political questions are fundamentally moral questions
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, why is MLK in Birmingham?
- President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
2. Because injustice is there
According to “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, why is protest the only option?
The city’s white power structure left no alternative
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, what are the 4 steps of a non-violent campaign?
- Collection of the facts
- Negotiation
- Self-purification
- Direct action
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, who does MLK say are moving speedily towards independence?
Nations of Africa and Asia
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, what is the type of law you should obey?
Just law
According to “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, what is ironic about condemning protests as they might lead to violence?
Like condemning Jesus as his devotion to God’s will lead to the crucifixion
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, what are the two opposing forces in the Negro community?
Complacency vs. Bitterness and hatred
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, why is MLK ok with being called an extremist?
Jesus was an extremist for love
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, which two groups has MLK been disappointed with?
- White Moderates
2. White Church & its leadership
Who wrote “National Baptist Philosophy of Civil Rights”?
Joseph Jackson
Who was Joseph Jackson?
- President of the National Baptist Convention, Inc. 1953-1982
- Conservative views: spiritual mission of the Church
- Need for AA to move from protest to production
- Opposition to MLK
What did MLK form in 1961
The Progressive National Baptist Convention (break away from National Baptist Convention, Inc.)
In “National Baptist Philosophy of Civil Rights”, what is acknowledged about protest?
It has its place in the racial struggle, but not enough
What is the chief message of “National Baptist Philosophy of Civil Rights”?
AA must move from protest to production
According to “National Baptist Philosophy of Civil Rights”, what should education focus on?
Practical things: “Gospel of the soil”
Who wrote “Singing of Good Tidings and Freedom”?
Mahalia Jackson
Who was Mahalia Jackson?
- Gospel singer
- “Going to heaven tunes”
In “Singing of Good Tidings and Freedom”, what does Jackson lament about the church?
They no longer help people to keep the faith
What racial distinction does Jackson draw in religious music, in “Singing of Good Tidings and Freedom”?
European hymns seen as beautiful, but not Negro music
Where did Jackson most famously sing, as described in “Singing of Good Tidings and Freedom”?
Washington March, before MLK’s “I Have A Dream” Speech
Who wrote “Black Theology and the Black Church”?
James Cone
Who was James Cone?
Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary
Supporter of Black Power
In “Black Theology and the Black Church”, what did Black Power challenge the Black Church to do?
- Move beyond the models of Love defined in the context of white religion and theology
- Define where they stand in relation to black power
In “Black Theology and the Black Church”, what is emphasised about the Black Church?
The central role that the black church has played in black people’s historical struggle for freedom
According to “Black Theology and the Black Church”, what is the problem in black churches using intellectual ideas from European theologians?
White Europeans did not shape their ideas in the social context of white racism
What is the message of “Black Theology and the Black Church”?
Need to create a new theological movement
In “Black Theology and the Black Church”, what has not been created in a vacuum?
Black theology: cannot simply return to African religion & philosophy
What does “Black Theology and the Black Church” call for, in terms of perspective?
Global perspective: should follow on from historical pan-Africanism, in getting all the oppressed peoples together
Who wrote “The Black Churches: A New Agenda”?
Lawrence Jones
What is “The Black Churches: A New Agenda”?
A contribution to ‘The Churches: Where from here?’ series for “The Christian Century”
Who was Lawrence Jones?
1970: First holder of the chair in African American Church History at Union Theological Seminary
Dean of Howard University’s School of Religion
In “Black Churches: A New Agenda”, what are the 4 agendas that the Black Church was founded on?
- Proclamation of the Gospel
- Benevolences
- Education
4 Foreign Ministers
According to “Black Churches: A New Agenda”, what is the only founding agenda not to change?
Proclamation of the gospel
In “Black Churches: A New Agenda”, what have black churches not developed that white churches have?
Effective centralised bureaucracies
According to “Black Churches: A New Agenda”, what has a critical lack of money led to?
Continued fragmentation of the Afro-American religious community
In “Black Churches: A New Agenda”, who have been greatly involved in growing church membership?
Local communities
According to “Black Churches: A New Agenda”, what is in jeopardy?
Ability to attract urban dwellers in large numbers with a 19th century rural ethos
What does “Black Churches: A New Agenda”, call on the black churches to do?
Address the consciousness, realities, and urgencies of contemporary urban life
Who gave “Remarks on the Assassination”?
Robert F. Kennedy
What was “Remarks on the Assassination”?
A speech given in Indianapolis informing the crowd that MLK had been shot
Who was Robert F. Kennedy?
NY Senator, campaigning for the 1968 Democratic Presidential nomination
What was the prepared response of RFK to the death of MLK?
“On the Mindless Menace of Violence”, Cleveland, Ohio
What was the message of “Remarks on the Assassination”?
Work together to move the country forward
In “Remarks on the Assassination”, how did RFK empathise with AA?
Mentions his feelings after the assassination of JFK
According to “Remarks on the Assassination”, what are the 2 options open?
Greater polarisation between races or a coming together (what JFK would have wanted)
Who gave “The Ballot or the Bullet”?
Malcolm X
What was “The Ballot or the Bullet”?
A speech given by Malcolm X in April 1964 at Cory Methodist Church, Ohio
When did Malcolm X separate from the Nation of Islam?
March 1964
What was the relationship between the Nation of Islam and politics?
It forbade its members from participating in the political process
In “The Ballot or the Bullet”, what question is X responding to?
“The Negro Revolt, and Where Do We Go From Here?”
In “The Ballot or the Bullet”, who does X compare himself to?
MLK: Christian minister leading a civil rights organisation (X’s personal religion is Islam)
Why does Malcolm X say it is time to submerge differences in “The Ballot or the Bullet”?
Common problem: all getting hell from the same man
In “The Ballot or the Bullet”, what partnership does X invoke to show people can overcome differences?
JFK & Khrushchev
According to “The Ballot or the Bullet”, what is so important about 1964?
It is an election year
In “The Ballot or the Bullet”, what do blacks have the potential to do?
Get the Democrats out of government (esp. Dixiecrats)
In “The Ballot or the Bullet”, what 2 things are stopping AA from voting?
Northern Gerrymandering
Southern refusal to give the Negro the vote
According to “The Ballot or the Bullet”, what is the new interpretation of the Civil Rights Struggle?
Black Nationalism
In “The Ballot or the Bullet”, what does the civil rights struggle need to be expanded to?
The level of human rights
According to “The Ballot or the Bullet”, what does black nationalism mean economically?
Should control the economy of their own community: don’t let money out of the community
Who gave “Myths About Malcolm X”?
Albert Cleage
What was “Myths About Malcolm X”?
A speech at a memorial meeting, Friday Night Socialist Forum in Detroit
Where was “Myths About Malcolm X” published?
International Socialist Review
What was the aim of “Myths About Malcolm X”?
Personal reflections and re-find the man under the myths
In “Myths About Malcolm X”, what does Cleage compare the myth around X to?
The myths that built up around Jesus
Who was Albert Cleage?
Christian religious leader against integration
In “Myths About Malcolm X”, what is the myth about his time in Mecca?
That he rejected his former position that the white man is the enemy and that separation is inescapable
In “Myths About Malcolm X”, what is the myth about internationalisation?
- That Malcolm wanted to internationalise the struggle and appeal to the United Nations
- Didn’t think that the Africans were going to save the AA
Was does Cleage not believe about Elijah Muhammad in “Myths About Malcolm X”?
That he assassinated Malcolm X
According to “Myths About Malcolm X”, what is the basic principle?
That the white man is your enemy
In “Myths About Malcolm X”, what is called “impossible and undesirable”?
Integration
In “Myths About Malcolm X”, who did he lay the foundations for?
Stokely Carmichael
Who is the interviewer in “Autobiography of Malcolm X”?
Alex Haley
What was the original purpose of “Autobiography of Malcolm X”?
Help people appreciate how Mr. Muhammad salvages black people
What genre does the “Autobiography of Malcolm X” fall into?
Spiritual conversion narrative (Augustinian approach)
In the “Autobiography of Malcolm X”, what did the white man use to oppress people?
Religion
According to the “Autobiography of Malcolm X”, what needs to come before civil rights
Human rights
According to the “Autobiography of Malcolm X”, who was the Messiah?
Fard Muhammad
In the “Autobiography of Malcolm X”, what had black people been brainwashed into doing”?
Worshipping a white Jesus
In the “Autobiography of Malcom X”, what is white love?
Really lust
What are “House Negroes” according to the “Autobiography of Malcolm X”?
AA handpicked by white men to fare slightly better than the black masses and so defend the power structure
What has the bible been historically, in the “Autobiography of Malcolm X”?
The single greatest ideological weapon for enslaving millions of non-white humans
How did Malcolm X view black leaders in his autobiography?
Black bodies with white heads
In the “Autobiography of Malcolm X”, what is the only solution?
Complete separation from the white man
