RACISM DEBATE

 

EP:  The "greater truth" about the racism debate in American history is . . .

 

NOTE:  All the reading here as you scroll down applies to this examination question.  It is recommended that you read all of it so as to better ascertain what is the best evidence for you to use to argue your thesis.  The title of each specific selection is in bold print. 

 

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause."
--Abraham Lincoln,
"Letter to Horace Greeley" (August 22, 1862)

"All knew that this interest [slavery] was somehow the cause of the war."
--Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address 1865
 



James W. Loewen

SECONDARY SOURCE:  Loewen Ch. 5: Gone With the Wind

--What are the sources of American racism?
--What happened to the idealism of the Revolution?
--When did American racism hit its nadir?
--How does the superstructure endure?
 


SECONDARY SOURCE:  D'Souza Ch. 4:  The Reparations Fallacy-What African-Americans Owe America


- What do immigrants see about how America works?
- What is the “white man’s guilt?”
- What is the standoff between the genetic and liberal viewpoints on race?
- Which is the best strategy for minority groups?
 

145782_obama_s_god_damn_america_pastor_a_liabilty_1.jpg
To view a video clip click on Rev. J. Wright's comments (Windows Media Player)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk3LXvVlsI4 (Online)

 
Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
To listen to the audio of an interview click on http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3194001
 
"They’re standing on the corner and they can’t speak English. I can’t even talk the way these people talk: Why you ain’t, Where you is, What he drive, Where he stay, Where he work, Who you be… And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk.

Everybody knows it’s important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can’t be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living.

People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we’ve got these knuckleheads walking around. The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids. $500 sneakers for what? And they won’t spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.

I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit. Where were you when he was 2? Where were you when he was 12? Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn’t know that he had a pistol? And where is the father? Or who is his father?

People putting their clothes on backward: Isn’t that a sign of something gone wrong? People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn’t that a sign of something? Or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up? Isn’t it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up and got all type of needles [piercing] going through her body?

What part of Africa did this come from? We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don’t know a thing about Africa. With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail.

Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person’s problem. We have got to take the neighborhood back. People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with eight different ‘husbands’ — or men or whatever you call them now. We have millionaire football players who cannot read. We have million-dollar basketball players who can’t write two paragraphs. We as black folks have to do a better job. Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us. We have to start holding each other to a higher standard.

We cannot blame the white people any longer." --Bill Cosby

The full transcript of Mr. Bill Cosby’s Pound Cake speech